Just a few days after launching its much-hyped new FIFA game, Netflix has unveiled the streamer’s next big play-on-TV game will come from a wildly different genre.
Titled “Unhinged,” the upcoming game is described as “an immersive horror game that feels a lot like ‘playing’ a show or movie.” Launching June 30, the transmedia project stars Zoë Kravitz, Sadie Sink and prolific voice actor Troy Baker and was developed by Netflix-owned game studio Night School Studio (“Oxenfree.”)
Per the game’s synopsis: “You wake up as Ava (voiced by Zoë Kravitz), during an intense storm that knocks out the power. Using your phone as a flashlight and sole lifeline to call and text your best friend Claire (voiced by Sadie Sink) and building super Ben (voiced by Troy Baker), you must find your way to safety…and you’re not alone as you think you are.”
Like with its new release, “FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition,” Netflix aims to make the “Unhinged” game as easily accessible to subscribers as watching a film or TV show on the app. There’s no game controller required as users will scan a QR code to fire up an app that allows their phone to serve as their way through the game.
“From there, the integration is seamless: moving your real-world phone tracks 1:1 with Ava’s hands in the game, allowing you to guide her flashlight through the shadows,” Netflix said in a blog post announcing the game Tuesday. “The immersion goes a step further with audio. When Ava receives a call or text, your actual phone rings, vibrates, and plays the audio directly through its speaker, while the rest of the environmental sound effects boom through your TV.”
And for those who are novice gamers but big horror fans looking to check out the title at launch, Night School has developed a “story mode” that will allow you to survive the night no matter what choices you make.
“Survival, however, depends on your chosen version of gameplay,” Netflix says. “If you want a pure narrative experience, Story Mode features no timer and ensures you cannot die, letting you just play through the story. But in Standard Mode, it all comes down to your reflexes. During high-stakes moments, a shrinking timer bar at the top of the screen forces you to quickly scan the room for an interactive object. If you can’t find what you need before time runs out, you will die — though instead of a total game over, you’ll simply restart from your last checkpoint.”
“Unhinged” is the latest in a growing list of Netflix’s made-for-TV video games, a format they’ve been pushing out more and more in addition to their lineup of dozens of mobile-only video games.
Watch the trailer for “Unhinged” in the video below.
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