In 2019, Invader Studios released a Resident-Evil-inspired horror game known as Daymare 1998, managing to attract a lot of attention for the game’s mix of creepy zombies, tense third-person shooter, and resource management. Today, Invader Studios revealed that a follow-up is on the way, with Daymare 1994: Sandcastle slated to debut next year on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
IGN revealed a teaser for the game’s announcement, while more details were provided via Steam, with both sources confirming that the game will come loaded with unsettling monsters to tackle. As the game’s title suggests, Daymare 1994: Sandcastle will be a prequel to the events of the first game, where players step into the shoes of Special Agent Dalila Reyes. The character works for a private military corporation known as HADES, which was first introduced during the events of Daymare 1998.
This time around, players will be tasked with entering the “most advanced experimental research facility in the United States of America,” with Invader Studios joking that the laboratory full of the undead will house many terrifying entities for the player to fight. Several characters from the first game will reportedly return in the prequel, and the Steam page will hint that Daymare 1994 will offer insight into their origins and how they came to play a role in the 1998 Daymare story.
While it looks like Resident-Evil-style combat and resource management will return for monitoring, the Steam page shows a few additions, including an interface revamp, a scanner to help with puzzles, and the ability to use liquid nitrogen. like a weapon. Invader Studios even teases that it will implement a new mechanic to keep players on their toes, and that enemies killed by the player can return in more powerful forms once they have been downed. The page doesn’t explain too much about the feature, but it looks like it will add an extra layer of challenge to backtracking.
As for the trailer for the announcement itself, it confirms that the game will continue to deliver the gloomy atmosphere of the original. The footage focuses on a mysterious orb emerging from the body of a dead zombie, with the object floating through the game’s dilapidated research facilities. As he travels, he draws electricity from the laboratory’s various cables, panels, and lights, eventually passing Dalila Reyes as he powers up his HADES gear and begins to follow him.
The trailer’s climax sees Reyes come face to face with a new race of the undead, as a giant mass of flesh and tentacles clings to a normal zombie, sending electricity through him. The prequel already appears to be an intriguing continuation of the original game and one to watch in the coming months.
Daymare 1994: Sandcastle is scheduled to release in 2022 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Sources: IGN, Steam, Invader Studios
