SPACE WITHIN

Fight for survival in a psychological first-person adventure where you and your spirit animal traverse haunting, atmospheric landscapes to recover lost memories and confront the horrors lurking within your fractured mind.

Quote from E1M1 Magazine:

Not every indie FPS in development wants to be all about rocket jumps, key-hunting and making oodles of pop culture references. Taking inspiration from titles like Bioshock and Layers of Fear, Space Within by Binary Fantasies is hoping to focus on heavy and relatable topics. Action and storytelling are equally as important as one another in this psychological thriller, and we are most certainly stoked for this one.

The setting is none other than a mentally ill protagonist called Jack. He’s incarcerated in a mental hospital and has many personal demons to face, known as “the Sickness”. There’s a flicker of hope in the form of a spirit animal, who will guide him through the dark recesses of his mind -- an atmospheric combination of both surreal and realistic locales that look chilling and mesmerizing in equal measure.

Weapons in Space Within are inspired by the protagonist’s favourite video game, “Out Into Space”. A strong, heroic role model is just what Jack needs to fight back, after all, and because he’s relied on games as a means of escapism from his woes, it’s only understandable why he’s packing such guns. Various mechanics in the game may seem mundane when compared to any other FPS, but here, they also serve as symbolic metaphors for overcoming anxiety and facing one’s deep-rooted trauma.

Let’s take an example to go by, dearest reader. The developer said that some enemies that will be encountered in this one will be invisible, and you’ll need to expose them with a flashlight before you are able to finally blast them. This is said to represent self-reflection on the many sources of pain and torment that are yet to be identified and accepted by the protagonist. Nothing is set to be as simple as just blasting baddies and rushing to the goal, and it’s refreshing to hear that.

With the goal set for a release in 2023, the best way to keep on tabs with this intriguing and highly ambitious shooter in the works is to follow the official Twitter account (@FantasiesBinary) and to check out the developer’s website (binaryfantasies.com) for incoming updates, lore, and other nifty nuggets of information. A fundraiser is also planned for this one some time in the future, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled and have your wallets ready for when it finally goes live. I have a feeling that this is going to be a title quite unlike any other.