It's about time to take a look into the endless darkness of Manning Manor. Rumors say that the old mansion is not as abandoned as it seems...
Colesy is on his way right NOW to explore the decayed building and give you a short peek into what is waiting for you inside this old manor, where the shadows seem darker than anywhere else...
Join him on his way through the darkness. And remember to behave - because Mommy is looking for you!
Mit dem morgigen Release von Silver Chains wird Mami auf auch aufpassen - ob ihr nun wollt, oder nicht! Wie wäre es mit einem kurzen Einblick auf das, was euch in den dunklen Schatten von Manning Manor erwartet? Schaut euch unseren Live-Stream hier auf der Steam-Produktseite an - los geht's um 17.30 Uhr!
Der deutsche Streamer rinderhackTV wird euch zeigen, was euch in den ersten 30 Minuten in Silver Chains erwartet...
Guys, Mother's Day is damn close - hope you are prepared!
With the release of Silver Chains tomorrow, Mommy will be watching you... Whether you like it or not! Wanna take a peek of what's waiting for you in the dark shadows of Manning Manor? Then follow our Live-Stream at 5.30pm (CET) / 8.30am (PST) here on the Steam product page!
German streamer rinderhackTV aka Joe will give you a closer look on what the first 30 minutes of Silver Chains could look like...
The release of Silver Chains in the next week is very close! Be honest, you want to take a closer look into Manning Manor, right? This is your chance! Follow our Live-Stream at 9pm (CET) / 12am (PST) here on the Steam product page!
We will take a closer look at what the first 30 Minutes will look like while giving you some background information of the game and the genesis of Silver Chains from the first idea to the complete game.
Let's play Silver Chains: New Footage found on YouTube!
Very close to release a few Streamers and Let's Players already took a first look into the dark corridors and abandoned rooms of Silver Chains. After a mysterious accident, Peter wakes up not knowing how or why he ended up inside Manning Manor. But very soon he begins to realize he is not alone...
As the game opens, the protagonist wakes up in an unknown place after an accident. Searching for help, he heads to a mansion which exudes horror and chill. From the very beginning, we want to show the player that they have no choice other than going to that house. Neither the player nor the protagonist of the game are aware of what they are doing here and what they should expect.
The mansion itself, where the story takes place, becomes a principal character in the game. The house is built in a nineteenth-century European style. The realities and the way of life of the time are painstakingly reproduced, yet they are in a state of desolation and decline. Collapsed ceilings, ragged curtains, creaking floors - all of this serves to build a dismal atmosphere in which the player will spend the following hours.
Nonetheless, the fireplaces in the house are still burning, there is a piano you can play, and the exploration of the mansion’s many rooms is frightening and exciting in equal measure. All of this gives the player the ability to perceive the mansion as a full-fledged character in its own right.
The game’s frightening atmosphere is also stressed by the score, whose slow chords will haunt the player to the very end. Certain scenes feature additional music which matches the nature of that particular portion of the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y18Sy1koqw
In addition, Silver Chains features other characters who will not leave anyone indifferent. Throughout the course of the game, they will scare you, observe you, and make you empathize with them. As we mentioned before, the player, like the protagonist, does not know anything at the start. As they follow the story, the details of the plot will fit together like pieces of a puzzle, revealing the nature of the characters completely.
Creating a suitable antagonist was a major point for us. A terrifying, unkillable monster that curdles your blood. We found our antagonist in the shape of a woman - a terrible monster that pursues the player throughout the game with a murderous intent. She became an excellent way to create the atmosphere where a monster suddenly appears, running at you, and you can do nothing but flee. Of course, we gave the antagonist plenty of background, and the player’s attitude towards her will strongly depend on how much they feel for this woman’s story.
The content of the game is not limited to screamers and a villain, we found plenty of space for puzzles, too. They are organically connected to the plot and the mansion, preventing the player from disconnecting with the narrative. The puzzles are not complex, all they require from the player is to be attentive and memorize minor details.
Key to understanding the plot of the game are pages from a diary which the player needs to collect in order to understand the story in its entirety. These pages are scattered throughout the house, the player will find them one by one, thus filling in the gaps of what exactly happened there. They will be recovered out of order, and so we have put the date of writing on each of the pages. This will allow the players to pause and read all the pages in the diary, like a book, finding answers to all of their questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH0cfTVoPP4
We devoted plenty of attention to the main character, too. His name is Peter, he is a young man, and he ended up in the mansion for a reason. We deliberately went with a first-person perspective and never show the character’s face, all in the name of making it easier for the player to identify with the protagonist and to experience the terror he is feeling.
We are not concerned that some players might unravel the secrets of our story before the final twist. On the contrary, that would feel like a personal discovery, and we are all for it. In any case, the player will reach some ambiguous conclusions. This openness to interpretation would reflect the player’s own view on the narrative, making the story more exciting.
When it comes to the key visual of Silver Chains we didn’t want it to look like “just another key visual of another horror game”. That’s why we choose to work with the German musician and artist BastiBasti, voice of the Metalcore band Callejon. He created the Silver Chains visual with his own unique and great art style, combinig the elements of the game. Doing this in a way that is unusual for horror in general: in bright colors. Why? Just keep reading.
Your preference for dark designs, your style and Silver Chains hit the nail on the head. What inspired you for this visual? "Thanks, I think so too! Basically, I was mostly inspired by the games characters. "Mother" did the most to me - she is the most *beep* and therefore the most *beep* character of the plot and therefore perfectly decorates the cover with her likeness. Maybe she would have liked it. ;)"
Usually horror is rather dark. In contrast, the visuals of Silver Chains are bright. Why? "It depends on the perspective of course - in Asian culture white often stands in a more uncomfortable context, e.g. grief. That fits totally with the role of the mother. In addition, I felt the need to do something different, imagining what the game would look like on the shelf next to the usual suspects. It should stand out, but still clearly convey that this is a horror game. After designing the first visuals I decided to convince Headup with a predominantly bright artwork - fortunately I succeeded, et voila - horror in white works as well!
I had a lot of fun working on the artwork and hope this is not my last trip into the gaming world. Maybe one day I will have the chance to create a complete game with my own look."
Are you a player as well besides your art, German metal and vegan lifestyle? "I am actually a gamer, but nowadays I rarely get to play anymore. By the way: My absolute favorite game is pretty much the whole game series - Fallout. Since Part 1 I am obsessed with Fallout’s wastelands.
In general, I'm not pinned down to one genre, because I really like a lot of games: Civilization and Sim City building scenarios, LucasArts games and point & click adventures, groundbreaking survival horror titles like Resident Evil on the PS1 or all the infinite current open world scenarios.
The entire gaming world from its beginning till today including all its possibilities of virtual worlds and alternative selves has always fascinated me - I am really excited about what awaits us in the next few years!"
And who is BastiBasti? I started my artistic carrier with a musical context. Together with my band Callejon I created coherent worlds, because in my opinion the auditive and the visual should be consistent.
On the basis of my newly created illustrative style in those days I worked closely with the whole Metalcore scene on concepts, designs and artworks. I also worked with big names like Heaven Shall Burn and Caliban.
Design-wise I emancipated myself from my illustration beginnings and by now, work with all media that suit me to realise a project; especially visual arts.
At this time also Rammstein became aware of me. I am working with them very closely on design matters up to this day. I also worked with other artists and labels like Lindemann, Accept, Die Toten Hosen, Kreator, Eko Fresh, Sony Music, Century Media, Nuclear Blast Records, Four Music, etc.
Late 2015 I founded my own fashion brand called „BastiBasti Apparel“ where we exclusively sell specially designed streetwear. All our clothing is vegan and made under fair conditions. In addition to alternative streetwear „BastiBasti Apparel“ also sells exclusive items of my limited art prints.
Enter Cracked Heads Games: The Genesis of Silver Chains
Hey guys, while the development of our first game Silver Chains is nearly done we want to tell you a bit about the origin of the game!
From an early age, our team members were interested in the output of the gaming industry and always dreamed of becoming a part of it. Having reached adulthood, we made our dream come true and started working in a mobile game development company. We worked with joy and dedication, yet the desire to make something on our own did not abandon us. Using the experience we gained and having joined together as a team, we struck out on our own and began developing our own project—one that eventually became Silver Chains.
Our game development company is named Cracked Heads, as we are not afraid of risks and are willing to smash our heads to achieve the result. We started in 2017. Our office is located in Yakutia, at the extreme North-East of Russia—the coldest place on Earth, where temperatures can reach far below zero. This harsh climate and the remoteness from the rest of the world do not prevent us from following our dreams.
We pondered the choice of our game’s genre for a long time. After many long discussions and discarded ideas, we ended up with a horror game. This genre does not lose its relevance; it was interesting for us to work on a game like that. During the course of development, we were inspired by such games as: Outlast, Resident Evil 7, Silent Hill, etc. But instead of making a clone of already established games, we set out to create something of our own, inspired by the classics yet maintaining an original style.
Having chosen the genre and drafted a rough script, we searched for a good publisher. After a while, we found the perfect option—in the form of Headup. We were very impressed with their past projects, and, after discussing the details, we began our cooperation.
Based on our gaming experience and all the horror films we have watched, we came to a conclusion that good horror is not that which scares you the most, but that which leaves a deep and lasting impression. The kind which leaves its mark on your feelings, and you cannot get it out of your head as you lie in bed. Using all the lessons that we learned from our game, we sought to rely more on the atmosphere, the visuals, and the plot.
The house is dead and abandoned, frozen in time, along with its inhabitants. You can feel the stillness of time with its atmosphere of possession, spiritualism and occultism. Sometimes, solitude and isolation are even worse than the presence of monsters. While creating the house, we wanted to make it so bizarre that it would make you feel dizzy. To make you memorize all the rooms in order to understand what your next step is going to be.
As we were creating the monster, we knew that it had to be a family member. Of course, you could have seen an image of a monstrous mother before. An insane creature, driven by the sole purpose of finding and murdering the protagonist. From time to time, the mother makes different sounds, growling and wheezing. She is very dangerous, so the moment you hear her approaching, you’d better hide or run away.
In addition to her pursuing the player, there are ghosts that sometimes appear in unexpected places, such as windows, corridors, or doorways. They only appear for a couple of seconds, filling the role of a scare. The ghost children were the most important part to create. They needed to look terrifying and repulsive yet invisible and mysterious. These children serve as messengers of the past, leading the protagonist toward truth. Thus, we have told the story of the past by means of the ghosts’ appearances.
Every gamer needs a little help sometimes, but our game is not going to handle everything for the player, just like the games of old. We want our players to feel excited after solving a puzzle on their own. And we hope you will enjoy this game. Therefore, when we designed our puzzles, we did not intend to make them too complicated, but they require a lot of attention from the player. Noticing, recalling and applying what you know is what you need to solve them.
Experiencing horrors from first-person has a benefit of its own—we can see through the character’s eyes and hear his thoughts. It also creates a kind of intrigue about the protagonist, since we never see his face. So, what kind of characters should be at the center of the story? They need to be uncommon yet also easy to empathize with. The horror genre demands an emotional reaction to its dangers. The player must be able to identify with the protagonist. But the protagonist should avoid that which is obvious, there is always a secret.
Developing the game took us several years, and we can now say with confidence that we are content with the job we did. But, we will only be truly happy when gamers all over the world can appreciate the fruit of our labor.
It was quiet for some time about our first person horror game Silver Chains, but dark forces lurked in the shadows all the while. Now some exciting news emerged together with an all new trailer that will give you the shivers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH0cfTVoPP4
And most important: Silver Chains will release for PC on August 6th! So get prepared - Mommy will be watching after you then!
After his car hit a tree in a stormy night, Peter wakes up in an old abandoned mansion, somewhere in England. He can't remember why and how he got here, but soon he realises that the house is not as abandoned as it seems...
So stay in the light! And beware of what is hiding in the black shadows of Manning Manor, because "The Darkness in the House is the Darkness of your Blood".
Silver Chains at GDC & PAX East: "Too scary for me!"
We recently showcased Silver Chains at GDC and PAX East with a playable demo. Here is a little overview about the press coverage on our creepy old house horror:
After playing it at PAX East in our dark booth Kotaku is "now extremely excited" about Silver Chains - read the full article "15 Games That Grabbed My Attention At PAX East" HERE.
You can find some more coverage on Silver Chains at Bleeding Cool (click HERE) and at Marooners' Rock (and click HERE).
