Out of Hands: Unveiling a card-based psychological thriller

XD Inc has released the announcement trailer for Out of Hands, a blend of card game, video collage and psychological thriller exploring the manifestation of inner conflicts. The publisher’s latest project of provocative visuals and dreamlike storytelling can be wishlisted on Steam, with pre-registrations available on TapTap.

Creator Zeyu Yang came up with the game during a 48-hour game jam around capture in 2021, the early prototype taking home Best Game and Best Creative Direction. Yang has expressed that the game is an intimate reflection of his struggles to capture reality as a solo dev for over a decade, as well as the dissociation that came with it.

The presentation is striking at once, thanks to the use of live-action visuals. The protagonist, and a majority of the in-game items, are animated out of real-life photographs of Yang’s hands. Upon realizing that trembling hands and wiggly fingers have taken on a life of their own in this frightening dream world, the player must navigate through a series of negative emotions and deeply repressed memories to escape back to reality. 

Manipulate a pair of hands to interact with item cards and protect the heart from incoming threats; use rulers, pens, erasers, etc. to block damage from Panic, or launch devastating attacks against Remorse. Emotions become progressively more complex to keep the player on their toes (or fingers?) and must be strategically dealt with, and every conscious victory will start to chip away at the inner demons. 

Out of Hands has no release date yet, but a playable demo will be available during the October Steam Next Fest. You can join the official Discord and follow the game on Twitter for development updates.

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