Flavourworks, a game studio based in London, shocked players during Gamescom 2019 this week with the surprise announcement and release of their first title, Erica: An Interactive Thriller. During the Opening Night Live event, the team shared the announcement of the game as well as shared its official launch trailer. The game is a “pioneering live-action cinematic experience” exclusively on the PlayStation 4.
Erica seems to be a cross between a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story and a feature-length cinematic about a young girl caught in the midst of a mysterious case, and who will need to sort through fact and fiction in order to piece together the secrets behind her father’s murder. Erica is a brave and dedicated daughter who suffered from nightmares of her father’s death. Now, years later, new evidence has surfaced, and she is plagued by these traumatic memories once again. But this time she wants answers. And everyone has a different story to tell. Who should she believe?
Players will be tasked with aiding Erica as she listens to each story, identifying for herself what is a lie and what’s true. Follow along on the journey and help her deiced what to say, who to listen to, and how to approach each situation she is thrown into. “Erica will play out as a live-action experience shaped by your actions. Any one choice can lead to a different perspective on the event’s surrounding Erica’s current dilemma and you can find yourself in wholly unique situations.” Your decisions can impact the type of information received by Erica, as well as how she views it. The game will present one of many multiple endings depending on how the story is played.
This game not only lets players help decide Erica’s actions, but they will also will get to physically interact with her world. Using the DualShock controller touchpad, or the touchscreen of a mobile device using the game’s companion app, players can open and close drawers and boxes, wipe away the condensation of a mirror, place the needle of a record player, and even secretly peek through doors to spy on others. Feel a part of the action as you help a young girl figure out the connection between a horrible murder and her family’s long-kept secret history.
You can take a look at the Gamescom 2019 PlayStation 4 launch trailer for Erica below.
Erica is now playable through the PlayStation Store. The game’s companion app is currently available for iOS and Android devices. For more information, you can visit the Erica: An Interactive Thriller page on the PlayStation website. And for updates, be sure to check out the team’s page on Twitter.