Erin Reynold’s first-person biofeedback horror game, Nevermind, returned to Kickstarter earlier in October with a lower funding goal but bigger plans. Since their first unsuccessful Kickstarter, Reynolds and her team, Flying Mollusk, has partnered with Intel, who is assisting with production so long as the game supports the company’s Intel® RealSense™ camera. With Intel’s help, Flying Mollusk was able to create two more levels for Nevermind and increase the game’s quality; however, the team is seeking Kickstarter funding in order to bring the game to as many consoles and support as many biofeedback devices as possible.
Nevermind is designed to teach players how to deal with stress and anxiety. In the game, players take on the role of Neuroprobers, physicians who enter the minds of trauma victims in order to help bring peace to their patients; however, each patient’s subconscious considers them to be intruders and expose them to the same horrific visions. In meta fashion, players have to figure out how to deal with these threats in their own way. If you’re hooked up to a biofeedback device, Nevermind will know when you’re scared because it measures your heart rate variability, and the game will adjust its difficulty accordingly. By learning how to calm down, the game’s nightmarish scenarios become less overwhelming, leaving you clear to solve the game’s many abstract puzzles. As an aside, I listened to an episode of Sup, Holmes? in which host Jonathan Holmes asked Erin if keeping a photo of a kitten near your monitor would be considered cheating. She encouraged it along with finding the method that works best for each player.
Nevermind currently has 33 hours remaining and has only accumulated $53,332 of its $75,000 goal. It’s still possible for them to meet their goal, and it will most likely be by a razor-thin margin if they do. The good news is that even if Flying Mollusk doesn’t reach its goal, it’ll still continue to develop the game. If it receives full funding, however, Flying Mollusk will bring Nevermind not only to PC but also Xbox One, Oculus Rift, Mac and more. In the meantime, check out the Kickstarter page for Nevermind along with our interview with Erin Reynolds about biofeedback technology.
