Built using Unreal Engine 4, Red Awakening is a surreal blend of neon drenched environments, satirical storytelling, first-person dynamic stealth, parkour style movement, drug induced power-ups, ultra-violent gameplay and an unnerving “Carpenter-esque” synth soundtrack by acclaimed composer Ryan Ike (Gunpoint) and featuring the popular EDM artist SirensCeol (Monstercat). This visceral package is all wrapped up in Domino Effect’s distinctive cell-shaded graphical style.  

The game focuses on horror, stealth and subterfuge, rather than the familiar first-person run-and-gun approach. Red Awakening draws stylistic inspiration from the slasher movies of John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper and Dario Argento, whilst its gameplay is influenced by the likes of the original Thief, Manhunt, TimeSplitters 2 and Condemned: Criminal Origins, but with the objective team-based gameplay of Counter-Strike.

Domino Effect has launched a kickstarter campaign, looking for $148,868, to finish development of Red Awakening.

Set during the aftermath of the Vietnam War in the mid-1970s, Red Awakening depicts a United States in turmoil. The youth are out of control, with once peaceful student protests devolving into violent street riots. Fearing a civil war with the youth of America and the ever-increasing threat of communism, the powers-that-be covertly fund a clandestine CIA mind control program. Codenamed: “Red Awakening”, this program is designed to solve all of America’s problems at once.

Violent young offenders and captured Soviet agents from across the country are sentenced to public executions, and then flown by night to secret facilities across the globe. There, they are conditioned and then placed into teams best representing their country of origin, be that from the East or the West. These unwilling participiants are then taken to a Red Awakening test facility, given an objective and set against each other, with the aim of training them to become the perfect, invisible killers required to strike at the heart of America's enemies. 

Who will last the longest?

Rob Peall, Game Director, Domino Effect, said: “The Interrogation video has been a real labour of love for Domino Effect and we feel that it perfectly captures the anarchic spirit of the game as well as a bloody nod to our slasher horror movie inspirations. So far the development of Red Awakening has been entirely self-funded, but we’re now turning to Kickstarter for the necessary support to help us complete the final stages of development.”