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Ritual Tides: Everything We Know
Video game art and design powerhouse Vertpaint Studios announced their debut horror game, Ritual Tides. It appears as though the game will confirm the developer’s reputation for innovation. But much about the game remains a mystery. However, what’s pretty clear is that the team behind the title is one of the best, qualifying for the title of ‘The Seal Team’ of video game creation. It’s a collection of veterans from top names in the industry. For example, TellTale Games, Rockstar Games, CI Games, and more. So, despite the influx of exciting survival horror games, fans can expect new, better experiences. Here is everything we know about Ritual Tides for now.
What is Ritual Tides?
Ritual Tides is an upcoming Lovecraftian horror video game from Vertpaint Studios. Its first announcement came via IGN on October 30, 2024. Moreover, the title joined the list of most anticipated video game releases for 2025. The game marks the debut title for Vertapint Studios. Vertpaint is a new video game development company comprising experts from TT Games, Rockstar Games, and more. It follows a survival horror style. The gameplay tasks players with surviving the Lovecraftian world. What’s more, they attempt to uncover the mystery behind the land’s secrets.
Story
First, as a Lovecraftian folk horror video game, Ritual Tides gets inspiration from the American author H.P. Lovecraft. Further, it focuses on weird fiction. The game’s environment is set on a mythical island around the southwest coast of Cornwall. The creators craft the story with horror at its core. Players explore an island beach where danger lurks at every corner.
For instance, it all begins when the main characters wake up on the shores of the island beach. At this point, the players explore the beach and uncover the secrets to the mysterious beach. Not much is familiar about the island yet. However, from the introductory quote from H.P. Lovecraft in the announcement trailer, it’s a dangerous island. They were not meant to journey deep. Lovecraftian introduces the narrative as follows:
“We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity”. “And it was not meant that we should voyage far.”
Gameplay
The game’s development team has not yet revealed much about the game. Fortunately, the team plans to reveal the gameplay trailer early next year, specifically sometime in February 2025. While details remain scarce, the few glimpses we’ve gotten so far suggest a chilling experience. And drawing cues from the announcement and the trailer, it’s easy to tell Ritual Tides’ gameplay is horrific.
However, players can expect gruesomely designed villains roaming the island. Danger lies in every corner of the map. And apparently, there is no way out. Additionally, you can only run and hide to survive. You, however, have a gun designed differently from the usual version. This sets the gameplay apart from typical survival horror games. For now, fans can only wait for the real experience after the full gameplay reveal.
Development
Ritual Tides developers comprise a team of gaming software veterans. Notably, most of them worked with some of the industry’s most renowned names. Besides, Director Jonathan Berube describes them as the seal team of video game development. It’s their first game with Vertpaint Studios. And they are surely committed to creating a masterpiece. Again, their inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft could mean Ritual Tides may fall close to other Lovecraft horror games. For example, the likes of Dreams in the Witch House and Dead Space. However, that’s subjective for now, pending the game’s release. Creative director James Macleod said they are eager to reveal more of Ritual Tides. That said, survival horror fans could see more details come sooner.
Further, the developers intend to raise the bar for visual quality with Ritual Tides using various techniques. For instance, ensuring zero compromise on the game’s dark visuals. They will not work with external publishers who could undermine their goal. Players will immerse in a realistic, dark visual environment where the Ritual Tides story unfolds.
The team follows a two-stream approach. That is prioritizing the game’s design and mechanics alongside development and art research. The environment is near photorealistic, providing a clear and genuinely memorable picture of the gameplay events. Fans will love the game’s enemy variation. Furthermore, it’s also central to Ritual Tides’ development guiding principles. Every run is made unique and offers a wealth of experiences. Each encounter is more terrifying than the previous one.
According to Vertpaint’s CEO, the company boasts a reputation for innovation. The team intends to prove why they deserve the reputation through their new game. The game will toss fans into an epic escapade. The experience blends the allure of horror and real character designs with animation technology and meticulous art concepts.
Trailer
Vertpaint Studios’ game reveal came along with an announcement trailer. The 53-minute video is currently available on YouTube. The trailer doesn’t go much into the game’s details. But still, it provides fans with a good glimpse of what to expect. The trailer positions it among the highly anticipated survival horror games.
It begins with a quote from H.P. Lovecraft. The quote confirms Ritual Tides is a Lovecraftian horror game. You can see the sketchpad-style designs of the game elements and shadowy characters. Behind the visuals, the explainer voiceover speaks with an intriguing whisper-like voice. He talks about the knocking, banging, and incessant sounds without shape. Finally informs the audience that there is no escape. The trailer delivers the perfect atmosphere of intrigue and unease as you watch the artistic shadowy images with scary horror sounds from the background.
Release Date & Platforms
For now, Vertpaint Games is yet to set or announce an official release date for the game. Fans can only wait for the gameplay reveal in February 2025. The full release is, however, expected to be sometime in the third quarter of 2025. Finally, the game is currently in development for PC. Therefore, Ritual Tides will launch first for PC, and then console versions will follow later.
So, what are your thoughts on Vertpaint Games’ upcoming release, Ritual Tides? What do you think about the developer’s debut title? Let us know your thoughts here on our socials or down in the comments section.
