When I got the email about the first teaser for Unavowed, I thought to myself, boy, that sounds awfully familiar. So I looked back a bit, and sure enough, there it was: The March 2016 announcement of a new supernatural adventure game coming from indie publisher Wadjet Eye, about a centuries-old squad of supernaturals that quietly protects humanity from the demonic presence lurking in the shadows.
Naturally, the tale begins at a moment of crisis: "New blood is required to protect the mundane world from a threat stronger than any these crime-fighters have faced." That new blood would be you, freshly rescued from a demonic possession that left you stripped of your old life, but with new purpose and possibilities laid open before you.
Unavowed is inspired by "story-heavy RPGs" (the Dragon Age series is cited as one particular influence, and in fact former Dragon Age writer Jennifer Hepler is the story co-designer) and represents an "ambitious evolution" of the point-and-click games Wadjet Eye is known for, including Gemini Rue, Primordia, Resonance, and Technobablyon. The player's selected gender and background will influence the storyline, while the composition of the supporting party will change the solutions to puzzles.
The Unavowed lineup looks like a mashup of Resonance and the Blackwell games, and even though the trailer doesn't exactly scream "dark and gritty," I fully expect that there will be some moments of just that sort: Wadjet Eye's games may look like King's Quest, but they have a habit of going all Manhunter: New York when you least expect it.
Unavowed is currently slated to come out sometime in 2018. Here are some screens to keep you warm while you wait.
Random characters kept swearing in Obsidian's font-obsessed murder-mystery when its procedural error system ran amok: 'Naughtiness abounded'
Eagle-eyed streamer spots that Roberta Williams' portrait in King's Quest 4 is based on her author photo on the back of the game box: 'I never noticed it before.'
