Ninja Theory, the developers of the “Hellblade” series, have taken a first look at their new psychological horror game “Project: Mara”. The whole game should take place in an apartment, and the developers pay special attention to realistic graphics. Textures, lighting effects and surfaces of objects should look almost like the real thing.
In a four-minute video, Creative Director and co-founder Taneem Antoniades talks about the ambitious “Project: Mara”. He explains that one of the main goals is to perfectly replicate an existing apartment.
For this purpose, the developers received various material samples from the apartment, photographed them in different lighting conditions and scanned them three-dimensionally. They then used the data to develop procedural shaders and detailed maps that would allow the objects to be reproduced almost realistically.
Project: Mara will even have procedurally generated garbage
This intensive work with matter has also influenced his view of objects, explains Antoniade. “It’s really funny what happens when you look at a material as closely as the human eye allows. Things that look flat from a distance are now three-dimensional. You can see the details, edges, lint and dirt. You see all sorts of things that are 3D geometry, ”says the creative director.
What exactly he means by this becomes clear from a close-up of a simple rug. Different discolorations can be seen from a distance. If you zoom in, it becomes clear what the virtual carpet is actually made of: we see tiny fibers of different heights, depths and shapes – just like in real life.
According to Antoniades, the team attaches great importance to the small details. Dirt, dust, hair and fluff are not just textures on gaming surfaces, they are created procedurally. In the video we see floors covered with hair and crumbs, scratched and calcified sinks and a greasy frying pan.
The plot of “Project: Mara” is still a mystery
Ninja theory has not yet announced what the horror game Project: Mara will look like. So far we only know that the action will only take place in the apartment. A horror game that only takes place in one room? It has already arrived!
Right, the classic “Silent Hill 4: The Room” takes place almost exclusively in the apartment of the protagonist Henry Townshend. He wakes up one day and cannot leave his apartment. In his search for an escape route, Henry finds various holes in his apartment that do not lead to his freedom, but to creepy worlds.
It remains to be seen whether we will also have to flee our extremely realistic apartment in “Project: Mara”. The game’s release date is not yet known. Since Ninja Theory is owned by Xbox Game Studios, a release for the Xbox and PC consoles is expected.
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