Yesterday, the developers at Weather Factory announced what project is next on their horizon. After their success partnering with Humble Bundle to create Cultist Simulator, Weather Factory revealed that Book of Hours will be the next verse in their non-linear story telling style. Book of Hours bring forth much different themes and elements of gameplay compared to its British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominated predecessor, Cultist Simulator, which had players hunting for treasures and summoning aliens in an apocalypse setting. Book of Hours will take a combat-free approach to RPGs in a more “elegant” and “melancholy” scene.
Book of Hours takes place in an occult library where a terrible tragedy of knowledge has befallen sanctuary of books. The Hush House was not just a library, but “a fortress of knowledge” until a fire destroyed everything and killed the Librarian. However, player characters have unique skills that will give them a chance at rebuilding this once great collection. By finding occult books through purchase or other means, players will be able to study sources of understanding that will aid in solving the mysteries around them. Books will be restored or purified to deal with ordeal and remove curses place on them. For more relaxing portions of gameplay, cataloguing and indexing the restored books will still need to be performed, though in whatever manner the player chooses. The primary goal, which promotes the importance of reading in general, is to protect the library from threats and guide curious visitors seeking a path of their own.
Book of Hours may seem like it is so far away until reaching Steam accounts in 2021, but the studio along with the creator of Fallen London and Sunless Sea will no doubt have more to tease in the coming months. The bundled version of Book of Hours and Cultist Simulator: Anthology Edition will be available for purchase together for the newest game’s release too.