Ghost Theory: A Paranormal Hunting Experience in Development and in VR (PS4, XB1, and Steam)

Have you ever been intrigued with the whole “ghost hunting” scene? The kind like Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Encounters, not your friendly neighborhood Ghostbusters. If so, then Czech Republic developer Dreadlocks Ltd has something in store for you. The developer has been hard at work with its newest game, Ghost Theory, after receiving support on Kickstarter, Steam Greenlight, and crowdfunding.

Game Description 

A struggling university department needs your help when they discover you posses the power of clairvoyance — the paranormal ability to experience flashbacks of objects or catch a glimpse of nearby ghosts. This makes you capable of learning more about a spirit’s past or other relevant clues that will aid you in your investigations. Of course, the department asks you to join their secret research team as a specialist. 

Now you must travel to the most popular real-world haunted scenes like the Suicide Forest and Pontefract’s poltergeist, and use an arsenal of investigation equipment such as the EMF detector, full-spectrum camera, UV light, and holy water to cleanse the area. Cold air will also notify you of a spiritual presence and can be seen when you exhale. 

As you progress through the game, you’ll be able to upgrade these valuable assets and unlock new locations. It breaks the trend from first-person horror games having designed jump scares and somewhat linear walking paths to activate them; the ghosts will usually only start their horrors when provoked.

Vulnerability is the key objective for the developers; there is an emphasis on stealth and hiding in order to avoid full-fledged and dangerous encounters (you’ll even be able to shut your eyes in fear). Every location is open-ended and will feature its own backstory that needs to be discovered. 

Dreadlocks Ltd has been hard at work with the title, and support from the gaming community is making it a reality. Originally they were working on the Unity3D engine, but when it showed signs of struggling, they switched over to the CryEngine and are now in competition for the Crytek Indie Development Fund. They’ve shown demos at Gamescom (where they ultimately decided to switch game engines), and have  found great support and praise. They keep backers and fans updated on processes through their journals on Kickstarter.

You can catch up and follow everything here. One of the most noteworthy features is that the game has been built from the ground-up to fully support Virtual Reality, but will easily be playable without.

Does Ghost Theory look like your kind of horror game? Have you supported it already? Let us know in the comments!