Trapped In Stasis
By Julie Morley
[divider]
Back in December, Stasis was funded for $132,523 and still has been receiving funding from the fans since then on their website. It has built a positive reaction from the backers and Christopher Bischoff is doing everything he possibly can to make Stasis the game you want and the game you need.
Currently, the alpha demo for Stasis is available, giving the fans/backers some exposure to the game. In response, they have been quite vocal about what they think of it so far, what needs improvement, and what is missing from the story itself to make it better. The demo is the first of many chapters of the Stasis storyline; here for a proper introduction to the main character and where the story begins for him.
Inspired by old point and click games, Stasis is an isometric adventure in a two-dimensional world that is a magnificent work of science fiction. Essentially, the player is thrown into a science fiction film.
Meet John Marachek, a hostage aboard what appears to be the seemingly empty ship, Groomlake; floating aimlessly in space, many years in the future. He has no memory of how he entered the ship or why he was in stasis, floating about in a tube for observation. He’s wounded, disoriented, and desperate to figure out where he is and what happened to him and his loved ones.
Once free, he ventures off on the seemingly vacant ship, uncovering information that makes the ship and its inhabitants seem anything but innocent and welcoming. Further along, it becomes more apparent that questionable acts were occurring such as inhumane, illicit experimentation and research trials. It is unknown what the doctors and scientists were aiming for, but the more you read into it, it doesn’t look good in the slightest.
The Groomlake is a spacecraft under the possession of Cayne Corporation, the leaders in human technological, medical, and scientific advancement. Unfortunately, they are notorious for taking their research too far for the sake of science.
The player relies on John’s environmental exploration in order to progress in the game. Puzzles must be solved in order to move further ahead; they unlock specific areas to investigate. Along the way, you’ll uncover information about the previous experiences of the old inhabitants through testimonials and diaries meticulously placed throughout the level. Collect miscellaneous objects that will be beneficial for your puzzle solving.
The overall vibe of the environment is purely gloomy, suspenseful, and constantly building; accented with a ingeniously orchestrated soundtrack. The more John is putting pieces of the puzzle together and communicating with individuals, enemies appear to be lurking around and about thanks to subtle visual hints and sound effects. It feeds into the creepy tone perfectly.
Stasis continues to gain attention through Let’s Play videos and even some mainstream press. Since the end of the funding period, the developer has been working full time to improve the game. More animation sequences have been introduced along with additional level designs, music, and writing. A release date for the following chapters hasn’t been released .
[divider]Game Info
Game : Stasis
Developer : Brotherhood Games
Platforms : Win / Mac
[…] Stasis is a work of interactive art that’s been in the making for over 4 years. The brain child of Christopher Bischoff, Stasis has been at a steady rate of growth since its Kickstarter closed up shop in December of last year. Basically, what’s been done is just a lot of fine tuning, which we’ll talk about, but even more exciting is the projected release date – February 2015. In a recent update Bischoff states that depending on how many bugs are found in beta, it may arrive even earlier. Beta is slated to begin nearer the latter half of this year, but for now, we can rest assured that attention to detail is being directed at Stasis. […]