Appalachia Demo

The hills have been calling out to anybody willing to listen but a true Appalachian would know better than to go meddling in the forest at night. Something is causing trouble up here and the trail ain't what it once was. Uncover the mysteries of the mountains and come face to face with the most infamous horrors of Appalachian Folklore. Using your Thermal Imager and EMF meter you analyze, track and scout the hills of Appalachia but it doesn't take long to realize it's you that's being hunted.

Appalachia Demo is a first look and hands on experience of what you can expect from the final release of Appalachia later this year.

A survival horror experience that throws you into the hollers and the hills of Appalachia, you'll investigate the trail and coal country in search of your missing Uncle and his neighbor Walter. Piecing together a mystery along the way you just may be able to restore some of that peace and quiet the old folks can't seem to forget.

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The overall story of Appalachia is that the main character comes from a family of paranormal hunters. These people are tough mountain folk, so nothing is strange to them. They hunt for all Appalachian Folklore, which could range from Bigfoot to UFO's to wild cannibal people. The main character had moved away to get a fresh start on something other than the family business but over time all that is left of their family is the Uncle who leaves the voicemail at the beginning of the demo.  The Uncle who still lives in Appalachia has befriended their neighbor Walter. The neighbor quickly falls in love with the rush of paranormal hunting and heads off into the woods without your Uncle one night. Days go by and this is where the demo picks up with your Uncle calling for help.

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Continue below if you have played the demo and you're interested in leaving feedback

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This game is on my mind from the moment I get out of bed to the moment I lay down. I want it to be a fun experience for the user no matter who is playing. With that being said, the game can be so much better with the correct feedback. I know many users have downloaded the demo over the past week and you guys have really made my day each time I see the number of downloads increase but that is where the data trail ends for me. Asking someone to come back to this page to leave a comment is asking a lot but I would be grateful for any and all feedback that helps me create the best possible version of this idea I had for a game.

I want Appalachia to be a unique horror experience that the player will want their friends to play too. The story is already finalized and the vision for the rest of the game is also set. I just need to know if the players are feeling the mechanics or if something needs changed. Does the game need more enemies? A previous build had skinwalkers posing as animals (Chicken, Deer, Birds ect) which would be revealed by the thermal imager at which point they would flee or attack the player. My feedback for that build was that those enemies felt out of place and the game should have The Mothman be the sole Enemy.

Does the thermal Imager feel useful? What are some other ways you would like it to be incorporated? You may have noticed temperature spikes or dialogue in some areas related to the thermal imager, It was and still is meant to be a way to scan your surroundings but it isn't being visually portrayed in the best way yet. I want the Player to get familiar with the tool to the point they are deciphering information based on the tools readings. Such as a collectible giving off a  certain temperature or a hidden cave being within a certain temperature range and the Player knows because they've found other caves with similar temperatures.

The EMF meter would have a similar mechanic where the player goes into different Caves, Bunkers, and Coal Mines looking for evidence of Appalachian cryptids and folklore. Different frequencies would have different types of events or enemies spawn. The player would follow this gameplay loop of searching for their Uncle and the neighbor while also revealing the curse that haunts Appalachia and the reason it came to be.