A new game billed as an “interactive horror game show” allows Twitch viewers to directly control the player’s experience, altering the game on the fly in order to terrify the streamer with jump scares, impede their progress with additional progress and even throw in a few emotes for decoration.
I.C.U. is being created by a small team, including popular YouTuber Keenan “Criken” Mosimann, with it having already achieved over its $50,000 Kickstarter goal with weeks of its crowdfunding campaign still left to go. The demo for the game sees a streamer tasked with venturing to three different log cabins, which each trigger a level modifier including shrinking the player and blurring their vision. Viewers must vote on which modifier they wish to be activated, before the player is tasked with venturing back out into the world and trying to avoid the deadly monsters stalking them.
Viewers can also deploy “Trick events” throughout the game, which include pushing the player into enemies or “giving them a friendly slap up the bum.” Further planned Trick events include Arachnophobia, Bullet Time, Special Delivery and Loot Gremlin, with more set to be announced as development continues.
Players can also employ Reaction effects, which allow you to throw an emote in the game depending upon the situation, which will cause the game to alter accordingly.
It’s certainly a unique idea, and one that will likely prove to be popular among Twitch streamers, but the inherent issue the game faces is if it will appeal to those who don’t have a following on the streaming site. However, this game could also potentially be used by budding streamers to help build their following, so it will be interesting to see whether or not it takes off.
Check out gameplay footage from I.C.U. in the video below:
