Maid of Sker is a new and extremely British horror game

News
By published

Based on some Sker-y Welsh folklore.

Bridgend-based developer Wales Interactive has announced a new and distinctly British first-person horror game.

Titled the Maid of Sker, Wales Interactive explains it is a “first-person stealth survival horror”, based on a slice of Welsh folklore surrounding the real-life Sker House, which is situated a few miles from the developer’s home-town. Originally built by Cistercian monks over 900 years ago, Sker House has long been associated with the paranormal, made famous by R.D. Blackmore’s novel, also titled The Maid of Sker.

Wales Interactive’s own exploration of the house’s history is based upon the “true story” of a woman named Elizabeth Williams. Set in 1898, players will assume the role of Thomas Evans, a musician who, according to Wales Interactive is “thrust into a terrifying battle to save the woman he loves.”

As for how The Maid of Sker will play, the emphasis will be on exploration and stealth. The developers are implementing a “3D sound-based AI system” that will be crucial to your survival. As is the case with most modern horror games, you won’t be wielding any weapons, but the developers state that you will be able to “trap” and “distract” whatever spooky apparitions are hunting you, so hopefully the game will be more involved than constantly looking for the nearest cupboard to hide in. Enemies will evolve as you progress, however, to the point where you’ll eventually have to hold your breath to avoid being noticed by them.

There’s a trailer below, which mostly shows off the game’s snazzy environment design. The Maid of Sker is currently aiming for launch in the latter half of 2019.

Rick Lane
Contributor

Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims.