In society and technology it happens, sometimes, that two or more people/cultures create the same thing at more or less the same time. It's called Simultaneous Invention. This too happens in games, where suddenly the technology, the past products, and the right circumstances create several games of the same "new" genre to magically appear all at once. This is typically followed by a long and drawn out argument of who was first, but in the end, history will remember the game that does best, which is not always the one who finished first.
History aside, it came to my attention while planning our PAX schedule that there are 3 really awesome games coming out that share a fascinating common theme. They are:
Each game is a horror game of sorts. In each game your sight is limited in some way and echolocation is the only means with which you see.
Perception is taking the AAA style track of creating a voiced narrative and setting you in a classic haunted house filled with creepy noises. It self describes as a narrative horror and by the looks of it you'll use a classic controller / mouse keyboard setup to trigger noise to see by, as well as using the creaky house its self to avoid the many dangers.
Stifled is taking a very similar track, it appears to be a creepy house as well and describes its self as a stealth based thriller. The twist? In Stifled you will be using your mic to make the noises with which you see by, with the rather awesome catch phrase "Enemies hear your fear." This small indie team has gone with a minimalist line-art style, which may be better than the incredible detail you "see" with in Perception. or it may simply not be enough to evoke the feeling of dread being blind and hunted should generate.
Finally Blind takes this concept in a slightly different direction. The big difference is it will be VR ONLY. Beyond that though, the teaser is so vague I have no clue how it will work. From what I understand it, too, will be using echolocation as its means of queues, but how and in what setting is ... well... opaque at the moment.
All three of these games are going to be at PAX West for their debut. Who came first? Not the right question! The real question is which of these three will be remembered as being the best early echolocation horror game.
I'll be listening to find out!