Death Relives: Everything We Know

Nyctophile Studios has officially removed the veil on its latest project—a psychological survival-horror game that will look to blend Aztec mythology with traditional hide-and-seek storytelling. The game, which is now known as Death Relives, is currently set to launch across all major platforms as early as Q1 2024.

So, what more do you need to know about the upcoming Aztec horror? Well, here’s what we’ve been able to gather on the subject since first catching wind of it earlier this week. Care to hear the whole story? If so, then let’s dive right in.

What Is Death Relives?

To cut to the chase, Death Relives is a first-person survival-horror game in which players must endure the horrors of an Aztec nightmare. Playing as Adrian, a teenage stowaway, you must follow the breadcrumb trail of a mystery pertaining to your long-lost mother. Surprise surprise, not everything will be as it seems; there’s an Aztec god on your doorstep, and it’ll be following your every move as you work to unravel the horrors that loom within the grounds of its former home.

In the words of its creators, “Death Relives is a first-person survival horror game developed by a team that loves mythology and horror. Run, hide, and survive. That's all you can do, but it won't be easy while an Aztec god like Xipe Totec is after you.”

From the sounds of it, Death Relives will take a couple of pages out of Amnesia’s book. And not just Amnesia, but also the likes of Visage and Layers of Fear, too. Safe to say that anyone with an undying love for psychological horror will get a kick out of this one.

Story

Death Relives revolves around a teenage boy named Adrian—a grad student who accidentally slips into an Aztec nightmare in an attempt to make sense of his mother’s questionable disappearance. Immersed in an old mansion, Adrian is sent out to face a relentless foe who idles in the shadows. That foe, however, is none other than Xipe Totec, an Aztec god. Oh goodie.

“Adrian was an ordinary teenager getting ready to celebrate his graduation, until he decided to follow up on what had happened to his mother,” reads the description. “Xipe Totec is a mighty Aztec god who just wants sacrifices for his grace, and Adrian is about to discover something disturbing about his mother's death.” Color us intrigued.

Gameplay

From the looks of the footage that has been teased to date (and also taking into account the demo that released last year), Death Relives will adopt a traditional survival-horror gameplay style. In other words, it’ll feature a mixture of puzzle-solving, hide-and-seek, and lore-building—a golden trio of nodes that have been around for several decades, and have contributed to some of the most successful survival-horror IPs of all time.

According to the devs, Death Relives will have a “unique villain AI design”—a feature that will force players to make complex decisions while working to overcome puzzles and other environmental issues. Think Amnesia: The Dark Descent — but with a constant presence lurking over your shoulder, and you’ll have an idea.

“He's right behind you on every step you take,” the description elaborates. “You should stay hidden and evade him during the whole journey, while solving the puzzles along the way. You have no super powers, but only bare equipment.” No pressure there, then.

It’s a survival-horror game, so don’t expect any wall-to-wall combat with epic gunfights, basically. True to its format, you’ll need to seek alternative ways to fight through the dangers of the mansion and its many, many puzzles. It’s hide-and-seek 101 — so expect to spend a great deal of time on the run.

Development

In case you missed it, Death Relives actually received a short demo back in November 2022. It was said at the time of its release that the game would be shaping up for a full launch on next-gen consoles and PC at some point in “early 2024.” As for whether it’ll launch on ex-gen consoles or not has yet to be confirmed.

“Different than classic horror games in the market, we've wanted to increase the overall tension during gameplay, and designed a unique villain AI which is planned to pursue the player during whole gameplay,” the developer explained in a press release. “Meanwhile, player is supposed to solve puzzles and stay hidden from AI. Player doesn't have any super-powers or similar characteristics, so we thought this may make the overall gameplay more realistic and tense.”

Trailer

Thanks to the likes of PlayStation and Steam, we now have access to even more gameplay footage. Need we say more? You can catch a glimpse of Death Relives in the virtual flesh in the trailer embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Death Relives is currently scheduled to go live on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam at some point in Q1 2024. Can’t wait that long? Don’t sweat it — you can get ahold of a twenty-minute demo on all major platforms today.

Edition-wise, the studio has only announced the one, which is the standard digital copy for consoles and PC. Is this likely to change ahead of its release? Who knows? If the devs do decide to announce anything further on the matter, then chances are it’ll be posted over on its site here.

Interested in keeping up to date with Death Relives? If so, don’t forget to check in with the studio’s official social handle for all the latest pre-launch updates here. If we happen to catch anything even the slightest big newsworthy ahead of its debut, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Death Relives when it arrives on consoles and PC next year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.