Nevermind (2015 video game)

Last updated
Nevermind
Developer(s) Flying Mollusk
Publisher(s) Flying Mollusk
Designer(s) Erin Reynolds
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, OS X, Xbox One
Release
  • Microsoft Windows, OS X
  • September 29, 2015 [1]
  • Xbox One
  • January 11, 2017 [2]
Genre(s) Horror
Mode(s) Single-player

Nevermind is a first-person horror video game developed by Flying Mollusk. It was released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in 2015, and for Xbox One in 2017. The story revolves around the minds of people who have suppressed memories of horrible events.

Contents

Plot

The players takes over the role of an expert that was recently hired by the Neurostalgia Institute to treat their patients in a mind jacking process known as neuroprobing. [3] Every patient there suffers from a form of repressed mental trauma. In order to help them resolve their issues, the player performs neuroprobing to obtain the recollections of the repressed memories so that the trauma can be cured. [4] By advancing through and being nearer to the goal, things around the player change in hostile ways as their minds fight back. [5]

Gameplay

Nevermind was designed to be played with devices that support biometric feedback (their usage is optional [6] ), because the more the player is under stress, the harder the game becomes. [7] If the player gets scared, certain events will occur (for example, the game screen will become foggy and unsteady, making navigation more difficult). [8] The difficulty decreases by calming down. [9] It uses Intel RealSense for the sensors that can track player's pulse in real-time, and Affectiva's Affdex to recognize emotions and translate that into the game's events. [10] [11] While being inside of a patient's mind, the objective is to find ten photos per client, each representing the parts of their memories. [12] Resembling Myst, Nevermind has some puzzle adventure elements, which consist of navigating environments and solving the puzzles before any progress can be made. [13]

Development

Erin Reynolds started with the game's development at the media program for graduate studies at the University of Southern California. For a thesis, Reynolds had a year to develop any kind of game of her choice, which became Nevermind. [14] A team that worked on it created one level, and disbanded after graduation. The following year, Reynolds started a company to build a full version of Nevermind. [15] The aim of the project was to recognize and to help solve the player's anxieties. [16] In early 2014, the developers launched a Kickstarter campaign, asking for $250,000. [17] It ended being unsuccessful, earning $129,615. [18] In October 2014, Nevermind was back for another campaign on Kickstarter, being set at a lower goal of $75,000. [19] The funding was successful with $76,525 being pledged by the backers. [20]

Related Research Articles

<i>Call of Cthulhu</i> (role-playing game) Tabletop horror role-playing game

Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos. The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium; it was first released in 1981 and is in its seventh edition, with licensed foreign language editions available as well. Its game system is based on Chaosium's Basic Role-Playing (BRP) with additions for the horror genre. These include special rules for sanity and luck.

<i>Dizzy</i> (series) Video game series

Dizzy is a series of video games, created by the Oliver Twins and published by Codemasters. It was one of the most successful British video game franchises of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Originally created for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, the series appeared on multiple home computer and video game console formats, with over a dozen games being published between 1987 and 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Baker (game designer)</span> American writer and game designer

Keith Baker is a game designer and fantasy novel author. In addition to working with Wizards of the Coast on the creation of Eberron, he has also contributed material for Goodman Games, Paizo Publishing and Green Ronin Publishing. In 2014, Baker and Jennifer Ellis co-founded the indie tabletop game company Twogether Studios.

<i>Sanitarium</i> (video game) 1998 video game

Sanitarium is a psychological horror point-and-click adventure video game that was originally released for Microsoft Windows. It was developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by ASC Games in 1998. It was a commercial success, with sales around 300,000 units. In 2015, it was ported to iOS and Android devices.

<i>Pathfinder Roleplaying Game</i> Tabletop role-playing game

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) that was published in 2009 by Paizo Publishing. The first edition extends and modifies the System Reference Document (SRD) based on the revised 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) published by Wizards of the Coast under the Open Game License (OGL) and is intended to be backward-compatible with that edition.

<i>Alice: Madness Returns</i> 2011 video game

Alice: Madness Returns is a 2011 psychological horror hack and slash action-adventure platform video game developed by independent studio Spicy Horse and released by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the sequel to American McGee's Alice (2000). American McGee, a video game designer who is most famous for working on the Doom series, was involved in the development. It has a strong goth aesthetic.

<i>Broken Age</i> 2015 point-and-click adventure video game

Broken Age is a point-and-click adventure video game developed and published by Double Fine. Broken Age was game director Tim Schafer's first return to the genre since 1998's Grim Fandango, and was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One platforms. The game was developed in two acts; the first was released on January 28, 2014, and the second was released on April 28, 2015. A retail version of the complete game for Windows, macOS, and Linux, published by Nordic Games, was released on April 28, 2015. A Nintendo Switch version was released on September 13, 2018.

Brandon Laatsch is an American game developer, filmmaker, and YouTuber known for directing Video Game High School, founding the game company Stress Level Zero, and other online video content.

<i>To Be or Not to Be</i> (book) Choose your own adventure book by Ryan North

To Be or Not to Be: A Chooseable-Path Adventure, also referred to as To Be or Not to Be: That Is the Adventure, is a 2013 novel by Ryan North, retelling the story of Shakespeare's Hamlet in a choose your own adventure format and mostly contemporary language. The initial run of the book was crowd funded through Kickstarter and published by charitable "uncorporation" Breadpig. It was eventually followed by two sequels, also by North, Romeo and/or Juliet and William Shakespeare Punches a Friggin' Shark and/or Other Stories.

<i>2064: Read Only Memories</i> 2015 video game

2064: Read Only Memories is a cyberpunk adventure game developed by MidBoss. It was directed by John "JJSignal" James, written by Valerie Amelia Thompson and Philip Jones, and features an original soundtrack by 2 Mello.

<i>Darkest Dungeon</i> 2016 video game

Darkest Dungeon is a roguelite role-playing video game developed and published by Red Hook Studios. The game was first released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in January 2016, which followed a year-long early access development period. Later that year, it was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Linux, with a port for iOS being released in 2017, and ports for Nintendo Switch and Xbox One being released by 2018.

<i>Dont Hug Me Im Scared</i> British web and television series

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared is a British surrealist musical comedy horror web and television series created by Becky Sloan, Joe Pelling, and Baker Terry. The series consists of a short six-episode web series that was released from 29 July 2011 to 19 June 2016 on YouTube, and a television series in 2022 on All 4 and Channel 4. The series incorporates puppetry, live action, stop motion, traditional animation, flash animation, clay animation, and computer animation.

<i>P.T.</i> (video game) 2014 video game

P.T. is a psychological horror game developed by Kojima Productions, under the pseudonym "7780s Studio", and published by Konami. It was directed and designed by Hideo Kojima, in collaboration with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.

<i>Allison Road</i> (video game) Video game

Allison Road is an unreleased first-person survival horror video game, that was being developed for Linux, Microsoft Windows and OS X by Lilith Ltd and formerly to be published by Team17. It was considered to be a spiritual successor to P.T., the playable teaser for the cancelled video game Silent Hills. Before being funded by Team17, the game's development was fan based. On 4 June 2016, the Allison Road Twitter account announced the game's cancellation.

<i>Visage</i> (video game) 2020 indie survival horror video game

Visage is a 2020 independent psychological horror video game developed and published by SadSquare Studio. Set in a strangely structured house with a somber history, players control Dwayne Anderson as he explores the backstories of the inhabitants that once lived there. The game is presented in first-person perspective, and a large portion of the house is accessible, although some areas require keys. Obstacles include avoiding the dark to reduce loss of sanity, though several tools can aid players through the dark.

<i>Scorn</i> (video game) 2022 video game

Scorn is a first-person biopunk survival horror adventure video game developed by Serbian developer Ebb Software for Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X/S. The game is inspired by the works of visual artists H. R. Giger and Zdzisław Beksiński. The game was released on 14 October 2022 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X/S.

Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning is a 2018 horror video game created by American indie developer Micah McGonigal, known by the pseudonym Mystman12. The game satirizes educational games of the 1990s through poor graphics and similar themes, and later deconstructed its elements into a metafictional horror genre in recent updates.

<i>Saint Kotar</i> 2021 video game

Saint Kotar is a psychological horror detective point & click adventure game with branching storylines and multiple endings, set in a hand-painted world. Developed by Croatian independent studio Red Martyr Entertainment and published by Soedesco, it was released for Microsoft Windows on October 28, 2021, Mac and Linux on September 2, 2022 and is due for physical and digital consoles release on October 14, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Flying Mollusk Launches Biofeedback Horror Game Nevermind for Windows and Mac". Gamasutra . September 29, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Nevermind". Microsoft . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  3. ↑ Mills, Michele (October 20, 2015). "New video game Nevermind knows whether it's stressing you out". San Gabriel Valley Tribune . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  4. ↑ Blakemore, Erin (April 27, 2016). "This innovative video game can sense your emotions and respond accordingly". The Week . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  5. ↑ Tekaia, Pascal (October 21, 2015). "Nevermind review". Adventure Gamers . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  6. ↑ Martens, Todd (October 24, 2015). "A game made almost entirely of LED lights? It's addictive, and it's at IndieCade". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  7. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (March 3, 2015). "Nevermind is a panic attack disguised as a video game". Polygon . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  8. ↑ Miller, Jennifer (December 3, 2013). "This Horrifying Video Game Knows When You're Afraid". Fast Company . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  9. ↑ Futter, Mike (February 3, 2014). "In Nevermind, Difficulty Rises With Your Heart Rate". Game Informer . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ Murnane, Kevin (March 3, 2016). "Gaming: 'Nevermind' Reads Your Mind And Adapts To Your Emotions". Forbes . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  11. ↑ Thirlwell, Edwin (February 3, 2015). "A Horror Game That Heals". Vice . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  12. ↑ Starr, Michele (October 27, 2015). "Nevermind review: When your own heartbeat is used against you". CNET . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  13. ↑ Hinkle, David (June 2, 2014). "Nevermind: a biofeedback horror game for your mental health". Engadget . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  14. ↑ Hansman, Heather (September 28, 2015). "Can a Video Game Teach You to Manage Stress?". Smithsonian . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  15. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (August 25, 2015). "Flying Mollusk's Nevermind horror game measures how scared you get". VentureBeat . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  16. ↑ Vincent, Brandy (August 26, 2018). "This video game knows when you're scared — and it wants to use that against you". NBC News . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  17. ↑ Elise, Abigail (February 20, 2014). "'Nevermind' Game Responds To Players' Fear, Currently Being Funded On Kickstarter". International Business Times . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  18. ↑ Reynolds, Erin. "Nevermind: A Biofeedback Horror Adventure Game". Kickstarter . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  19. ↑ Hilier, Brena (October 9, 2014). "Biofeedback-based horror Nevermind back on Kickstarter". VG247 . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  20. ↑ Reynolds, Erin. "Nevermind: Biofeedback Horror Adventure Game". Kickstarter . Retrieved August 12, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.