Even though school is starting to wind down for the summer, gamers can keep the good times (?) rolling with developer Genius Slackers’ upcoming psychological horror thriller, What Happened.
While we’ve certainly all had rough patches at some point during our high school days, it’s safe to say that player-controlled Stiles has it especially hard considering the real and imagined twisted forces that lure him towards self-destruction. Players will enter the mind of high school student Stiles; a dark and demented place full of evil creatures and puzzles that Stiles will have to overcome in an effort to escape the horrors and reach the light at the end of the tunnel.
The reveal trailer begins with a fairly standard, innocent classroom setting that quickly turns into a nightmarish landscape. It kicks off with Stiles being submerged in shark-infested water - at a glance, possibly signifying the weight of his issues “drowning” him - before coming to, standing in front of a bathroom mirror. For horror fans, you know what happens next. A quick shot of blood suddenly appearing in the sink, is followed by Stiles sneaking around the tainted halls of his high school. From there, it’s boarded up windows and lightning as Stiles frantically runs away from the creatures that start chasing after him.
The scenery quickly transforms into an even more sinister setting akin to something like Agony or Outlast, before showing the final glimpse of Stiles covered in blood while essentially being suffocated by porcelain mannequin-like creatures.
What Happened has already been in development for three years, and was created by Genius Slackers and indie games publisher Katnappe “as a reflection of a world in which cruelty often dominates at the expense of empathy, but where not all hope is lost.” Anxiety, depression, and hope are the themes that the developers hope will resonate with its players.
Although the psychological horror genre is already plenty saturated with games, there is always room for more games that are centered around the themes of mental health, such as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Sea of Solitude. The team at Genius Slackers seems genuine in its desire to convey such topics, so hopefully, What Happened will at least be a solid addition to games about mental health awareness.
