Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife, developed by Fast Travel Games, is the first Virtual Reality game set in the World of Darkness. It is based on the pen-and-paper RPG of the same name where players get into the skin of a recently deceased spirit trapped between this world and the next. What set Wraith: The Oblivion apart from other games in the same universe like Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse is its distance from the power fantasy of inhabiting an increasingly powerful monster, as well as its deep and emotional themes regarding death, despair and regret.

While Wraith: The Oblivion is easily the bleakest IP of the World of Darkness and the least commercially successful, it lends itself perfectly to an immersive, narrative-driven VR horror game. Before working on Afterlife, Fast Travel Games had four years of experience and three other games under its belt, meaning it was ready to apply its know-how to a well-known IP. Its next-door Stockholm neighbors at Paradox Interactive wanted to branch out into VR with the World of Darkness, making this the perfect match. But what is Afterlife about, and how will the VR environment affect the storytelling at the heart of every World of Darkness game?

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In Afterlife, the player awakens as a recently deceased Wraith with only vague memories of their past and no idea how they died. A sinister voice, the Shadow, guides the Wraith through the tutorial and into Barclay Mansion, where the main character (and probably many others) lost their life under horrible circumstances. Afterlife is a game of exploration that favors stealth and intelligence over combat, and as the player explores the Barclay Mansion, they will unlock both their story and new powers that allow them to interact with their environment.

"You won't have all the Wraith powers from the start," said Andreas Juliusson, the Chief Marketing Officer of Fast Travel Games. "The more you play, the more you explore, the more you will grow as a Wraith, and you will learn more about the House and its history, the characters that left there in the house, the specters that are trailing your footsteps." Juliusson also teased that the game would reward exploration using Easter eggs that World of Darkness fans will recognize and appreciate. Rather than taking a "gun a'blazing" approach like many other modern horror games, Afterlife will focus on " finding that inner darkness within you and putting you in a position where you don't really know how to handle the situation you're in."

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Fans of the World of Darkness know that the Shadow is not the most trustworthy of companions. In the pen and paper game, the Shadow represents the self-destructive part of the Wraith, and their mission is to make the player give up their hope of ascending into the true afterlife. They are usually played by another player, and they can turn Fetters -- objects that bind a Wraith to the human world -- into traps that will catch the Wraith and never let it go. Wraiths that give up into the Shadow become Spectres, ghosts stuck in the way that they died that can harm players in some nasty ways. Afterlife's tagline, "In Barclay Mansion, even the dead are terrified," hints that the player will encounter many Spectres throughout the game.

Fast Travel Games has cited like Alien: Isolation and Amnesia: The Dark Descent as influences on Aftermath. Juliusson explains that the two games focus on narrative and exploration rather than action. While there is combat and enemies to face, "it's much more about being cautious, understanding your environment, using intelligence...the horror elements are not these cheap jump scares...It's much more psychological and under your skin. We really want players to feel uneasy about what's going on."

However, the developers were also very conscious of the limitations and opportunities of VR in contrast with PC or consoles. For instance, exploration games like Amnesia, Alien and even the indie success Gone Home tend to rely on sprinkling documentation across the different levels that the players have to read to catch up with the backstory.  "You cannot rely very much on reading in VR," said Juliusson. "The less disruptive elements you have the better. That's why music, voice and sound effects play such an important role. They guide the player, direct their attention and set their mood."

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VR has a similar problem with the other way most video games rely important information: cinematic cutscenes. Fast Travel has hinted that it's handling these differently, as Juliusson explains that they don't work when you have a headset on and are expected to be part of it.

Fast Travel Games originally planned to make a full Wraith: The Oblivion -  Afterlife announcement in June, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed its plans. Now, the developer is planning to release the trailer, and possibly some gameplay, in August. However, to get fans excited, it put out a teaser trailer that includes a couple of early development environments inside the Barclay Mansion, including a large bar and living room area, a smaller storage area with black and white posters, and a what looks like a bedroom or an office with a tall bookshelf. Since it's early development footage, the game still needs work, but the general feel is reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel from The Shining: an oversized modern building hiding many dark secrets.

Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife, developed by Fast Travel Games and World of Darkness, will be released on all major VR platforms, including Oculus, Steam and Playstation VR.

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