Zen Studios announcedDread Nauticalreleases for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Epic Games Store on April 29.
Set on the seemingly luxurious cruise liner Hope,Dread Nauticalis a horror-themed strategy RPG that pits you against the supernatural. Featuring roguelike elements, you will choose one of four characters to explore the randomly generated ship to survive. You’ll also meet other survivors as you explore the mysterious ship, some of which may join your party depending on your interaction with them. You will have to plan everything accordingly, including attacks and skill upgrades, in order to escape.
Much of this can be seen in the trailer above. Featuring a stylish, cartoony art style, the strategic gameplay and “eerie” atmosphere is in full display. It also shows sequences where you’ll talk with other survivors and explore the ship for loot.
You may recognize Zen Studios from its work withZen Pinball. However, the developer/publisher is looking to expand into different genres with games likeDread Nautical,Oprencia: The Stolen Sun, andCastleStorm II. Mel Kirk, Vice President of Publishing at Zen Studios, gave a brief statement in theDread Nauticalpress releaseabout this new direction.
“The release ofDread Nauticalto consoles and PC speaks to Zen Studios’ pursuit of developing a broad range of well-polished games to redefine our studio as more than just Pinball Wizards. We’re proud of everything we’ve brought to the pinball space, but are ready to take on new challenges in the broader gaming space”, says Kirk. “More importantly, we are incredibly excited to allow our dev teams the freedom to create games they want to play, including titles in the turn-based RPG genre likeOperencia: The Stolen SunandCastleStorm II.”
As mentioned,Dread Nauticalwill launch on April 29 for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Epic Games Store. It isavailable nowon iOS, Apple TV, and Mac devices.
