When it comes to virtual reality (VR) jump scares one of the earliest examples came from Spanish studio White Door Games in the form of Dreadhalls, originally for Gear VR back in 2015 and then most recently coming to Oculus Quest last year. Today, the studio has announced its next VR title, sticking with those horror credentials for Cosmophobia.  

Described as a roguelike survival horror, Cosmophobia takes place on a dying spaceship with all sorts of monstrous creatures lurking in the darkness. The studio has taken what it learned from Dreadhalls to produce a more engaging (and possibly terrifying) experience, mentioning in a statement: “It focuses on tense and atmospheric exploration, but also incorporates much deeper interaction with both the monsters and the world itself that was missing in the previous title, taking full advantage of the possibilities of tracked hand controllers in VR.”

You are trying to get back to Earth and to do so requires exploration of the ship, scavaging for resources to craft weapons and other useful items to deal with enemies and environmental challenges. From simple interactions like rummaging through lockers to being able to shoot a crossbow and couch behind cover or creating a trap, the studio is packing a lot more gameplay into this next release.

Another major feature is the procedurally generated layout, so each playthrough will see random positions for rooms, corridors, items and hazards keeping things interesting. That mechanic is used in titles such as Until You Fall and In Death, where each death makes you a little stronger so you can get a little further. Whether this is the same in Cosmophobia remains to be seen. Early screenshots and footage already make it look like a title horror fans will love.

Currently, Cosmophobia is slated to support Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, with a Steam listing allowing you to wishlist the videogame. A release date/window has yet to be specified at this early stage.

Check out the incredibly creepy looking first trailer below and for further updates from White Door Games on Cosmophobia  keep reading VRFocus.