Gamescom 2019 has officially begun, yesterday Geoff Keighly held an opening live show showcasing new titles and more. One of the surprises was Erica: An Interactive Thriller. Not only did they showcase a new trailer, they also revealed the release date! When do you ask? TODAY!
Erica is an interactive thriller which grants the players the be part of a full-length movie. This title might just be one-and-a-half hours long, but it does include five different endings. There are absolutely no CGI in this game, everything is filmed by full film crew and actors. If you have played games such as Until Dawn, Heavy Rain, etc, you will find this type of gameplay familiar. By either using an app on your smartphone (PlayLink) or Dualshock controller, you will get prompted to choose different paths, answers and do minor tasks as flipping up a lighter.
During my visit at the PlayStation Lounge, I had to the pleasure to meet up with the main actress and the developers for a quickie (small talk). After receiving my cup of Rockstar and plate of chips, I sat down on a very comfortable couch next to Jack Attridge, Pavle Mihajlovic and Holly Earl.
There was no doubt that these guys were proud of their product, especially Jack. Once he had the opportunity to talk about his game, the stamina skill leveled up to prestige levels. And I was falling right into it, every time one of them talked I felt joy flow through my body and like this was a huge Hollywood celebrity moment.
This is the most acting challenge I’ve ever experienced, a once in a lifetime experience. – Holly Earl.
The developers never used any CGI, they used 50 days to film each scene and have developed the game in approximately three years.
I can understand the excitement of this title. I had the opportunity to try out the first 10 minutes of the game. The dark setting, script, and acting really sets the mood and it also helps that the music composer of Journey is composing the music for Erica as well.
“Erica allows you to immerse yourself in live-action video and make tactile choices through physical touch, offering a seamlessly flowing experience.
Within the branching narrative, every choice has a profound effect on what the player will see next, with frequent decisions allowing continuous interaction.
With a run-time of a feature length film, Erica offers a movie-like experience where players get to shape their unique path through the story, and decide what they truly believe.” – Flavourworks Erica Description
