Mannequin: Everything We Know

Fast Travel Games has revealed the groundwork for a new type of asymmetric social deduction horror game titled Mannequin, a project that will aim to blend classic sci-fi elements with a rich and electrifying hide-and-seek blueprint. Going by what’s been said in the press release, said project will be heading to the virtual reality space at some point in 2024, which means you can expect to see an influx in VR demand over the next twelve months, for sure.

Title and general concept aside, what more do we actually know about the so-called Mannequin, and when are we most likely to find it stapled to the storefronts? Well, here’s everything we can currently tell you based on the information provided to date. Mannequin: what is it, really, and how will it compare against the likes of Secret Neighbor and Midnight Ghost Club? Let’s dive right in.

What Is Mannequin?

To get to the point, Mannequin is a five-player social deduction game in which two factions must fight to defeat the opposing team, either as an Alien, or as an Agent. Sounds relatively straightforward on paper, for sure — and it is, for the most part, anyway. However, the thing that sets Mannequin apart from other asymmetric games of its kind is its VR capabilities; Aliens must blend in with other humans and objects by standing perfectly still and striking only at the opportune moment. It goes without saying that this sort of feature will add a new level of depth to the signature hide-and-seek blueprint that we’ve seen a dozen or more times before.

According to Fast Travel, “Mannequin is an asymmetric multiplayer game for up to 5 players, filled with suspense, social deduction and fast, sudden action. Play as alien Mannequins and set up deadly ambushes by posing as humans frozen in time, or as human Agents and wield high tech gadgets to neutralize the Mannequins from a distance.”

Story

From the looks of the description, Mannequin will revolve around a static environment—a world in which humans and objects have frozen in time. In a last-ditch effort to eradicate the reason for the world’s sudden freeze, Agents embark on a quest to find and eliminate a looming Alien presence. The only issue is, said Aliens are master deceivers, and bear the power to pose as humans and blend in with the environment. Question is, as an Agent, will you be able to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not? Or another question would be, can you fool the Agents and become one with the inanimate world?

In the words of its creators: “The world has stopped. Time is frozen. All attempts to make contact with the aliens have failed. Special Agents have been deployed to neutralize the threat once and for all. Humans call the aliens: Mannequins.” Well, there you have it — a pretty straightforward concept, all things considered. Question is, who will you choose to play as?

Gameplay

How’s your balance? We only ask because, well, you’re going to need to play a pretty convincing mannequin in order to outsmart those eagle-eyed Agents. As an Alien, you will need to blend in with the humans who’ve been frozen in time and dotted around a transparent landscape. In addition to keeping perfectly static to avoid detection, you will also need to utilize an arsenal of close-ranged weapons to eliminate the nearby Agents. So, hardly a simple task, after all.

“Mannequins focus on close combat and can time freeze threats by touch,” the description adds. “Use your VR headset, controllers and body to pose in 3D space in order to blend in among the time-frozen humans.”

There’s also the case of playing the Agent—a role that involves using ranged weapons to lay waste to the Aliens that operate under the cover of darkness. Question is, will you be able to spot the needle in the haystack, so to speak — or will you opt for shooting at anything that budges for the sake of claiming a quick win? It’ll be entirely up to you to find the root of the problem, before said problem comes back to bite (or probe) you.

“Voice chat lets teams communicate and strategize internally without the opponent team eavesdropping on them,” the description continues. “Before and after a match you can socialize, experiment with posing and interact with other players in the lobby.”

Development

Ambush enemies as shape-shifting aliens or join the hunt as Agents in a game of social deduction and multiplayer action. Mannequin is a VR game coming to Meta Quest, PS VR2 and SteamVR in 2024. #VirtualReality

Learn more: https://t.co/8lahaa2Q1T pic.twitter.com/ORe5eWqENU

— Fast Travel Games (@fasttravelgames) September 13, 2023

In case you missed it, Mannequin is being made by Fast Travel Games, a Sweden-based studio that’s best known for its love of all things VR. In addition to the upcoming social deduction title, Fast Travel has also funneled life into the likes of Apex Construct, and Wraith: The Oblivion — Afterlife. Like its previous games, Mannequin will be built for virtual reality, which means you shouldn’t expect to see it grace the console’s shores anytime soon. If all goes according to plan, then we should be able to catch a glimpse of the project before it goes live in 2024. Fingers crossed, anyway.

Trailer

Thanks to Fast Travel Games, we do in fact have a bit of footage to gloss over while we wait. Granted, it doesn’t give a great deal away as far as gameplay details go, but it does paint the picture, at least. You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Mannequin will be heading to PlayStation VR2, Quest, and PC VR at some point in 2024. That doesn’t give a whole lot away, true, but that seems to be the best we’ve got for the time being. If we’re lucky, then we might just seen an update on the matter at some stage before year’s end. Don’t count on it, though.

Interested in following the Mannequin timeline ahead of its global launch? If so, then be sure to check in with Fast Travel Games over on its official social feed for all the latest updates here. Alternatively, you can check back with us at a later date, as we’ll be posting all the major leaks, rumors, and concrete details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be getting your hands on a copy of Mannequin when it hits the VR? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.