Everything is out to get you in The Axis Unseen, and it's terrifyingly tense
Skyrim, but heavy metal horror. That’s how (mostly) solo developer Nate Purkeypile has been pitching The Axis Unseen. And after spending a couple of hours in its Steam Next Fest demo exploring a vast, creepy forest dotted with gargantuan skeletons, while also being hunted down by packs of Werewolves to intense guitar riffs, I can confirm that The Axis Unseen ticks the Skyrim, heavy metal, and horror boxes with ease.
The Axis UnseenDeveloper: Just Purkey GamesPublisher: Just Purkey GamesRelease: 22nd October 2024Download the demo on: Steam
Skyrim’s inspiration is immediately obvious when you’re first thrust into this mystical open-world, with a trusty bow in hand and the promise of magical powers to come. These similarities perhaps aren’t surprising when you learn that Purkeypile is also an ex-Bethesda developer who has worked on the Fallout series, Starfield, and Skyrim itself. While this can make the game look like an ambitious mod for Skyrim at first glance, it doesn’t take long for The Axis Unseen’s Next Fest demo to unleash its unique folklore-based cosmic horror on you – to terrifying effect.
The Axis Unseen – Demo Launch and Release Date Trailer Watch on YouTube
If you could distil ‘tense’ into a game, you’d get The Axis Unseen. In theory, you’re the hunter, but in practice, I’m screaming as a towering Bigfoot suddenly emerges from the horizon, and hiding between rocky crevices until a Tree Golem finally takes its unbearably slow footsteps elsewhere – begging the wind direction doesn’t change so my smell isn’t wafted towards another eldritch horror. Instead of breezily killing packs of Werewolves to collect energy and level-up, you might have to sneak around to soften the sound of your footsteps, lining up the perfect shot to conserve limited arrow supplies (that only return to your quiver with a satisfying when you’re close enough to where they landed). Or, you might decide to leave the pack and their energy behind, to conserve your short supply of health items. When simply walking might alert a monster, every second of exploration is calculated.
