It’s common to see cultural stories or folklore adapted into games, and the horror genre is no exception. Games like Year Walk, Dreadout, and Ju-On: The Grudge, are just a few examples of how different cultures’ folklores adapt well into a video game. More often than not, it’s much of the East or Southeast Asian folklore and monsters being developed into games, as many creatures rely on revenge and murder; this makes for a great setting in a horror game.
But what about the rest of the world? That’s what Wales Interactive decided to tackle when they took the true story based on Elizabeth Williams and revealed The Maid of Sker.
The original story of Elizabeth Williams was that of love and loss. Set in 1898, a man named Thomas Evans (the protagonist of the game) fell in love with Elizabeth but could not marry her due to her father being strict. The father locked Elizabeth away until she married someone of his choosing. It’s implied in the legend that she dies of a broken heart.
The players take on the role of Thomas Evans who describes how he needs to save the one he loves, the aforementioned Elizabeth. The trailer shows off the Sker House, which is located in Porthcawl, Bridgend, South Wales.
Wales Interactive describes the game as a “first person stealth survival horror”. It relies on a “unique 3D sound based AI system” as the core of the survival game play mechanic, and is crucial to how it plays out. The developers also mention how the player won’t be wielding any type of weapon, but will be able to use the area around them to “trap” or “distract” whatever creatures and apparitions you many come across.
The game also has three options for narrative, and allows for a non-linear story experience. This will give players the option to go back and replay the story a few times to find any hidden gems or story points that they might have missed in their first playthrough. And by the look of the trailer, with the switches between reality and a horror distortion, they may be more to this story than that of Elizabeth’s broken heart.
The game has a 2019 release date for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and looks like it could be scary enough to keep watch on.