Ire: A Prologue release drawing interest on Steam and Epic

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Demo also available for haunting first-person mystery series debut set in the Bermuda Triangle

We all remember playing hide-and-seek as kids, frantically scouting out the best hiding spots to avoid being "it." Of course, it's all fun and games until a terrifying creature eats your face. Which is exactly what may happen to unsuspecting players in the newly released Ire: A Prologue, the debut installment of a planned horror series by indie developer ProbablyMonsters. 

Emily is a teenager whose father mysteriously disappeared while aboard a ship "lost deep in the Bermuda Triangle." In fact, it isn't just her father who's missing but the entire crew. Now, in order to work out what happened to them and hopefully bring them back alive, Emily must relive the repressed memories of her time aboard the ship by making necessary repairs to restore malfunctioning systems and locating "13 mysterious doors hiding in the ship’s dark, narrow corridors." The problem? Even in her subconscious, she is definitely not alone. With her is a "monster stalking [her] every move," reacting to and learning from her actions. Curiously, with each new door she finds, a new "loop" begins that reveals "new secrets – and new stories" while changing certain details that allow Emily to progress further. 

Described by the game's narrative director as "a nostalgic love letter to 80s and 90s horror," Ire: A Prologue is a free-roaming, first-person survival horror where "hide-and-seek is life and death." Not that you can roam very far or very freely, as you're limited to the accessible parts of the ship stranded at sea – a few outside in the blissful light of day, but most of them in the pitch black "dark recesses" within. Presented using Unreal Engine 5, the game's crisp 3D visuals are supported by voice acting and a "haunting orchestral score" performed by the Nashville Recording Orchestra. And with the benefit of "full 3D spatial audio and 7.1 surround sound," the experience promises to be highly atmospheric, with "ambient sounds, music, and Emily’s breathing all [responding] to your actions, building suspense in real time." 

There will be useful items to collect, assemble, and use in practical ways, from your trusty (and absolutely essential) flashlight to "walkie-talkies to wind-up alarm clocks." You'll also encounter many environmental challenges such as fueling the reserve generator and restoring emergency power, along with a variety of optional collectibles such as cassettes and journal pages that flesh out the story of this ill-fated voyage. It's what happens in between that will send shivers continually down your spine, however, as a "relentless monster is stalking you, and the only way to survive is to stay hidden." At first this can be as simple as cowering in a locker, but before long you'll need to "use your skills and size to outsmart" and distract it, because "the smarter you get, the smarter it gets" too. 

While this is the first game by ProbablyMonsters, there's no shortage of established industry pedigree behind it as the company was founded by former Bungie President and CEO Harold Ryan and the game is led by Matt Case (former head of interactive at HBO) and CJ Cowan (former story team lead for Destiny). Both the complete version and demo of Ire: A Prologue are available now on Steam and Epic for Windows PC, and if all goes well it'll be just the start of an "ambitious franchise" with more "mysteries and stories to be explored in the years to come."