Vertpaint CEO Promises A Fresh Take On First Person Horror With Ritual Tides
Vertpaint, an independent studio made from game dev veterans, has shared a proper look at its first self-produced horror game, Ritual Tides. It’s currently set for a PC release later in 2025, with availability on consoles following soon after.
The small British studio relies on H.P. Lovecraft and renowned older first person horror games, such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent, as sources of inspiration in a recently released company video on YouTube.
“It is a fresh take on first person horror,” said Vertpaint CEO James Macleod in the video. “We’re wanting the player to have a lot of agency; where they go, when they go there, that’s important to us,” he added.
“Not only do we source all of our own scan data, every inch of the game has been pored over and handcrafted to hit these really high standards that we’ve set for ourselves.”
Giving Players A Taste Of Horror
Players will get the chance to explore a fictional island that’s entirely overrun and inhabited by a scary cult called the Fallow Parish, using immersive game mechanics often performed in stressful situations.
Examples given include ledge climbing that requires the use of a controller trigger for each hand, and the need to cross narrow wooden beams by balancing using one thumbstick while the other moves the player.
Commenting on the game’s initial reveal in November 2024, Macleod said the response had been incredible.
“It’s also been described as Silent Hill meets rural British setting,” he said.
Doing Things On Their Own Terms
Vertpaint was founded in 2019 in the UK, and features people with years of industry experience from other studios, including Ubisoft, TT Games and Rockstar.
Vertpaint started off by providing game dev services, such as concept art, production and programming. Previous clients include Crytek and Digital Extremes.