Asymmetrical PvP games have been all the rage lately, with titles like Dead by Daylight, Deceit, Friday the 13th: The Game, and more recently, the upcoming Doom Eternal’s Battlemode. So many twists and turns have been added to these games, but upcoming title Hide or Die from VecFour Digital attempts to put a new spin on the genre.
With its roots coming from a heavily successful Kickstarter Project, Hide or Die is a horror multiplayer game that pits survivors versus hunters in a deadly game of hide and go seek. What Hide or Die does differently from its contemporaries is that it puts the asymmetrical PvP on a much larger scale, taking place in a 1.2 sq. KM map.
The game is set in the fictional Bale County, a place that was once calm and beautiful until the darkness corrupted it. Players will get to explore the aftermath and see how its remaining citizens have coped. Some joined cults and praised the darkness, while other went insane trying to figure out why it happened. The only survivors are those that found refuge in the bunkers. Bale County offers a lot of unique areas that will help players piece the story together, such as the crash site of Flight 26A-15, Hawksbill Mountain, and The Ritual Site.
Aside from being a PvP game, Hide or Die is also a survival game. For a survivor, there is not one strategy that will lead you to victory. You can either stay stealthy and remain out of the hunters’ sights, or take them head-on once you’re fully equipped from the loot you’ve found around Bale County. Exploring can lead survivors to offensive and defensive items that can help them survive, upgrade character perks, and even unlock options for a vast assortment of cosmetics.
One more mechanic in the game is the aforementioned Darkness, which can be collected by both Survivors and Hunters. The Darkness can be collected by finding extractors, performing puzzle-esque tasks, and for hunters: hunting down survivors and looting their dropped darkness. As for survivors, gain enough darkness and they will gain the ability to turn into a hunter, which can be used to deceive the remaining survivors. Similar to Hunt: Showdown’s Bounty system, the more Darkness you accrue, the larger the target is on your head.
For those who are interested in trying out the fresh horror PvP title, Hide or Die is currently available on Steam’s Early Access phase.