Sam Barlow, the creative mind behind acclaimed narrative games Immortality and Her Story, has unveiled his latest project: Precognition. Developed by Barlow's studio Half Mermaid Productions, the upcoming sci-fi horror game features writing contributions from filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg, director of titles like Antiviral and Infinity Pool.
Precognition centers on Diana, a child prodigy with a photographic memory who is participating in a 1990s experiment aimed at enhancing memory function. The experiment's unintended side effect is the emergence of precognitive abilities, allowing patients to experience memories from the future. Diana is unique in her capacity to retain these visions, which she can then actively choose between to influence and construct various potential timelines. Barlow has drawn parallels between this mechanic and Christopher Nolan's film Memento, where the protagonist uses notes and tattoos to keep track of his past.
Barlow described the game's core concept during a recent Q&A session. "We wanted to tell this story that is living in that sort of, 'five minutes in the future' kind of science fiction horror. That kind of science fiction horror that is about really terrible things that are just around the corner, and all of the things that are scary and broken in our current world," he explained.
The choice to set the game in the 1990s was a deliberate one, according to Barlow. This grounding allows the narrative to explore future possibilities without becoming overly preoccupied with futuristic aesthetics or technology. "It's much more about what can you do to change your own life, and what things would happen if you had precognition. But also because there was something about that sort of 90s last millennium sci-fi horror that I think had a particular flavour to it," Barlow stated, referencing the visual and thematic styles of films like Strange Days.
Initially conceived as a less ambitious project following the intricate development of Immortality, Precognition evolved into a complex undertaking. Barlow likened the player's freedom in navigating the game's branching narratives to the open-ended exploration found in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Interestingly, the foundational idea for Precognition stemmed from Barlow's long-held fascination with the Metroid series. He revealed that an early concept involved a "daydreaming about making an FMV Metroid game." While the concept never materialized with Nintendo, Barlow developed a darker narrative structure that departed significantly from the company's typical offerings. Inspirations for the game also include the works of Philip K. Dick and the thematic explorations of time loops seen in Groundhog Day, with a particular interest in stories where seemingly free choices ultimately lead to an unavoidable, often somber, conclusion.
Brandon Cronenberg elaborated on his role, stating, "I'm the filmmaker outsider who was brought in kind of for fun to collaborate on the writing. So I was involved with Sam and his team on the story, and I wrote some of the scenes." He felt his own interest in character-driven horror aligned well with the game's premise.
Precognition is slated for release in Spring 2028. Barlow's previous title, Immortality, was noted for its ambitious exploration of art, storytelling, and film, though it was also described as not quite managing to hold all of its thematic elements together cohesively.