A weird sci-fi thriller starring Stellan Skarsgård? That takes place in a hotel on the moon? From the makers of SOMA? Yeah, I'm in
A computer hooked up to a wall of mice is talking to you. A woman is clawing at a gaping hole in her neck. Just the upper half of a man's head is plugged into a bunch of cables but he is still, somehow, alive.
And an elegantly dressed man with the iconic, gravelly voice of Stellan Skarsgård is asking you about the meaning of existence while standing in the lobby of a hotel on the moon.
That's a few tantalizing hooks from Frictional Games, maker of SOMA and Amnesia: Dark Descent, who revealed its next game, Ontos, at The Game Awards today. Take a look at the announcement trailer.
"In ONTOS, players will become Aditi Amani, a resourceful engineer, as she explores the repurposed moon hotel Samsara in search of the truth around her estranged father," says Frictional Games. "Samsara is a vast labyrinth built atop the ruins of a failed mining colony, and players will explore this open, interconnected environment in their quest for the truth."
In the sci-fi mystery adventure, "Players will scavenge for helpful items, manipulate intricate machinery and face intense tests of morality as they encounter horrific Experiments throughout Samsara. There is no ‘one solution’ to the obstacles players will encounter in ONTOS. Players will need to use their wits and ingenuity to reach the narrative’s mysterious conclusions and face the consequences of their choices. "
The game has been in development at Frictional "for more than 10 years," and be released in 2026.