June was a very busy month for the team here at North Side! We completed a comprehensive remastering of the “Riot” level, enhancing the appearance of the oil rig and surrounding environment with Unreal Engine 5.5’s latest rendering features. Side-by-side, compared to the original iteration of the level, the difference is – dare we say – transformative. This is not only a comprehensive update to models, textures, and level design, the new tech also cranks up the atmosphere thanks to immersive Lumen lighting effects.
On June 9th we launched our new demo to take part in Steam’s Next Fest. The demo gives players a taste of dialogue and exploration (with a dash of self-defense!) on the remastered oil rig, before they’re captured and compelled to take the Humanity Test. Here, you’re strapped to a chair and interrogated by robots to determine if you’re human or perhaps an android spy sent to sabotage their rebellion.
The Humanity Test is like a reverse of the Voigt-Kamp test in Blade Runner that was used to tell humans from Nexus 5 androids. In our game, you’ll get to say whatever comes to mind (no clicking on dialogue trees with ready-made lines!) to pass the test and survive. You have to stay cool under pressure and outsmart the interrogators to prove your humanity. Each of the bots in the test chamber has its own personality and interrogation style: one leans towards science and research to learn more about people, the other is a cynical, sadistic brute who thinks torture produces the best results. While it sounds pretty serious (and the torture can be pretty nasty!), there’s plenty of dark humour to enjoy throughout the test.
We learned a great deal from analyzing demo players’ experiences and feedback, so we decided to leave the demo active after Next Fest ended. It’s still available now, and we invite you to give it a shot! Any gameplay feedback or bug reports are greatly appreciated. Feel free to Join our Discord or use the Steam forums to share your comments. Thanks!