Hidden powers and abilities being unlocked by the actions taken with unknown repercussions is a great head turner. Many people are fans of stories like this, whether in movies, books or games. The idea that there may be more to an individual than what others see or even they themselves know is an intriguing idea that plays on the concept that there is more to us than any one moment can tell.

Bringing this idea to horror is Illusion Ray Studio with their upcoming game The Beast Inside. This story will take you through the retrospect as your protagonist, Adam, discovers a dark mystery from the past after finding a hidden Nicolas' diary. What he doesn't realize is that this mystery will wake up the beast inside him.

You will get to experience an intriguingly revolutionary dual-narrative storytelling. While learning of the story and events, you will be faced with challenges of physics-based puzzles and various fighting elements.

What do they mean by dual-narrative? You will not be uncovering the story and events of the one protagonist, Adam, but instead you will also have a second protagonist, Nicolas. When Adam finds the hidden diary of the mysterious Nicolas, who lived in the same house in the 19th century that Adam has just moved in to with his lovely wife, he begins to learn the truth about the place he now lives, the previously-unknown Nicolas and even himself!

The First Video I Saw:

Q&A with Lucas Smaga, CEO

What inspired you to make this game?
"We have planned to make The Beast Inside for a long time. In the past, we created few short movies for VR and we decided to take a next step and go further with storytelling. There is still a lot to show in horror games in terms of stories and game play mechanics. We are convinced that players will love some fresh ideas that we placed in our game. Having the ability to present a good story and to share with others was something that we’ve always wanted to do. Even though our main focus is to provide the PC version of the game, we’re also developing one for virtual reality."

Will it be defenseless or survival horror?
"I would say that we took a different approach to this genre than other horror game developers. This is not a simple defenseless game for sure. You will face enemies that you need to overpower, but at the same time it is not a pure shooter game. There are many survival elements included, but we have been trying to keep a good balance between horror/thriller story and a good game play. These days there are many games that are just too easy to complete and that players don’t have any challenges. The Beast Inside has elements of survivals, but it is not a traditional survival horror where you are constantly running away from danger."

What is the main scare focus? (jump scare, atmosphere, monsters, story, etc)
"We don`t think in these categories. Our main focus is on the story and the grim atmosphere. The scary elements only accompany the game but are not its main body. Of course, players should be scared playing a horror game, but the story itself ought to be a catalyst for them to play. Gamers need to feel an urge to explore what happens next and how it’s going to end. Most of the modern games focus too much on jump scares and forget about the rest. We wanted to have a dreary mood but people seeking for jump scares hopefully will not be disappointed."

What games inspired your game?
"There is a plenty of good games but they were not our only inspiration. We have been watching a lot of movies, reading books and comics just to soak up the atmosphere of a horror. Games like Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Layers of Fear are good in building the mood, but also Firewatch, which is not a horror, has something that inspired us. In terms of narration we are impressed by games like Uncharted series, The Last of Us or even the new Tomb Raider. They have a really great cinematic way of telling a story."

How long has it been in development?
"We began to develop the game in June/July last year but the whole process started with gathering some ideas, shaping the story as well as managing the work stream and the timeline."

What is the main objective for the players?
"It is not that easy to answer this question without spoiling the story In The Beast Inside you are playing two main characters. The first one, Adam, lives nowadays and he’s just movedinto a new house with his lovely wife. One day he finds a hidden diary of a mysterious person namedNicolas who lived in the same house in 19th century - he is our second main character. Through retrospectives Adams discovers shocking truths about the place where he lives, Nicolas and himself. That discovery will change his life forever."

What can players expect while playing your game?
"Like already mentioned, we have the dual-narrative story with two main characters (Adam and Nicolas). We put a lot of time and effort to have an engaging plot.

It has physic-driven game play elements where you can take, drop and throw almost every object of the scenery. Sometimes you will have to deal with various enemies and you will be forced to use the environment; e.g. to barricade doors. It might also happen that the only way to win will be to face the fear. We are avoiding QTEs for sure, but we don’t want to ruin the horror experience with FPS mechanics.

Lastly, we use diverse mechanics throughout the game. We tried to ensure that players will not get bored easily by doing over and over the same thing.

If you want to experience an incredible horror-thriller story, solve brain-twisting puzzles based on physics (but not only), and you don’t give up easily, then I can assure you - The Beast Inside is a game for you!"