The Simulationis an upcoming horror game with a video game designer as its protagonist, who gets drawn into a police investigation when the only evidence is a strange horror game. This unconventional video game protagonist must then use their knowledge of video game design to explore this game, and that’s where it gets dark.The Simulationis in development at Playmestudio and will be published by the recently establishedBlumhouse Games.
AtGamescom LATAM, Game Rant had the opportunity to learn more about where the idea of the game and its unique protagonist came from when chatting withThe Simulation’s creative director David Fenner. Fenner also talked about the “meta” experience of developing the protagonist as a video game designer.
The Simulation Makes Players a Game Designer
Speaking about where the idea forThe Simulationcame from, Fenner talked about how it emerged after developing the VR version of the studio’s previous game,The Signifier,and seeing players experience it in this way. In terms ofThe Simulation, Fenner discussed how those in thepolice investigation"don’t know sh*t" because they don’t know the ins-and-outs of video games, calling it “the perfect recipe” for the game’s concept. As Fenner explained,
It was the perfect recipe for the investigation to have the proper context, as the game designer knows games, thinks about games, and thinks about the case. There’s this mystery, right? It just creates the perfect recipe to give the correct amount of information to the player as they figure things out. That’s on a gameplay level, but on a narrative level, which I can’t talk about much, it also made a lot of sense.
As Fenner recognized, the concept “creates a great framework and an opportunity to have a relationship with the players in a way that’s always engaging and novel.” As one example, Fenner talked about how the character “suddenly remembers things about games he played as a child,” which likely helps endear the protagonist to players. Many gamers will reminisce aboutvideo games from their childhood, and it creates a unique meta connection between the game’s real designers, the player, and the character.
The Philosophy Behind The Simulation’s Gameplay Mechanics Vs. The Signifier
This trippy meta element ofThe Simulationlikely carries a lot of narrative and gameplay weight. The website states that, as players learn more about the discovered game and games connected to it, they ‘cross the fourth wall of their worldsand investigate terrifying truths that transcend their own reality.’ For example, the protagonist and players are going to expect certain things to work one way, but they might not. While Fenner didn’t give any direct examples, he did mention that players can experience video game mechanics “that should work one way but, for some reason, is not working that way.” This approach has the potential to mess with players' minds when it comes to what they might expect in video games. As Fenner said,
I think many players will have small smiles on their faces about different games they’ve played, the way they experienced those games, and that opens the door to a new experience.
