UN:Me: A Psychological Horror That Blends Survival Horror and Among Us Gameplay
The latest Day of the Devs digital showcase unveiled a number of fascinating future games, but one especially has captured the imagination: UN:Me. Developed by Historia and Shueisha Games, this single-player adventure seems to blend the dread-filled setting of a Silent Hill game with the paranoid deduction heart of Among Us.
"It's a unique game where a young woman containing multiple personalities inside her needs to flee from a maze of the psyche," explains developer Yasukazu Kawai.
Entering a Fractured Mind
In UN:Me, players take control of an unnamed female protagonist seeming to be of teenage years. Inside her reside four separate personas, all possessing their own anxieties and motivations. These souls can take over at will, releasing their innermost phobias upon her suddenly.
Judging by revealed gameplay, much of the action takes place within a eerie hospital, while other scenes depict the main character exploring a abandoned chapel.
An Environment of Personal Horror
"What makes you fearful of? What makes you uncomfortable?" poses game director Shun Sasaki. "High places. Confined spaces. Authority figures. Things that appear minor to others can activate something primal within us. This game delves into that concept — anxieties that are unique to each person."
The central gameplay loop revolves around controlling whichever soul surfaces at any given moment. However, these identities will change involuntarily as you play. While exploring, each soul's anxieties become amplified and assault the protagonist one after another. As the persona shifts, so does the specific fear the player encounters.
Eerie Visuals and a Deadly Decision
At first glance, UN:Me displays striking visual similarities with the Silent Hill franchise. The setting is filled with orderlies all sporting the same face, with disturbingly broad grins. Figures in the lobby have enormous blooms where their necks are. Floral motifs are an ever-present theme, contrasting natural beauty with unnatural horror.
Yet, UN:Me presents a singular mechanic. Players are tasked with deducing which of the four souls haunting the heroine is the "true" one. "Each of the souls claims that the body is rightfully them," notes a developer. "During the game, you must determine who is authentic."
Once players have deduced a persona is an impostor, they must eliminate it. But, since each soul can lie or obfuscate the truth, it is very easy to choose incorrectly.
"Perhaps you've already destroyed the real [soul] by your own actions," the narration states. "The last one remaining might be a fake. Either way, your choices are irreversible."
UN:Me currently lacks a publicly announced launch window, but it is can be wishlist on platforms.
