Ad Infinitum: How Its Nightmarish Monsters Were Dreamed Up
When reality is a nightmare, nightmares become real.
You wake up in your bedroom, unchanged from your teenage years, in a run-down and deserted manor house. Suddenly and inexplicably, you are transported to the trenches where the horrors of war are overshadowed by vile and even more terrifying creatures. Unable to distinguish between reality and nightmare, you must fight to regain control of your life’s narrative.
Will the nightmare of the war ever end? Will you find inner peace one day? In Ad Infinitum, you play as a German soldier haunted by the horrors of the Great War. While your mind grapples with memories of your family home and the trenches on the front, you try to break the endless cycle of suffering.
Get ready for Ad Infinitum – available on Xbox Series X|S on September 14.
Who Is the Real Monster?
When players first encounter the necrophagous blind horrors that crawl through the muddy trenches, they might consider the question of “who is the real monster?” easily answered. However, in Ad Infinitum, each monster is born from the chaos of war.
To give birth to Ad Infinitum‘s monstrous creatures, we delved into several extensive phases: their inspirations, their meaning, but also how they will impact the player in terms of gameplay. Finally, our team enlisted the support of the immensely talented Luke Starkie to design the final look of our monsters, while the detailed textures of these creatures were meticulously painted by our skilled in-house character artist.
These very organic horrors also needed a “voice” – which we created by making some… fun recordings and a lot of soundbending techniques. Distorted screams, cries and even more – but this would be a story for another time.
Ad Infinitum’s monsters are split into two categories : the lesser horrors and the greater horrors. Each with their own use in the gameplay, and their own signification.
Lesser Horrors
Lesser horrors can be found in the trenches or surrounding them – they are each associated with a Great Horror and each symbolize the horrors that war impose on humanity: rage, hunger or mayhem.
Beyond the presence of terrifying monsters lurking within the game, each horror introduces a distinct set of behaviors that profoundly influence the gameplay and present the player with unique puzzles to solve in order to progress through the game. The lesser horrors actually highlight three of the most important elements of stress in a psychological horror game: the things you hear, the things you don’t see, and the things that are constantly chasing you.
The Hunger
Early sketches of the monster Hunger sensing with its hands.
Weakened and afflicted by war, these cadaverous humanoid creatures eat everything they find left in the trenches, mostly corpses. Though sightless, these creatures possess palms with sensitive ears, serving as incredible tools to detect any potential sources of food in their surroundings. Like the frontline itself, it eats through everything in its path.
Rage
Early sketches of the monster Rage.
This mass of burnt flesh & bodies fused together is blinded with rage. It rushes toward anything that stands in its way, including the poor player that might be in the wrong place.
The Mayhem
The Mayhem hides in the dark.
These seemingly disfigured human bodies, equipped with prostheses, are deadly creations forged from madness, as these cadavers of fallen soldiers have been ingeniously restored for active duty in warfare. Ashamed of their own form, these creatures only move in complete darkness; creeping towards the player.
Greater Horrors
The Greater Horrors represent the worst of human’s nature, risen by war: Despair, Corruption & Pain. Such are also the names of the chapters which will drive the player through Ad Infinitum.
Despair
The Horror of Despair trying to reach out for the player.
Despair – like the night, you return again.
You leave me with naught: neither hair nor flesh.
Not even the courage to put an end to this pain.
J. v. S.
The player will meet Despair, bent over an empty crib. This eerie monster shrouded in mystery is visible in the mist as a solitary silhouette. Her heart, broken by war as she was left alone in the ruins of her former domain. This domain is the flooded rest of what seems to be a church.
This greater horror is also inspired by the Mater Dolorosa, the representation of the weeping Maria, suffering from the loss of her only son. Yet she also embodies the untamed fury born from grief, erupting into wild psychotic outbursts when faced with the unbearable reality of mourning… but also the weaknesses of man in times of war, looking for comfort instead of standing tall.
Corruption
The Horror of Corruption sitting in his throne.
Corruption, you descend like an easterly wind
A promise of home and hero’s death.
But then you feast, and all life ends.
J. v. S.
Corruption is an empty metallic silhouette filled with human rotten remains and kept alive by pure greed. It resides in a huge mazey factory east of the trenches. It represents the corruption of men profiting from the war. From its throne, it controls what comes and goes from its factory.
It also represents the contradiction of the man who supports the war but does not fight on the front. Slow and steady, the Titan of Corruption is a merciless creature ready to do everything to stop the player from achieving its goal.
Pain
The Horror of Pain, getting out of its cage
Pain – born of darkness and night.
Made flesh, desecrated, defeated.
Undying, we live on in eternal plight.
J. v. S.
Battered and confined by war, this once majestic winged creature now has endured constant pain. The torment inflicted upon its body, has shrouded its judgment, transforming the once glorious creature into a maddened force directed solely towards those accountable for its plight.
Dwelling within a surreal cage filled with barbed wire, it finds itself locked in a perpetual struggle between the yearning for release and the thirst for revenge. It represents the pain of all the soldiers in the front, suffering from starvation, psychological traumatisms and physical pain.
These terrifying creatures will shape the player’s path in Ad Infinitum, each playing a unique role in the player’s harrowing journey to escape from the clutches of his nightmares. However – it will be up to the player to decide what to do with these monsters…
Ad Infinitum – Nightmare Edition Pre-order
Nacon
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$49.99
$44.99
Pre-order
Preorder Ad Infinitum and play the game 48 hours before its official release. Pre-order now and enjoy 10% off !
Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Ad Infinitum with the Nightmare Edition, which contains:
The full game
The official soundtrack
The official artbook
Trapped between the walls of your family home and the trenches of World War I, you try to piece together your past and take back control of your life.
BREAK THE CYCLE
Will the nightmare of the war ever end? Will you find inner peace one day? In Ad Infinitum, you play as a German soldier haunted by the horrors of the Great War. While your mind grapples with memories of your family home and the trenches on the front, you try to break the endless cycle of suffering.
BETWEEN A DREAM AND REALITY
You wake up in your bedroom, unchanged from your teenage years, in a run-down and deserted manor house. Suddenly and inexplicably, you are transported to the trenches where the horrors of war are overshadowed by vile and even more terrifying creatures. Unable to distinguish between reality and nightmare, you must fight to regain control of your life's narrative.
NIGHTMARES THAT BECOME REAL
Unspeakable nightmares come to life in the recesses of your mind. To escape the death traps and terrifying creatures, you must understand the source and motivation of each monster and solve the puzzles that stand in your way. From blind demons who can hear your softest footsteps to hideous disjointed puppets who move in the dark, horror is around every corner.
A FAMILY TORN APART
The fallout of the war is felt far from the front. Peel back the shroud that hides the secrets of your family, torn apart by the Great War, and try to remember your past. Through exploration and by solving riddles and puzzles between the walls of your home and the barbed wire of No Man’s Land, you ultimately reveal a chapter in the story of a German family torn apart by war.
Ad Infinitum
Nacon
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$39.99
$35.99
Pre-order
Pre-order now and enjoy 10% off !
Trapped between the walls of your family home and the trenches of World War I, you try to piece together your past and take back control of your life.
BREAK THE CYCLE
Will the nightmare of the war ever end? Will you find inner peace one day? In Ad Infinitum, you play as a German soldier haunted by the horrors of the Great War. While your mind grapples with memories of your family home and the trenches on the front, you try to break the endless cycle of suffering.
BETWEEN A DREAM AND REALITY
You wake up in your bedroom, unchanged from your teenage years, in a run-down and deserted manor house. Suddenly and inexplicably, you are transported to the trenches where the horrors of war are overshadowed by vile and even more terrifying creatures. Unable to distinguish between reality and nightmare, you must fight to regain control of your life's narrative.
NIGHTMARES THAT BECOME REAL
Unspeakable nightmares come to life in the recesses of your mind. To escape the death traps and terrifying creatures, you must understand the source and motivation of each monster and solve the puzzles that stand in your way. From blind demons who can hear your softest footsteps to hideous disjointed puppets who move in the dark, horror is around every corner.
A FAMILY TORN APART
The fallout of the war is felt far from the front. Peel back the shroud that hides the secrets of your family, torn apart by the Great War, and try to remember your past. Through exploration and by solving riddles and puzzles between the walls of your home and the barbed wire of No Man’s Land, you ultimately reveal a chapter in the story of a German family torn apart by war.
Related:
Keyboard Button Mapping for Xbox Controllers
Stream from Xbox to your Discord friends
Play Through the History of Kemco Games with the Kemco: 50 RPGs Celebratory Bundle
