We got our first look at the first-person horror game Husk, which looks to be a heady blend of Silent Hill, Alan Wake, and Twin Peaks, last month, when the February 3 release date was announced. With the big day now upon us, there's a new "Welcome Home" trailer to check out, and a few more details about what exactly is going on in this awful, lonely game.
The year is 1995. Your name is Matthew Palmer, and you've just woken up after a train crash. There's nobody around; your wife and daughter are gone. A sign tells you that you're in Silvercliff, a once-beautiful tourist town on the coast that's now gloomy and empty. "A place where you’ll be forced to face your worst nightmares, solve mysteries, and survive the devouring darkness," publisher IMGN.PRO said. "A place that will make you answer one, important question: Do you have what it takes to look your demons in the eye and find your family?"
Husk promises a "down-to-earth storyline touching [on] problems of violence and alcohol addiction," which suggests that it could be a somewhat risky and controversial game, but also—if handled properly—a thought-provoking one. But the Steam listing also describes it as a "classical survival horror" experience, with different types of monsters and boss fights, and plenty of references to emphasize its 1990s setting. It really comes off as mixed messaging: That's not to say that conventional game mechanics can't be used in a sensitive treatment of delicate topics, but themes like alcoholism and domestic violence don't exactly go hand-in-hand with brutal boss fights, right?
That said, the trailer looks promising as a Silent Hill-esque horror game, and Silvercliff could easily be a stunt-double for Bright Falls. Husk is available now on Steam for five percent off its regular $20/£15/€17 price until February 10.
