Paul Raschid is an FMV game icon, working on some of my favourite games in the genre. He directed The Complex (2020) before writing and directing Five Dates (2020), The Gallery (2022), and Ten Dates (2023). A horror-thriller FMV game, The Run, is supposed to launch later this year. But Raschid has been busy: it turns out, he has another horror-thriller FMV game launching in 2025! Hello Stranger tells the story of a man trapped in his smart home by a masked stranger. He is forced to play three games to survive. Ultimately, all those life-and-death decisions add up to his fate and each is up to you. The game will be released for PC this May.
Here is a summary of Hello Stranger’s story, from Aviary Studios:
Cam conducts life exclusively from his smart home — work, shopping, entertainment and, most notably, socializing. Cam interacts with strangers on the Hello Stranger platform, a randomized video chatting application. Eventually, he encounters a masked stranger with an altered voice. Unnerved, Cam leaves the call only to find the stranger has hacked his smart home and locked him in. The Stranger tells Cam that he must win three rounds of games or it is ‘game over’. Viewers must make decisions and play the three games for Cam to survive, but one wrong move could lead to a grisly end.
The gameplay features choice-based mechanics and minigames. Ten unique endings are available, but you will only see the full picture after finding all of them. A Story Tree shows all possible narrative branches, unlocking as the player progresses.
There are two story modes. Cinema Modes functions with only a decision-making system (thank you, whoever made this decision) while Game Mode includes multiple gameplay systems. Two game modes are available: Timed Choices creates a pressured experience and Paused Choices is for group play or audience participation. I am always surprised when developers/publishers make a big deal about pausing choices as a multiplayer feature and neglect to mention that it is a wonderful accessibility feature — I cannot play games without the option anymore.
The cast of Hello Stranger includes George Blagden (Vikings), Danny Griffin (Fate: The Winx Saga), Christina Wolfe (FBI International), Kulvinder Ghir (Foundation), Laura Whitmore (Queenie), Yasmin Finney (Heartstopper) and Derek Jacobi (Gladiator).
Developed and published by Aviary Studios, Hello Stranger will be released for PC (Steam) in May.
Buy the hottest games with Amazon.
By purchasing from this link, you support DDNet.
Each sale earns us a small commission.
