In 2083 Neo Hong Kong, a young woman named Mei Lin Mak is dragged into a maelstrom of supernatural horror. As she peers deeper into the century old mystery, Mei will be forced to question her perception of reality and her trust of her cybernetic eyes. Under the neon lights of a cyperpunk dystopia, the ruins of the 'Chong Sing Apartments' hides a bloody mystery illuminated by both the traditions of Chinese folklore and the innovations of the industrial future. If there is any hope of escaping this nightmare, Mei-Lin must explore this complex, piecing together the stories of 14 lost souls, and discover the truth of her own family curse.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Update #7 - First Week Recap and Upcoming Plans
almost 6 years ago
– Fri, May 25, 2018 at 05:03:06 PM
What can I really say? This has been the most exciting, humbling, and uplifting experience of my life. In just a bit less than 7 days, we have come pretty close to our 2nd stretch goal, beat our previous attempt by 10,000 dollars, and are closing in on 300 backers. That is 300 people that believe in the game that I have been building for over half a decade. It really is an incredible feeling and I cannot express how thankful I am. Things happened so fast I had no time to finish the thank you for funding image, and every time we go to post up a WIP version the funding percentage has increased! So here it is - at nearly 180% funded!
So where do we go from here? We still have a long way to go for some of our stretch goals. but PS4 and PSVITA support are right around the corner! We know a lot of our backers are very excited about that. With 22 days left to go, the Nintendo Switch goal shouldn't be far behind either. At our current pace, we might smash a bunch of our stretch goals - which would certain be amazing! We're almost shellshocked at the overwhelming support we're getting. Of course, there is no way to be sure what will happen over the next 3 weeks but we plan to mitigate some stagnation by showing you more concepts, more ideas, and more content almost every day until the end. My goal is to further excite those of you already backing and hopefully spread word a bit more to those who haven't backed yet. I can't say anything about what any of that stuff is yet, but I have a feeling that the right boxes will be ticked for everyone. The next few weeks are going to be VERY exciting.
Tomorrow will be a quiet day from us on the update front other than thank yous and announcements if we hit stretch goals. Our next scheduled update is this Wednesday and I have something pretty awesome to talk more about, so please look forward to it!
Again, seriously, thank you all again for getting us this far! It means a ton to us, and we promise we won't disappoint in our efforts to make the best game we can.
#8 - Shinrei Shashin / Ghost Photographs
almost 6 years ago
– Fri, May 25, 2018 at 05:02:08 PM
For today's update, I wanted to talk about something a little different than a status update. Instead, I wanted to talk about something that became a huge part of the creative process for me as I worked on the core narrative - but first, I do want to thank all of you for getting us to 19,000 (+ a little bit more)! We are so close to the PS4/VITA stretch goal! My dream for years has been to release a game on a playstation console so I cannot tel you how excited I am to see this happen, and it is all thanks to you guys! THANK YOU!
Shinrei Shashin image done by Sense Creator Benjamin Widdowson
Shinrei Shashin, or Spirit Photographs, are a phenomenon that is not strictly Japanese, but very much a trophy of Japan's paranormal "culture". So much so, that the vast majority of quality photographic evidence of the paranormal pours out of the island nation specifically. Magazines, books, video compilations, and movies highlight the world of spirit photography, and forums and websites devote entire sections to well known and secret "shinrei spots" for the brave and curious to visit.
Perhaps no media inspired by this phenomenon is more famous than the very game that so heavily inspired Sense; Fatal Frame (also known as Project Zero in Japan and UK).
The idea that a camera can capture images of worlds beyond our sight isn't new, and many people across the world feared the notion of their souls being trapped inside a photograph in the infancy of the technology. This is the origin of Shinrei Shashin; well, this and a number of curious images that appeared in envelopes of developed photos as home photography became more mainstream.
Early development in Sense was closer to a direct nod to Fatal Frame, with Mei using her cybernetic eyes in order to "fight the ghosts". Unfortunately, none of that sat very well with me, and I felt it seemed more like a rip off than an homage. Over a short period of time that aspect was dropped in favor of Mei still being able to take photos with her eyes and PDA, and the Fatal Frame nod became focused on the shinrei shashin aspect. Throughout Sense you will be able to find DOZENS of these hidden shinrei spots, each of which will have a small ghost story attached for your reading pleasure. Eagle-eyed or click-happy players may have even found our secret shinrei spot in the demo! We won't spoil it here, but we hope that you'll get excited over hunting for all of them when Sense finally releases?
Have you every captured a Shinrei Shashin? If so why not show us over on the twitter?
