Black Mirror (no, not the hit Netflix series about technology and the modern world) will be making its return to video games through a “modern re-imagining,” according to the Black Mirror official website.
Black Mirror was originally released as a trilogy, going through several different developers and publishers before landing in the hands of THQ Nordic, who will be developing the new Black Mirror. Black Mirror, Black Mirror II and Black Mirror III were released 2003, 2009 and 2011 respectively, and had a package deal (named Black Mirror Complete Collection) come out in 2014. It’s been three years since the Complete Collection came out, and another six years from when the last Black Mirror game was released.
The newest Black Mirror game will submerge the player in a world of madness and chaos when David Gordon, the main character, is asked to return to the Black Mirror castle after his father kills himself. There, David must discover the horrors of his family and solve why he himself is experiencing terrifying nightmares that could possibly also drive him to the brink of insanity.
Throughout the game, players will be able to investigate and look closely at objects (and various nightmarish apparitions) to move closer to the truth, similar to the point-and-click aspect of the previous Black Mirror Games. Also, Black Mirror’s gothic horror aesthetic is inspired by the great writers Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, who are well-known in the horror fiction genre.
The Black Mirror franchise has had anywhere from negative to mixed to positive reviews throughout its lifetime, with Black Mirror III getting the most positive reviews. The first Black Mirror game, released in 2003, received a score of 58 on Metacritic; Black Mirror II received a score of 71, and Black Mirror III received a score of 75. The trilogy was only released for PC, while the upcoming Black Mirror will be released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC according to the official Black Mirror website.
A review from Adventure Gamers on the first Black Mirror game, Black Mirror, gave it a score of 60.
“It’s a murder mystery with a twist everyone will see coming from a mile away, and the puzzles and slowness don’t do it any service. This could have been a classic,” it says in the review. The full review from Adventure Gamers on Black Mirror can be found here.
A review from Multiplayer.it on Black Mirror II gave the game a score of 70.
“With too much suggestion to solve the enigma and a narration not so evocative, Black Mirror 2 tells a story without rhythm and rubs out the challenge,” it says in the review (translated by Metacritic). The full review from Multiplayer.it on Black Mirror II can be found here.
A review from GRYOnline.pl on Black Mirror III gave the game a score of 80.
“Black Mirror III, despite grim predictions of being a repetitive game and a failure, turned out to be a really good product. The next installment of the series does a good job of continuing the tale of Gordon family’s curse, explains most of the ambiguities and probably ends the whole story,” it says in the review (translated by Metacritic). The full review from GRYOnline.pl on Black Mirror III can be found here.
The concept of Black Mirror is incredibly interesting, and as THQ Nordic said, this upcoming game will be the “modern re-imagining” of the gothic horror trilogy, which saw its last release six years ago. As shown in the announcement trailer on THQ Nordic’s official YouTube channel, players will truly be emerged in David’s worst nightmares (yes, multiple nightmares).
Featured image via the Black Mirror official website’s media gallery.
