There are two types of horror – one that shocks you into more inventive ways to hide behind a pillow; and the other that creeps under your skin, quietly prickling the back of your neck and haunting you for weeks. The Séance Of Blake Manor falls into that second camp: an atmospheric take on an 1890s Irish murder mystery.
You play Detective Ward, who has been sent to the titular Blake Manor to investigate the disappearance of Evelyn Deane two nights before a seance is due take place. Mystics from across the globe have gathered at the crumbling mansion to converse with the dead on All Hallows’ Eve, but are they really capable of doing what they say they can? And what was that shadowy figure? There’s more than one secret to unravel.
You need to be in the right place at the right time … gameplay in The Séance of Blake Manor. Photograph: Spooky Doorway
“Think of it as gothic or folk horror,” says narrative lead Dave McCabe. “It’s that creeping dread that you’re in a place you shouldn’t be and every step you take isn’t safe.”
Time ticks down as you explore the house and talk to each of the guests, so you need to work hard to figure out what’s happening. Sometimes you’ll need to solve puzzles by moving objects or finding hidden passwords. Other times you’ll need to be in the right place at the right time to catch crucial information.
Permeating all that mystery and Victorian spiritualism is a miasma of Irish folklore. “We picked one key point in Irish mythology for the setup of our story,” says Paul Conway, lead artist and CEO of developer Spooky Doorway. “It’s why this particular place is the nexus of ancient magic and supernatural events, but I can’t say what it is without revealing too much!”
“We definitely touch on a lot of Irish mythology, pagan beliefs and ghost stories,” McCabe adds. While those aspects don’t always directly affect the story, that otherworldly presence lingers in the background. Irish traditions, such as carved turnips that are far more monstrous than the pumpkins of today’s Halloween, are dotted around the estate. You encounter a flash of something early on, and the library is rammed full of old tales and legends to peruse at your leisure. Just don’t take too long, or your time to solve the mystery will run out.
The developers are proud of their heritage and want to inspire players to explore more of it. “I hope it adds another layer to the perception people have of Ireland and Irish history – that it’s not all St Patrick’s Day and flat caps,” McCabe says. “And maybe some people will come over and see a few haunted castles.”
The Séance Of Blake Manor is in development for PC. Release date TBC
