The word “Xanadu” is not particularly terrifying, unless the thought of Olivia Newton-John turns your legs into a gelatine-based foodstuff. The System Shock 2-inspired Spirits of Xanadu isn’t letting this get in the way of its scariness however, with the just-released horror shooter making its debut on Steam.
In the case of Spirits, “Xanadu” is the name of the ghost ship the protagonist is sent to check up on. With months of no communications from the vessel, it’s up to the player to figure out what went wrong and if possible, pilot the craft back to Earth. We had a brief look at some gameplay in May last year, but now you can try it for yourself, if you have $US13.49 to spare.
If you do take the tiny plunge, here’s what’s on offer:
Spirits of Xanadu is an atmospheric exploration game set aboard a deserted starship in an alternate 1980s. It draws inspiration from classic sci-fi films, novels, and games to create an immersive and highly interactive environment, featuring puzzles and FPS elements in the service of a unique and layered plot.
Key Features:
Three distinct endings: You get to decide the ultimate fate of the Xanadu.
Discover the truth: Find out what happened to the crew of the Xanadu with fully voiced audiologs, as well as various company and personal documents and e-mails.
Explore the Xanadu: Non-linear gameplay and narrative with complete freedom.
Hot robot action with first person shooter combat: Avoid the ship’s security system and battle several different types of robots in order to take control of the ship.
Fully interactable environment: Inspired by the immersive environment of games like Deus Ex and System Shock 2, open every drawer and interact with nearly every object. And yes, you can flush toilets.
Optional ‘Peaceful’ mode: Not a fan of violence against robots? Switch to the Peaceful difficulty setting to make the robots passive, which will allow you to explore the ship, absorb the story, and solve puzzles at your own leisure with no pressure.
The “Peaceful” mode is a nice touch and I wouldn’t mind seeing it in more games (at least where it makes sense). Sometimes it’s nice to look around without having a SHODAN-like artificial intelligence throwing meatbag insults at you.
Spirits of Xanadu [Steam]
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