Just when you think every idea has been done in video games, along comes a game where you sneak into a 1970s cult.  Richard Rouse III (Homefront, Rainbow 6 Patriots) and the people at Paranoid Productions have released the first trailer for The Church in the Darkness, a game about infiltrating a 1970s cult.

The setting for The Church in the Darkness is Freedom Town, a socialist community in the South American jungle.  The Church founder Rebecca and Issac took their cult to South America to avoid “religious prejudice” from the United States.  The Church founders will be voiced by Ellen McLain (Glados from Portal) and John Patrick Lowrie (The Sniper from Team Fortress 2) and will talk to their community members through the PA system in the game.  You play as a former cop named Vic infiltrating the church to help your Nephew, Alex.

According to the games website, The Church in the Darkness uses a top-down style camera with an open-world to explore.  Players will learn about the cult by listening to PA messages and communicating with other members while they explore.   The game promises that you are free to play the game as you want, whether to play it stealthily and avoid detection or just shoot everyone that gets in your way.  The game promises “Every playthrough offers unique gameplay scenarios and story elements, with different character personalities and a shifting narrative told through investigation and action.”  The Church in the Darkness is announced for a early 2017 release window and will be available for Steam, PS4, and XBOX ONE.

I don’t how this game is going to be in terms of tone or satire, but the concept itself already has me intrigued.  Although, I was hoping it was going to be a game where I started a cult, guess I’ll just use The Sims for that.