The voice of GLaDOS leads a 1970's cult in The Church in the Darkness
With a megaphone speech that drips with faux-religious propaganda, The Church in the Darkness is an isometric rogue-lite stealth shooter. It's inspired by real-life events centered on 1970's radical Christianity. You're a former law enforcement officer, and you're headed into the jungles of South America to find your sister's son. He went on a church mission to build homes, but things may have gotten out of hand. The place you're going is called Freedom Town. But take that as you will as you watch these images.
As a Christian myself, the premise of this game scares the holy living crap out of me. I'm not talking P.T. scary or Five Nights at Freddy's scary. I'm talking religious extremists scary. All the more so because The Church in the Darkness operates this way:
"No one is forced to join a cult. It welcomes you. It understands you. It envelops you until the words become more than truth—they make you whole."
In Freedom Town, each playthrough is different. Personalities swap, the town itself is different, the narrative shifts, friends become enemies and enemies become friends. You can play stealthily using non-leathal takedowns, or you can kill anyone who gets in your way. There will be consequences, however. But it looks like you're going to have to save these people from themselves. If this church truly is dangerous, that is. Perhaps the word "cult" is building up a prejudice inside of you right now. Who knows: You might be the bad guy here.
The voices you hear are those of Ellen McLain (GLaDOS from Portal) and John Patrick Lowrie (the Sniper in Team Fortress 2).
The Church in the Darkness aims for an early 2017 launch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Good luck to Paranoid Productions in making it onto all these platforms. It's got an unsettling premise on its hands.
February 26, 2016 - No one is forced to join a cult. It welcomes you. It understands you. It envelops you until the words become more than truth—they make you whole.
Persecuted for their radical beliefs, Rebecca and Isaac Walker lead their people into the jungles of South America. There, in the isolation of Freedom Town, they can finally escape the injustice of the US and follow the true path of the righteous; but an outsider is in their midst.
Every playthrough of The Church in the Darkness offers a unique version of Freedom Town with different character personalities and a shifting narrative told through investigation, observation, and action. How dangerous are the Walkers? Who are your allies and enemies? How far will you go to uncover the truth and save these people?
Of special note, the roles of the cult leaders were written specifically for Ellen McLain and John Patrick Lowrie; married in real life and well-known for voicing GLaDOS (Portal) and the Sniper (Team Fortress 2), respectively. The couple is also helping to compose the soundtrack—Ellen's musical contributions to the Portal series obviously need no introduction.
The Church in the Darkness is coming to PC/Mac, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in early-2017. For more information, follow development via @churchdarkness on Twitter, Facebook, and www.paranoidproductions.com/church.
