Lies Beneath is a slick new VR title inspired by Silent Hill and Resident Evil, launching on Oculus Quest March 31 and Oculus Rift S April 14.
"Lies Beneath is a single-player survival horror game with a heavy dose of action! Something's gone horribly wrong in the sleepy town of Slumber, Alaska. Now, returning college student Mae must fight to save her father (and her sanity) from the terrifying townsfolk and creepy creatures infecting her hometown. Experience a living comic book full of frightful scenarios as you uncover the secrets of Slumber… and Mae's past," reads the official description from Oculus.
Studio Drifter Entertainment previously developed Gunheart for the Oculus Rift. The Oculus-published Lies Beneath was designed specifically for the standalone Oculus Quest platform, but the dynamic art style looks great despite the technical limitations of the portable hardware.
In an interview on the Oculus Blog, Creative Director Brian Murphy elaborated about how classic survival horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill helped inspire Lies Beneath. "We loved how these types of games blend a master class in creepy mood setting, punctuated with terrifying action sequences that challenge and surprise you over and over," Murphy said.
Furthermore, you'll employ both ranged and melee attacks to down foes and solve puzzles to find important items, so gameplay should be familiar to survival horror fans. Audio Director Ken Kato goes on to say that on top of the Resident Evil and Silent Hill influences, the art and sound design take influence from zombie movies and TV shows like The Walking Dead.
Murphy says the decision to develop Lies Beneath specifically for the Oculus Quest came from wanting a "visceral and active" combat system, which he figures is better suited to the cord-free Quest.
I'm really liking the art design here, and the classic survival horror influences are exciting. With the added immersion of VR hardware, Lies Beneath has the potential to be truly terrifying. Fortunately, we don't have to wait long to find out.
In the meantime, test your resourcefulness in the best survival horror games of all time.
