Belladonna to be animated soon in dark gothic mystery for PC

Written by Jack Allin — February 8, 2015 at 16:10

It's been nearly 200 years since Mary Shelley brought Frankenstein to life, but two centuries later her creation is still raising ethical questions about humanity and inspiring artists to explore them, such as Niklas Hallin in his upcoming point-and-click adventure, Belladonna.

When the titular Belladonna and her husband, doctor Wolfram von Trauerschloss, are left grieving the loss of their young child, the doctor "launches into a dark obsession, devoting his life to the quest of conquering death. The madness spreads and Belladonna is soon dragged into the despair, but the tale takes surprising turns as the dead are brought back to life and the living are not to be trusted." The game casts players in the role of a "corpse girl rising from the dead in an abandoned laboratory" who must now "unravel the mysteries concerning [her] own death and reanimation."

Described as a "mystery point-and-click adventure in classic style", Belladonna itself has been brought to life by just one man, indie Swedish developer Niklas Hallin. This "twisted and dark" gothic adventure is not a Hollywood-style horror game, but rather an eerie exploration of the "place beyond life and death [that] puts you into the mind of the unliving creatures and their worldviews." Progressing through the story will involve reading some "longer texts which are inspired in style by Mary Shelley's novel" and grappling with themes such as the role of villains and heroes and moral value systems.

While there is currently no firm launch date scheduled yet for Belladonna, the best news of all is that after two years of development, the game is now complete. To learn more while you wait, drop by the game's official website, and to help hasten its release you can vote for the game on Steam Greenlight.