Devlog #04 - Environment Concept & Design Pt. 1: The Horror that Lives in Spaces

Greetings, fellow keepers of the dark! We meet again! In the last few updates, we’ve hinted (pretty obviously) that investigations will play a big role in DreadOut 3. And it turns out, when we started thinking about how investigations would work, we also started thinking about the spaces that would surround them.

When we talk about horror, most of the attention usually immediately turns to what’s or what lurks within the place. Because in many cases, the sense of unease, unsettling, doesn't just come from what we are searching for. Sometimes we think the places we go to feel wrong even before anything happens. And that’s what we want to capture.

Claustrophobia is Cultural

We find how interesting a space can be, especially in horror games or films. The uncomfortable feeling won't always come from a place full of splattered blood, bones, bodies, or demonic ritual altars that would make you want to step out of there instantly. It can also be created from a space that’s too large, empty, or silent. Or conversely, from a cramped space that restricts movements and feels stuffy even through a screen.

When building various environments for DreadOut 3, we played with spaces that are close and feel oppressive: narrow alleys, dead-end small streets, small rooms that make it difficult to see what’s around the next corner.

Much of this inspiration comes from environments and cultures that are quite close to our daily lives—which, honestly, is just what DreadOut always has been. Out of something so ordinary, we want to create something that’s completely the opposite.

We think there's something not-so-pleasant about a space that feels way too close and narrow. So, when we built the environments, we asked ourselves how we want the players to feel when they're in a certain space we create.

But for the record, of course, claustrophobic is one concept. We believe that discomfort doesn’t always come from confined spaces. So, there will be a mix of many other things that will build the whole atmosphere in the end.

An Operation Base

Steam post image [c]The hub[/c]

Next, let’s talk about a base. A safe place for Linda. If you look at DreadOut 2, you will feel safe when you enter a certain place or area, even if the appearance of the spaces aren’t entirely comforting anyway. And as you all might know, in DreadOut 2, we have Maung District as a hub area connecting many different activities and locations. As for DreadOut 3, the approach is slightly different. We envision something more private and personal, more like an operational base rather than a city area.

The further we are into developing DreadOut 3, especially when we decide that investigation will be a significant part in it, the more it’s becoming clear that Linda needs a place for her to return to. Besides being a place for you to save the game, we also want to make this place a true center of Linda’s investigative activities, one place that remains closely connected to the progression of the story, the game.

[c]Outdoor Area of The Hub[/c]

Because again for the investigations, Linda will need a place to collect various findings she will later gather along the way. Notes, pictures, hints. The dots she will later need to connect. So, from that need, the concept of an operations hub was born.

Alright, maybe for now, what we can say is that the deeper Linda walks into unfamiliar and uncomfortable spaces, the more important it becomes for her to have a place where she can put things back together. And of course for her to charge her IrisPhone (duh).

P.S. We want to hear from you too!

We know by heart that the DreadOut series is not coming to life only through what we create, but also from what you share with us and the community itself! So, if you have:

• Questions crossing inside your head

• Any theories of the lores

• Your very own Fanart or cosplay

Feel free to drop it in the comment section or Community Hub. We will happily later feature what you sent in the next blogs as a part of this journey. And as always, if you haven't, don’t forget to wishlist DreadOut 3 and hit that follow button on our Steam page! All the love,

:DH