What happens when even the afterlife turns apocalyptic?
That’s the basic premise of De-Exit, currently in development from Sandbloom Studios and Handy Games. It’s a game that starts by your character dying, but when they arrive in the afterlife, it’s not quite what they imagined. Where are the bright lights and protective guardians? Something has gone terribly wrong, and the world has become broken. Naturally, as the protagonist, it’s up to you to try to restore the natural order of things.
Sandbloom Studios describes De-Exit as a ‘cinematic voxel experience’. Yes, it embraces voxel-style art; think Minecraft but in the afterlife, and you’re someway to imagining what this game looks like. It’s a striking visual choice, and it’s hard not to smile as your little skeleton character goes about his business. There’s no dialogue, but cinematic cutscenes have been employed in order to tell a – hopefully engaging – story. In terms of inspirations, think Rime and Journey.
Despite the rather playful art style, though, De-Exit is sombre in its tone. Shadows ravage the afterlife, and it’s your job to get rid of them. But you can’t fight them – after all, you’re just a lowly skeleton with no weapons or means to defend yourself. So much of De-Exit revolves around sneaking past enemies, using a torch to reveal them and, in turn, reveal areas which are safe to pass through.
You’ll need to solve puzzles in order to progress through De-Exit‘s world, alongside standard platforming. It looks to be oozing with atmosphere; it’s dark, brooding and shadowy – not exactly what we first think of when we picture the afterlife, but that’s the whole point of De-Exit, after all.
Give the trailer a watch below for a taste of what to expect. There’s no release date for De-Exit just yet, but stay tuned for more news on the game as it becomes available.
