Hello everyone,
Below we provide more information about the Silenus demo that will be available from Monday, May 20th until sometime in June.
Why is the demo called an "Umbilical Pre-Release" demo?
While Silenus itself is an independent project, the demo is a customized standalone experience made in collaboration with the Baton Rouge doom metal band Thou. Thou composed material for our 2022 release NORCO and we decided to extend this collaboration to help draw attention to their upcoming album release Umbilical.
In the Umbilical pre-release demo, you can unlock all tracks from the album and listen to them in a music player available from the start menu or pause screen.
Since the primary purpose of the demo is to elevate and promote the album, we used systems and environments we've been working on, and added some narrative dressing as a medium for collecting songs. Much of this was custom-made for the demo and will be replaced. More on this below.
How long will the demo be available?
Thou's Umbilical comes out on May 31st. We will likely keep the demo up for 2 - 3 weeks following this release.
Is the demo compatible with Mac?
Yes. We've tested the game on a Mid 2015 Macbook Pro running macOs Monterrey 12.7.3 and confirmed that it works.
Does the demo support gamepads?
Yes. We targeted and tested with an Xbox 360 controller, and can confirm that everything works as intended. However, the prompt displays for the game default to this device schema regardless of which gamepad is being used. We hope to get more device displays implemented in a future update.
Does the demo run on Steam Deck?
Unfortunately, we don't have access to a Steam Deck to test, but as soon as we get feedback from players, we'll update this response.
UPDATE: We just got word from a player that it runs well on Steam Deck.
When is the final release?
We're not sure yet, but are hoping we can get it complete by the end of 2024.
Will the final release be similar to the Umbilical pre-release demo?
The demo is pre-alpha and a lot is likely to change between now and release. Many elements of the demo were designed with the Umbilical listening feature in mind. These will likely be removed or reworked. Some narrative details will remain the same while others will change.
Edit: we removed the line, "However, the overall themes, aesthetics, and gameplay will be largely the same" as this may be misleading. While the environments and most characters introduced will likely remain, the dance mechanic may be used differently, and we intend to broaden some features that are only used in passing, such as the desktop computer. Environments external to the refinery may also be introduced, and thematic elements that are only mentioned in passing are likely to play a much more central role, while others may be removed entirely.
We'll be sure to post development progress so players can get more insight into how the game is evolving.
How long will the final release be?
We consider this project to be a "short" or "micro" adventure. Overall playtime will likely be around two to two and half hours.
That's all for now. Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Thank you!
Geography of Robots