Planned Release Date: 2027

About This Game

"The abyss never frightened me... but its silence did.
 Hannah? Why am I here again?
 I feel the weight... every lapse in memory cuts like a blade.
 I know something terrible tore us apart... and I am back. 
 This time... History must be different.
 I must find you... before the silence claims you. 
 Before... I lose your note."

Logic is your final defense against oblivion.

In Before the Silence Claims: In Absentia, horror does not manifest in sudden scares, but in the persistent erosion of reality. You embody Anton Bormann, an elderly scientist in his decaying home in 1984 East Berlin. Through Ecmnesia—a cognitive failure that fuses present and past—Anton is transported back to the grey, somber Eisenschall of 1930.

In an era of historical and moral shadows, you must navigate a world reconstructed by guilt, where rationality is confronted by that which science cannot explain.

Horror in the Rhythm of Silence

Prepare for a slow-burn experience. In In Absentia, tension is built through meticulous observation and acute listening. There is no frantic action; only the weight of every step in a city that seems to remember its sins before you do.

The Anatomy of Fear:

• Absolute Diegetic Immersion: No HUD or UI elements. Your thoughts integrate into the environment; your senses reveal your condition; your radio is a physical object requiring precise, tactile manipulation.

• The Crystal Radio & Strategic Defense: The threat is invisible, manifesting only through interference and sonic distortions. Use your radio to tune into frequencies of the past and utilize Electromagnetic Pulses (EMP) as a last defensive resort. Managing time and silence is vital; panic is your greatest enemy.

• The Corruption of the Record (Save System): In a game about the fragility of memory, saving your progress has consequences. Each of Anton’s unique "records" causes permanent, visible degradation to the structure of Eisenschall. The harder you try to cling to the past, the more the world around you unravels.

• Binaural Audio & Noir Sound Design: Sound is the protagonist. Use headphones to pinpoint distant dialogues, hidden mechanisms, and presences that evade your field of vision. Silence is never empty.

• Expressionist Aesthetics: An art direction inspired by Film Noir and German Expressionism, where the contrast between light and shadow narrates the internal struggle of a man unable to emotionally connect with his own trauma.

What to Expect on This Journey:

• A Descent, Not a Race: In Absentia is a slow-burn experience. If you seek frantic action or reflex-based scares, this is not your place. Here, danger is a distortion in the radio frequency, a shadow that moves when you blink, and the unbearable weight of silence that lingers long after you set down the controller.

• The Horror of Omission: Prepare to face not only what lies in the shadows, but what you chose not to see. The antagonists you will encounter—The Agent, The Researcher, The Operator, The Composer, and his Valkyries—are not mere obstacles; they are the judgment of a life dedicated to science at the expense of humanity.

• A Conclusion Without Clean Victories: Much like the myth of Orpheus or the riddle of the Sphinx, Anton Bormann’s journey offers no easy redemption. The outcome of your story will depend on your ability to observe, to tune into the pain of others, and finally, to face a riddle that tests not your logic, but your soul.

• The Silence Claims Us All: There are no happy endings in Eisenschall, only multiple human ones. Are you ready to discover what remains when the note finally goes silent?

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

This game utilizes generative AI as an assistance tool for localization and text refinement. All translations for the various supported languages were generated or reviewed with the help of AI to ensure contextual accuracy and narrative sensitivity, while maintaining the developer's original artistic vision. The narrative structure, sound design, and art were entirely created and directed by humans.

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

Before the Silence Claims: In Absentia is a psychological horror experience that explores deep themes of grief, trauma, and the fragility of memory. The game contains depictions of corpses and injuries related to industrial accidents and historical events from 1930. While it does not focus on gratuitous graphic violence, the atmosphere is one of constant anguish and emotional tension. There are implicit references to tobacco and alcohol consumption as elements of setting and character composition, as well as descriptions of traumatic losses that may be sensitive to some players.