Hello Cruel World: Everything We Know

Akupara Games has lifted the veil on a new type of survival-horror experience—an urban exploration-based adventure in which players will take control of an attention-craving streamer on the lookout for the next “big” viral happening. Word has it, though, that such dreams will come with their own consequences, and it’ll be up to you, the lens-hogging socialite, to sift through the drama and survive the trials that bind to the whiff of everlasting stardom. That’s Hello Cruel World, in a nutshell, and it’ll be heading to VR at some point in then next twelve or so months.

If you’re still with us, then you’ll likely be wanting to learn more about this upcoming horror that rests in Akupara Games’ rather capable hands. Don’t sweat it — we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything we currently know about Hello Cruel World.

What Is Hello Cruel World?

Hello Cruel World is a first-person survival-horror game for VR platforms. Simply put, you take on the role of an urban explorer—an eager streamer who’s sent to search a seemingly deserted underground laboratory that’s home to strange noises that wheedle through the walls, and unusual voices that call out to you from your earpiece. The question you’re invited to answer: how far will you be willing to go for the sake of pleasing your viewers?

In the developer’s own words: “You are an urban explorer and you've just hit the motherload. Hidden under the carcass of an abandoned restaurant, a decrepit laboratory teems with secrets around every corner. Solve puzzles, avoid danger, and uncover the mystery the voice in your earpiece who haunts you.”

Story

It’s been established that the story will follow an urban explorer — that much we already know. What’s more, we also know that the location in question will be an old seafood restaurant, which will of course serve as a front for a much darker, more secretive business that idles beneath the surface. It’ll be your job, as a fledgling seeker, to delve deeper into the sunken laboratory, and essentially make heads or tails of the events that once took place there. Easy enough, right? If only.

“It was supposed to be simple,” the elevator pitch reads in part. “The Crab n’ Grab, a trashy seafood restaurant a thousand miles from the sea. But your chat kept telling you to take a look. That something more is brewing underneath the surface. That there’s something “there” there. And after all, isn’t it your job to dive headfirst into danger? Isn’t that the thrill?”

“How thrilling do you find the skittering of ticker-taps of robotic legs on concreate?” the description asks. “What about the voice coming over the loudspeaker? That’s not a person. That’s something else. And she’s testing you. She wants to know how smart you are.”

From the sounds of it, the story will revolve around one traveler’s journey through an AI-led facility—a chamber in which various trials will push the hero’s limits and physical capabilities to the extreme. As for who’s behind these rather sadistic trials remains to be determined, though from the looks of it — it won’t be offering out tea and cookies for snooping after hours, that’s for sure.

Gameplay

As a survival-horror game at heart, it’s safe to say that there’ll be plenty of puzzle-solving, exploration, and toothy hide-and-seek shenanigans. There’ll also be a social aspect to it, too—a feature that will allow you to interact with your viewers as you plunge deeper and deeper into the facility. Turns out, there’s Wi-Fi even in the lower sections of the underground lab. “And that means everyone you're livestreaming to gets a front-row seat to your death-defying depravity, delving deeper and deeper into the facility, and helping you out along the way.”

Going by the in-game screenshots that were shared by the devs earlier this week, a lot of the gameplay will revolve around unearthing a web of secrets in the facility itself. Besides the AI voice that haunts the abandoned halls, players will also have to overcome certain challenges alone, and with only the comfort of their distant fans to guide them through the remains of the laboratory.

Development

In case you missed the initial announcement, Hello Cruel World first found its audience during the Indie Horror Showcase earlier this week. The event, which took place over a 90-minute period, went on to outline all the core details of some of the most sought-after projects on the board. Lo and behold, the event eventually went on to tease Hello Cruel World, the newest VR chapter in the virtual reality pipeline.

Akupara Games has been going strong since 2016, all things considered, and as a result, has managed to birth several fantastic games, including Whispering Willows, and GRIME. If all goes according to plan, then its next project should be available to purchase across a range of VR headsets as early as 2024.

Trailer

The good news is, there is a trailer to check out. Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t shed light on the actual gameplay aspects, nor the characters that’ll feature in the story. Nevertheless, you can check it out for yourself in the announcement trailer posted above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Hello Cruel World will be launching on a series of unspecified VR platforms in 2024. On this note, we can expect to see it arrive on PC VR via Steam, and perhaps PS VR2. However, as the developer has yet to formally announce the platforms outside of the PC VR version, we can’t really say for certain where it’ll land just yet. If all goes according to plan, then we should have some clarification in the next several months.

In need of a few more details? You can check in with the team over on their official social handle for additional updates here. If anything major changes ahead of its global debut, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Hello Cruel World when it arrives on VR in 2024? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.