Maid of Sker was originally released back in July 2020, it was also part of the "games with gold" via Xbox last October.
Developed and Published by Wales Interactive, created in Unity and loosely based on a Welsh folktale, this survival horror initially went a little under the radar.
It soon gained traction, particularly after its games with gold inclusion and is now starting to get the recognition it deserves and hopefully will continue to reach new audiences with this next gen upgrade.
Maid of Sker is a first-person survival horror, set in a remote hotel with a gory and macabre history .
Armed with only a defensive sound device, you utilize stealth tactics to avoid death amongst a cult of sound-based AI enemies.
Set in 1898 and inspired by the haunting Welsh tale of Elisabeth Williams, this is a story of a family empire driven by torture, slavery, piracy and a supernatural mystery that suffocates the grounds of the hotel.
The next gen version makes improvements on the already spectacular photorealism. The fidelity is noticeably better with improved texture resolutions and running at a smooth 60fps 1440p or a gorgeous 30 fps in 4K.
I chose to run through this in 4K and it ran incredibly smoothly.
As well as the upgraded visuals, some new game modes have been added to improve replayability after the approximate 4 hour game time. Most notable here is the inclusion of weapons.
Here’s a breakdown of the new content and features available on consoles:
Game modes: The Long Night, Axe of Kindness, Nightmare at the Hotel, In Darkness
Weapons: Felling axe, .357 Magnum, sawn-off double-barreled shotgun, bolt-action infantry rifle
Enemies: Six enemies patrolling Sker Hotel, some new, some familiar, all with unique powerful abilities
Achievements: 10 new Achievements/Trophies added
The Long Night - Escape the terror of Sker Hotel - An array of weapons at your disposal, featuring a felling axe, .357 Magnum, sawn-off double-barreled shotgun, and a bolt-action infantry rifle - Lives are limited, you get three chances only
Axe of Kindness - Get up close and personal with your felling axe! - A life-saver, receive full health on respawn - Lives are limited, you get three chances only
Nightmare at the Hotel - A full array of weapons at your disposal - Enemies are much stronger and harder to take down - Take no chances, respawns are unavailable - An extreme challenge!
In Darkness - A full array of weapons, and a flashlight, at your disposal - Darkness prevails and health doesn't restore - Lives are limited, you get three chances only
Overall the update is a great reason to revisit the game if you have already played through and an even better reason to pick it up if you haven't.
The addition of what are fundamentally FPS modes, really add value and diversity to the title. If you were initially put off by the (genuinely stressful) stealth and sound based approach to survival horror, you now have what is basically a Resi game baked in for free!
While the visual and game mode upgrades are wonderful, what still sets this game as a stand out title for me is the audio. Both its utilization as a core gameplay mechanic, the ambient background and most strikingly, its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.
You can currently grab this for $24.99 on the Xbox Store, where it is also a Play Anywhere title (so you get it on PC too).
コメント