Merge Games has announced their newest release, and if youâre a fan of campy science fiction films from the 60âs, youâre gonna love this one. Not just because thereâs flapping tentacles and out of place eyeballs everywhere, but because the game looks absolutely beautiful. Albedo: Eyes From Outer Space promises to be an âout of this world, first-person adventureâ set in an abandoned research facility on Jupiter. Speaking of mind-shattering isolation, the game was designed by one man.. Thatâs right- Fabrizio Zagaglia (aka Z4G0) designed this outer space horror-show all by his lonesome.
Youâre John T. Longly, an astronaut tasked with being a watchman over a self-sufficient research facility. Sitting back in one of the easiest desk jobs ever, his night is disturbed by an explosion that rattles the whole facility. Youâd go and find out what caused it, but youâre knocked unconscious before you can get out of your comfy chair. When you wake up, you discover that youâve somehow moved to the basement, surrounded by the wreckage of the ship. Youâll have to investigate the ship to discover the mystery of what happened, all while being harassed by murderous and unearthly monstrosities. Does your employerâs classified experiments have anything to do with these creatures?
Albedo will feature a unique mixture of genres and themes, combining the storytelling of a âwalking simulatorâ with the gunplay of a first person shooter and the puzzles of The Talos Principle. The game has themes of lovecraftian test subjects, interdimensional war, and bending time and space in the pursuit of saving Earth from total domination. You know theyâre after total domination; I mean, honestly- with creatures like these, you really gotta keep an eye on them.
Perhaps the weirdest thing I read in the press release is this; Z4G0 was inspired to create this game based on his time being âkidnapped by a visiting alien race.â According to the release, Z4G0 says he âreceived a telepathic message from the outer space and began to Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space. (sic)â Because of this extraterrestrial assistance, he was able to develop the game in under two years. No word on if it was the Tralfamadorians, but if I had to guess it was and has always been them.
Regardless of how he got to this point, the game looks impressive to say the least. Iâve reached out to the developer, so hopefully I get access to a full interview soon about his first game, and to discuss these space-dwelling muses that inspired it. For more out of this world gaming news, make sure you keep reading Mouse N Joypad for humanityâs continued pursuit of escapism.