The September 9th Nintendo Direct had a ton of off-the-wall announcements, as well as plenty of ports of beloved titles, new and old. Amidst these drops was one that caught my eye: a new original game by the devs who gave us Layers of Fear and the Silent Hill 2 Remake, Bloober Team.
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During their slot, Bloober Team announced Onyx: The Dark Grip, a Switch 2 Exclusive horror title that leans into its nature as a handheld title to pull some very meta scares. Using their experience with psychological horror, Bloober Team is riding off of the Silent Hill 2 Remake’s success to bring exactly what the horror genre needs: new blood.
Hands-on Horror
We’ve only gotten two short looks at Onyx: The Dark Grip, both highlighting the major conceptual conceit of the game: player interaction being true, direct interaction with the world the character inhabits. Gameplay is split between controlling the player ‘vessel’ directly and manipulating the environment around him.
Most interestingly, the player themselves is a factor in the narrative, known as the Entity. Intervening in the main character’s world and protecting him are obviously beneficial; these interactions are slowly driving him mad, unable to contend with the idea of a higher consciousness outside of himself controlling his reality.
This concept has mountains of potential, and is another case of horror games uniquely using the player’s position outside of the game as a narrative factor. Innately, the player is a higher form of consciousness outside of the game they’re playing, and using that in a way games only can is a shining beacon of what can be done with the medium.
Player Vs Character Narrative
The focus on the player as a well-meaning yet negative force in the main character’s life is a great hook for Onyx’s story, and is a trend we’ve seen exploring in more and more games. The earliest hiccup of the idea I can remember is in Drawn to Life for the DS, where the player’s role as the Creator is used both as an excuse for the drawing half of the game and as a plot beat to draw the player further in.
That relationship was largely positive, but the depiction of the player as a godlike entity is far from new, though always enthralling. Deltarune is the most recent example I can think of, constantly drawing a split between Kris and the player as fully separate individuals with their own wants and needs.
These interactions are slowly driving him mad, unable to contend with the idea of a higher consciousness outside of himself controlling his reality.
I can see Onyx: The Dark Grip going one of two ways. Either the story will flow like Deltarune’s normal route where the main character slowly grows more comfortable with the player, or a far more horrifying spin where the player’s invention will drive the main character completely mad.
While very little is known about actual mechanics, I’m hoping there’s a layer of choice in intervening, maybe rewarding cleaner combat play by requiring less direct interaction. If the player’s world interaction causes madness, maybe avoiding it can help keep the player character stronger, unlocking a better ending.
This mechanic has mountains of potential, and is a great new showing from Bloober Team. I’ve found their original titles far more interesting than their remasters, even if some don’t land very well. Observer and Chronos: The New Dawn were some of my favorite horror titles in the years they were released, and the 2027 release date has me eager to see exactly what Bloober Team has been cooking.
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