:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45784702/alone_with_you_cover.0.0.jpg)
Benjamin Rivers, known for the indie horror game Home, will be bringing a demo of his upcoming game Alone With You to this year's Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco. Along with that announcement on Sony's PlayStation Blog, he's released a few more details on the game, including how it was inspired by the classic Sega CD console.
"Alone With You is a giant love-letter to the Sega CD," Rivers said. "Yes, you read that correctly; that old Genesis add-on from the mid-nineties. The game features a color palette chock full of those classic greens and purples, and a hearty 16-bit resolution (the UI runs at 1080p, though, and is beautiful and clean). It also features a few nifty graphical tricks that, I hope, make it stand out from other titles.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3453060/alone_with_you.0.jpg)
Alone With You is described as a science fiction romance adventure, but with a "Hitchcockian twist." Players take on the role of the last living crew member of a failed terraforming expedition. Rivers says that the game will be equal parts solitary exploration and intimate, heartfelt social interactions with holographic representations of the late crew.
"You go on missions that your AI companion — lovingly named AF4B/3B by the company that made it — sends you on," he said. "You’ll need to find specific things, and use your scanner to gather data. As you explore the game’s environments, you’ll inevitably come across other, less critical items — some of which help immerse you in the world around you, and some of which play a role when it’s time to do some romancin’.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3453072/alone_with_you_2.0.jpg)
"Even better, Alone With You has lots of whimsical, full-screen animation for everything from using doors to revving up your sweet hover shuttle. Everything (so far) is hand-drawn by yours truly. I’m using my years of comic-making experience to (I hope) deliver some tasty, unique visuals."
Rivers also included a sample of the game's soundtrack, a collaboration with sound designer and musician Ivor Stines. You can listen to it on Sony's blog, or directly via Soundcloud.
