Classically-Inspired Survival Horror “Summerford” Announced

New independent developer Noisy Valley Studios (a three-person UK team) has announced their first game this week that fans of classic survival horror may want to check out.

Summerford is said to be a survival horror game inspired by the classics of the genre — Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Alone in the Dark to name a few. The game uses these classics as a springboard to merge modern gameplay design with old-school elements such as fixed camera angles. Summerford will emphasize exploration with moments of action, while also having players manage their items and solve puzzles to progress.

In 1963, the small UK village of Summerford was selected as the site of the United Kingdom’s first nuclear power facility and nuclear energy laboratory. In 1986, the facility suffered a catastrophic reactor failure, causing radioactive fallout to spill across Summerford and surrounding countryside, forcing the government to evacuate thousands and declare a permanent 10km exclusion zone. No civilian has been able to gain access to the exclusion zone for 37 years. Until now.

It’s a bit too early to tell how well Summerford will channel its influencers, but the first few screenshots look promising. It’s not too often that we see contemporary video games try (and succeed) at fixed camera angles. Exploring an abandoned English village might yield some interesting scenery as well.

Summerford will release on Steam later this year.