A Look At ‘Amy’ – The PSN Exclusive Coming This Summer
Back in February, a new survival horror title exclusive to the PlayStation Network was announced. Since that announcement, we hadn’t heard nearly anything about the game – until now. We’ve finally gotten a grip on some gameplay, story, and character details that all set the tone for the new title from Flashback creator Paul Cuisset.
A mysterious virus has left the town of Silver City in shambles, and the only hope the town has lies in the hands of a young girl names Amy whose presence is the outbreak’s only cure. Taking the role of Amy’s protector, players will lead her out of Silver City, literally by the hand. Holding the R1 button will have you take hold of Amy, your task then becoming keeping her safe from harm. The gesture won’t be limited to just guiding her, either, as you’ll be able to feel her pulse through the use of the PS3’s Dual Shock rumble feature. As the danger increases, her heart rate humps, letting you know what’s around the corner. The game focuses on the use of stealth, or as Cuissel calls it “exfiltration,” to avoid any conflict with the numerous horrors rolling throughout the town, long enough to get Amy to a place where she is safe and secure.
In the game, Amy suffers from autism, and you take the role of Lana, a woman who must protect her from the monsters that appear throughout the town. In a recent interview with Edge, Cuisset speaks about Amy, explaining that, “Amy is verbally impaired but she’s not completely autistic … you discover in the story why she doesn’t want to speak.” He and his company have taken a huge risk in developing the game, as it starts two female protagonists who are unarmed and trying to escape a town full of monsters. In response to this, Cuisset says, “the story of Amy and Lana is very important to us, and it justifies the risk we’ve taken because I think it’s a good one.” He feels that, “most games look the same and tell more or less the same story” these days, and he feels better knowing he can take a game like this, that’s risky, and introduce it on a platform such as the PSN.
I have to say that I agree with Cuisset on his point. A lot of times, games tend to bleed together. It’s the same stories, with slightly different characters, all in the same situation, more or less. I am glad to see a game like Amy appear on the radar, because the survival horror genre needs to be reborn. As a fan of the Resident Evil series, I feel that it’s lost its touch, and it looks like Cuisset wants to take the genre back to its roots. Amy will release this summer on the PlayStation Network, and “eventually” for Xbox Live Arcade.
