The work of H.P. Lovecraft
has inspired many a creative mind, and lends itself particularly
well to the world of adventure games. Lovecraft
wove the threads of horror and dread like a master, but the cohesive
world in which his stories
took place is his true legacy. It’s a Lovecraft-inspired world such as
this that Turkish developers Zoetrope Interactive are bringing to life with their
upcoming game, Loath Nolder: Labores Solis.

Set in a the fictional
Hilltown in the not-too-distant future, Loath Nolder will blend
elements of suspense, horror, and mystery into
a panoramic first-person 3D thriller. Laboris Solis is the first
of three planned installments and is scheduled for release in Fall
of 2007. After playing the demo, I couldn’t help but feel that
release date was very far away. I wanted the game in my hands now—and
I’m sure many adventure/ horror games can feel my pain.

In the game world, players
will first meet police detective Howard E. Loreid in November of
2011 as he receives a new case involving
a fugitive murder suspect. This suspect is none other than Loath
Nolder, a once successful private detective whose last case ended
under mysterious circumstances. After abruptly cutting ties with
family and friends, Nolder had embarked on a 5-year journey through
the darkest recesses of Africa. What he learned about the world and
himself during his studies with cannibals, shamans, and sorcerers,
no one could say. What they did know was that the man who returned
was not the same one who had left.

Nolder accepted one final
case—that of the disappearance of
Clark Field. But that ended with Nolder becoming a murder suspect
on the run. Now Howard, a self-professed lucid dreamer who suffers
nighttime terrors of his own, must delve into mysteries that have
slept for aeons in order to solve this case.

This is an ambitious and
immersive story line, but that’s
only one part of the equation when it comes to a successful adventure
game. Zoetrope Interactive plans to flesh out the rest of it with
beautiful and haunting environments, engaging puzzles, action sequences,
and a few surprising plot twists. The brief glimpse I gained through
the demo indicated that these goals are definitely achievable by
the Turkish team.

One unique device the developers are using to bring a sense of immersion
to the game is offering visual cues to your characters state of mind.
When my character was frightened, for example, the first-person field
of vision actually mimicked panting. This certainly drives home the
fear element of this game, which is exactly what Zoetrope Interactive
has in mind.

Another goal the developer
has for Loath Nolder is for clues and thoughts within the game
to logically link with one another in order
to solve the mystery. In that spirit, thoughts will have to be linked
in the same manner as objects through the interface. I didn’t
see an example of this in the demo, so I can’t say for sure
exactly how it works. It does sound intriguing, however, if the developer
can pull it off.

With that one unique exception, the interface itself is fairly standard.
Loath Nolder uses the tried and true methods of clicking to interact,
pick, leave, open, and combine, as well as dragging to move items
and unify thoughts.

But unique gameplay elements
aside, the main objective of the development team is to create
an atmosphere of sheer suspense and horror. From
what I’ve seen, they should have no problem making this a reality.
Whether you’re a fan of Lovecraft or simply enjoy a good scare,
you’ll want to keep an eye out for Loath Nolder:
Labores Solis.
In the meantime, you can visit the developer at www.zoetropeint.com.