Kickstarter takes off for 10 Dead Doves

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Announcements by Jack Allin
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Demo available for retro-styled narrative-driven horror adventure coming to PC later this year

The era of early survival horror adventures like Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Fatal Frame may be long past us, but everything old is new again these days, and even fixed cameras and tank controls are making a comeback, as in Duonix Studios' upcoming 10 Dead Doves, which is currently raising crowdfunding on Kickstarter.

It's 2004, suitably enough, and Marcus Stetson, the "Most Pathetic Man on Earth," is eager to return to the Appalachian Trail one last time in pursuit of "the holy grail of urban legends – a mysterious, mythical place known only as the Ant Farm." An experienced backpacker with a massive chip on his shoulder, Marcus is stubbornly determined to "relive the glory days," but to do so he needs the help of his friend and "long-time trail buddy, Sean – the Human Firecracker." Before long, however, the birds begin dropping dead around them, and the relationship between the two young men is put to the test when Marcus begins receiving "a series of cryptic messages from a haunting, bird-like figure in his dreams."

Inspired by the classic survival horrors of the past, 10 Dead Doves leans more into psychological dread than avoiding deadly monsters, although players should expect a certain amount of peril as well. With a greater focus on story, the game's indie developers are seeking to blend in the "naturalistic dialogue of Firewatch, the disturbing faces of Siren, the weirdly personal writing of Disco Elysium, and the strange twists of Inscryption," all wrapped up in "a bizarre road trip buddy comedy meets Appalachian cosmic horror." There will be an eclectic cast of locals to meet, puzzles to solve, and secrets to uncover in this "short narrative full of mystery, heart, and mortal terror." Along the way to one of multiple different endings, you'll have the chance to explore not just the scenic mountain range along the American East Coast, but also some "peculiar Dove Dreams" that will impact your fate.

In order to complete the game before the end of this year, Duonix has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $10,000 US by May 18th. The base goal will help them launch 10 Dead Doves on Steam for Windows PC, although a stretch goal could see it ported to Switch and possibly even additional platforms later on. There's no need to support it sight unseen, however, as a playable demo is available to download, offering about thirty minutes of gameplay.