‘Uniquely dark’ horror game Ritual Tides announced for consoles, PC
Due out first for PC in Q3 2025.
Vertpaint, a studio made up of former senior developers from studios such as Rockstar Games, CI Games, and TT Games, has announced Ritual Tides, a “photorealistic” horror game with a “uniquely dark vision.” It will launch for PC in Q3 2025, followed by “all major consoles” shortly after.
“At Vertpaint, we’ve earned a reputation amongst developers as innovators,” said Vertpaint CEO and creative director James Macleod in a press release. “With Ritual Tides, we cannot wait to show the world why as we take players on an escapade that combines the charm of true horror and original character designs, all brought to life through meticulous animation and artful conception.”
Here is an overview of the game, via Vertpaint:
In Ritual Tides, players will find themselves washed up on a beach with the only goal being to uncover the island’s horrific secrets. Gruesomely designed enemies lurk, danger lies around every corner, and you best hide, or run. Ritual Tides presents a “gun,” but not in a typical fashion, candidly setting it apart from other games within this space. More on this to come in the future, no spoilers for now!
Ritual Tides is set to make waves within the horror genre, and is being developed by a proven team made up of senior talents from the likes of ex-Rockstar Games, CI Games, TT Games, and more. Talent knows no bounds within Vertpaint, with glowing appraisals from industry legend and Director Jonathan Berube, who referred to the team as, “The seal team of game development.”
Ritual Tides is being developed using what the team describes as a “two stream” approach, meaning design and game mechanics are prioritized alongside art research and development. As avid gamers and horror fans, the team is crafting something genuinely memorable and will be sure to stick in players’ minds long after the credits have rolled. Enemy variation is central to the development ethos and unlike other horror-focused titles, Ritual Tides will provide a wealth of encounters, each more uniquely terrifying than the last.
As if all of this wasn’t riveting enough, Vertpaint is purely independent and uncompromising in its uniquely dark vision for Ritual Tides, with no external publisher input to potentially hinder the process. The team also promises to set the visual quality bar for 2025, giving Ritual Tides players a near-photorealistic immersive story to unfold.
Watch the teaser trailer below.