The Game UN:Me: An Psychological Thriller Merging Survival Horror and Social Deduction Gameplay
The recent Day of the Devs digital showcase revealed a number of fascinating upcoming titles, but one especially has seized attention: UN:Me. Developed by Historia and Shueisha Games, this solo experience seems to fuse together the oppressive atmosphere of a Silent Hill game with the suspicion-driven heart of Among Us.
"It's a unique game where a girl containing several personalities within her must escape from a labyrinth of the mind," explains developer Yasukazu Kawai.
Stepping Into a Fractured Mind
In UN:Me, players assume the role of an unnamed heroine seeming to be of teenage years. Within her exist four separate personas, all possessing their own fears and drives. These entities can take over at will, unleashing their innermost phobias upon her without warning.
Based on showcased footage, much of the narrative takes place within a eerie hospital, though other scenes depict the main character navigating a desolate church.
A World of Individual Horror
"What makes you afraid of? What makes you uncomfortable?" poses creative lead Shun Sasaki. "High places. Small rooms. Authority figures. Elements that appear minor to other people can trigger something primal within us. This game explores that idea — anxieties that are unique to every individual."
The core gameplay loop involves controlling the persona that emerges at any given time. However, these identities will change involuntarily during gameplay. While exploring, every persona's anxieties become amplified and assault the girl one after another. When the soul shifts, so does the specific fear the player experiences.
Unsettling Aesthetics and a Deadly Choice
Initially, UN:Me shares striking aesthetic parallels with the Silent Hill franchise. The hospital is filled with nurses all sporting the identical visage, with unnervingly wide grins. Patients in the waiting room have large blooms growing from their necks should be. Floral motifs are an ever-present theme, contrasting natural beauty with supernatural dread.
Yet, UN:Me introduces a unique mechanic. Players must determine which of the four entities haunting the protagonist is the "real" one. "Each of the personas claims that the body is rightfully them," explains a developer. "Throughout the game, you need to figure out who is authentic."
After a player believes a soul is an impostor, they are forced to destroy it. But, since each soul can lie or hide the truth, it is very easy to choose incorrectly.
"Maybe you've already destroyed the real [soul] with your own hands," the narration suggests. "The last one remaining might be a fake. Either way, your choices are final."
UN:Me does not yet have a publicly announced release date, but it is can be follow on digital storefronts.
