Every horror game could benefit from having more dinosaurs. The gamers have known this since Dino Crisis, the dinosaur nerds have been yearning for this since Jurassic Park, and developer Momentum Games is here to satiate our collective hunger with their upcoming retro-inspired action-horror game, Athanasia.
Set in an abandoned South American research facility, you play as researcher and explorer Carmen Flores who is called in to investigate reports of disappearances and strange phenomena. But when she finally arrives at the abandoned facility, she finds it overrun with prehistoric predators.
Inspired by classics like System Shock and Dino Crisis, Athanasia wears its influences on its sleeve. Its old school inspiration extends to both graphics and gameplay experience, from its retro sci-fi aesthetic to its resource management heavy gameplay.
Thankfully, the tools to your survival are simple. You have a health bar and stamina bar to manage, and a laundry list of weapons and healing items that you can craft. While the resource management isn’t unforgiving, expect every cache and save point to come with a risk and reward; especially with ancient adversaries lurking around every corner.
From our brief stint with the demo, it’s clear that Athanasia isn’t meant to be your first foray into the genre. The game stops holding your hand almost immediately, challenging players to outthink and outmanoeuver their foes, instead of relying on brute force to get through every hurdle.
Even so, horror survival veterans are going to be more than familiar with basic survival tactics and crafting combinations, making this no-handholding approach extremely refreshing. With barely any tutorials or quest markers to guide your way, the battle is on to prove that humans are truly the apex of our era.
As you navigate through the blood-splattered walls of the facility, you will also discover audio logs of those who lived, worked, and died in this forsaken place. The more you explore, the more resources you’ll find, and the more secrets you’ll uncover. Make sure you don’t leave until you find the truth behind the massacre.
The demo for Athanasia is available now on Steam as part of the Hungry Ghost Festival event.
