Nevermind's core gameplay loop is one of the most sinister ever to slither from the jet-black innards of an Xbox - the more obviously terrified you get, the more unsettling and hazardous the world becomes, as the game reads your responses using Kinect's much-vaunted, little-exploited biometric feedback technology.
In theory, the idea is to teach players to handle "stressful situations" in reality. You know, "situations" like when you're walking to the bathroom and the wallpaper
starts to undulate. Or those times when all you can see are
bodybags. I wonder whether relatively down-to-earth scenarios will also feature, such as being told you've got half-an-hour to finish a 2000 word review.
The game began life as a 2012 MFA thesis project at USC's Interactive Media Program, led by industry veteran Erin Reynolds. It will make use of Intel's RealSense camera on PC. "As you explore surreal labyrinths and solve the puzzles of the mind, a biofeedback sensor monitors how scared or stressed you become with each passing moment," reads a blurb. "If you let your fears get the best of you, the game becomes harder. If you're able to calm yourself in the face of terror, the game will be more forgiving."
Each level takes place inside the mind of a trauma victim, whose various psychological problems must be tackled by solving environmental puzzles.
"Traumatic experiences, especially those left untreated, take their toll in countless ways, often triggering other serious problems as the victim's subconscious desperately tries to cope," notes the blurb. "As a result, the patient's mind doesn't take kindly to those who attempt to peel back these layers, often prompting it to lash out in terrifying, unexpected ways."
