The Occultist to get to work in 2025

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Daedalic to publish revamped supernatural survival horror on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S

You don't often see "the occultist" on a business card, but that's precisely the job players will take on next year in Spanish developer DALOAR's supernatural survival horror adventure of that name, to be published by Daedalic Entertainment.

The  occultist in question is Alan Rebels, a paranormal investigator who travels to the "enigmatic island of Godstone, determined to uncover the truth behind his father's mysterious disappearance." Now uninhabited (at least by anyone living), Godstone used to be populated until 1950 by an "infamous, macabre cult that performed disturbing experiments and cruel rituals." The island is where Alan's father spent his childhood, and he mentioned it frequently to his son over the years, so now Alan believes his path may have led him back home after all these years. But this will be anything but a standard missing persons investigation. Instead, as Alan navigates the "foggy streets and eerie buildings of Godstone," he must use his "mystical pendulum" and supernatural abilities to communicate with the "ominous souls that linger" here, who may choose to help or maliciously hinder his cause. Before long, the case "shakes Alan’s convictions of what is possible in the world of the occult. Maybe Godstone hides a curse that can be lifted... but should it be?"

While the first-person, free-roaming 3D presentation and central premise of The Occultist is largely the same as when it started, back when the team was called Pentakill Studios, it has since undergone some significant changes, particularly to its setting. Gone is the haunted farmstead and surrounding wilderness, replaced by the accursed island and its creepy environs, including an eerie old mansion featured in the game's latest trailer. Little has been revealed of the gameplay so far, but it promises to be a survival horror experience that blends "tense exploration" of atmospheric environments with puzzles that "require insight into the occult," making strategic use of the magic pendulum's "five unique mechanics to interact with and manipulate the environment." Players can expect to encounter a variety of "adversaries that make the investigation a true nightmare," but rather than confront them face on, you'll have to use stealth to "navigate the story without direct combat." 

No firm target release date has been announced just yet, but The Occultist is due to arrive on Steam for Windows PC sometime in 2025, along with console versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. To follow the game's progress in the meantime, be sure to check out the official website for ongoing details.