In case you go right down to the woods at this time, you in all probability gained’t be shocked.
Chances are high, another person has already been there, and all they noticed was timber and bugs.
However when you go right down to Saskathewan’s largely unexplored boreal forest area—which is the biggest such setting on the earth, spanning greater than 1 billion acres—you might very nicely be shocked to dying.
That’s the beginning premise of Past the Oaks, a promising open-world third-person shooter that performs on the dread solely an uncharted forest can encourage.
At present in Kickstarter, Past the Oaks is a ardour mission for indie developer Jay Cameron, whose sport design profession started all the way in which again in 2010 when he was nonetheless in school.
It sees you, as Andrew, venturing right into a surreal arboreal world and turning into trapped there, surrounded by unusual characters, lethal wildlife, and puzzles.
![](/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image_123650291-5-320x140.jpg)
After a short time you uncover a futuristic set of armor, outfitted with a JARVIS-style AI assistant referred to as E.M.I.L.I. Removed from being your instantaneous savior, nevertheless, E.M.I.L.I. has been struck with a curse, and she or he wants your assist to regain her powers.
These powers fall into three ability timber—fight mechanics, go well with devices, and expertise upgrades—letting you method your character’s development in a approach that fits your taking part in type.
Cue a sprawling marketing campaign that sees you unlocking new skills whereas finishing quests and exploring three big biomes consisting of thick woods, historic medieval villages, unusual alien caves, icy mountainscapes, smoking volcanic ruins, and extra.
Oh, and stepping into battles with an enormous array of enemies, from sorceresses to robotic drones.
And fixing puzzles.
![](/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image_123650291-320x168.jpg)
At first look, Past the Oaks seems to be just a little bit Alan Wake 2, just a little bit Tears of the Kingdom, with a mix of hi-tech sci-fi and fantasy components, and an atmospheric, mildly terrifying aesthetic.
That is helped alongside by some fantastically slick, detailed 3D Unreal Engine visuals and a few top-tier artwork path. Try the trailer to see what we imply.
And the group’s ambitions aren’t solely technical. In keeping with DragonFly Video games, Jay Cameron’s studio, Beneath the Oaks is being designed with ludonarrative concord in thoughts. In different phrases, the gameplay mirrors the story’s themes of freedom and management.
![](/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image_123650291-12-320x232.jpg)
Beneath the Oaks has already attracted a improvement grant from Inventive Saskatchewan, in addition to a stellar solid of voice actors together with Mike Anthony, Zoe Slusar, Tarzan Dan, Caitlynne Medrek, and Mark Meer.
On the time of writing, Past the Oaks is almost a 3rd of the way in which to its funding purpose, with 44 days left to go.
![](/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image_123650291-9-320x232.jpg)
To learn extra about Past the Oaks, or be a part of the marketing campaign at any one of many 14 reward tiers, head to the sport’s Kickstarter proper now.