Gallery: Calling

Hudson Soft is looking to join the well-packed "scary games" truck barreling at a breakneck pace towards Wii owners looking for more substantial and varied horror experiences. Calling is the company's upcoming horror adventure that draws inspiration from Japanese Horror films such as The Ring and Ju-on along with games like From Software's Echo Night series and the underrated PlayStation 2 mystery/adventure, Shadow of Destiny, among others. Well, that's how my fevered brain deciphered this press release:

“Players will be asked to use their wits and senses to survive the world of Calling,” said Mike Pepe, Director of Marketing of Hudson Entertainment. “It is a game that revolves around real people and real emotions – no chain saws or suits of armor. The game is traditional survival horror at its finest.”

In Calling, players begin by visiting a mysterious “Black Page” website with a simple number counter. Some say it is a bridge to something sinister; the counter indicating the number of people who have died after visiting the page. It is said that people who have visited the site and witness a certain event are drawn into a mysterious space compiled of the memories of the dead - the space between life and death. Someone or something is drawing the living there for a reason, and it is up to the player to discover the horrifying truth. In order to do so, players will use various equipment including flash lights, phones, and other items to navigate and escape the Calling.

Throughout the game players will visit various parts of the Calling world. Memories of houses, schools, hospitals and more bring players closer to either an escape or an untimely death. Players will solve puzzles, search and interact with objects, and ultimately try to avoid the inhabitants of this alternative existence.

Sounds like nicely unsettling stuff - check out these early screens:

Calling has no definite release date other than a nebulous "2010," according to Hudson's site. I'll press Hudson's PR guy into a corner and haunt him for more updates every now and then. Man, the things I do for you readers...