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For the last two years, Italian survival horror series Remothered has been raising eyebrows. Wearing its influences on its fringed sleeve, it sets itself apart with a pronounced commitment to realism. Yes, there be monsters but you’re unlikely to be grabbed by any fanciful ghoulies – the worst of the lot are human.

Broken Porcelain protagonist Jennifer has already lived a life of hard knocks, but things are about to get far worse. With only her wits and a new, mysterious ability called the ‘Moth Eye’, she must survive long enough to escape the series’ new setting, twisted hotel the Ashmann Inn. As she’s nursing a broken arm, it’s often a better idea for her to hide or run than fight.

Stormind founder and CEO Antonio Cannata says, “Compared to other stealth games, where the player can count on futuristic weapons, in Remothered we wanted to stay closer to real life. Players have to take advantage of what they find and this, together with their bravery, will help them survive.

“We wanted players to feel that, if they ever found themselves in a similar situation, that would be what would happen to them,” Cannata tells us, elaborating, “So the element of tension is given by the fact that in dev talk

“In my opinion, [when it comes to crossing the line on shock value] it all depends on the purpose of the work we’re talking about: is it supposed to teach or to explain something? Or are the ‘shocking’ scenes just pointless jump scares that have no other intention than to entertain players for two seconds?”

Chris Darril the game, just like in reality, life is actually unpredictable, and that you can only count on your own abilities to survive the evil that’s all around.”

Chris Darril, the developer pitched as the ‘author’ of the Remothered series due to playing a major role in its direction, writing, and design, agrees with Cannata’s sentiment. He adds, “I think that horror, as a genre, can be very useful to explain the horror that happens in real life.”

PLAYERS HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT THEY FIND [TO] SURVIVE.

FEAR AND DELIGHT

Another bold move was announcing that Tormented Fathers was part one in a triptych of games. Cannata says that this commitment to three games helped the team to strive for only the best. Fan feedback also motivated the team when it came to developing Broken Porcelain. The Remothered series is very much a love letter to fans for fans.