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HitFlesh takes you back to a classic MMO’s haunted fan serverSomething spooky is going on in Asgarath
Something spooky is going on in Asgarath
HitFlesh is “a single-player narrative game about a weird and old MMORPG which was put back online,” say developers Virtual Archaeologist. “Explore and discover the uncanny legend that this game has inside.”
It certainly smells of MMO nostalgia down here in the first half of its trailer—that vaguely fantasy soundtrack tune and font. Characters standing around with neon names all wearing the same blue starter tunic. Even if you never played oldRuneScape, this is probably what it looks like in your mind.
Hitflesh! - THE CLASSIC MMO RETURNS (Trailer)Watch on YouTube
Hitflesh! - THE CLASSIC MMO RETURNS (Trailer)
Beyond all that, HitFlesh has some MMO horrors of the less supernatural kind. They say that it’s “a history about violent broken masculinities in online communities”, including a content warning for mentions of harassment, bullying, and sexual violence. One oftheir recent screenshotspaints a pretty familiar picture in the fictional game’s global chat box. It seems that HitFlesh’s haunted present may be tied up in some of its less savory past.
That’s not for nothing, or for shock-value, I don’t get the impression. “We believe videogames and other forms of fiction are necessary to explore cultural and political imaginaries and can participate in the dismantling of naturalized toxic behaviors and structures,” the developers say. I’m genuinely interested in how and what they have to say about the online spaces I remember from my teen years.
You can find HitFlesh overon Itch, where the developers say there will be a demo coming soon.
