We are thrilled to finally announce Hunter’s Moon – a first-person historical narrative folk-horror game coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 on October 26* – the night of the full Hunter’s Moon.
Hunter’s Moon is set over the course of one fateful night. Meet mummers dressed in folk costumes, evade capture by the witch hunters, and eavesdrop on a characterful cast of regular folk worn down by war and misfortune. Discover the secrets of this dysfunctional village on the brink as you embody an accused “witch” on the run for her life.
You play as Lilith Thorne, an accused woman who must flee through a 17th–century rural village and its surrounding forests and moors in search of safety. As she is stalked and hunted by the Witchfinder General, the village magistrate, and a local huntsman, you must use stealth and cunning to evade capture. And by eavesdropping at windows, you may gain knowledge and aid that can help her survive the night – warning words, sage counsel, sacred items, or perchance a folk song.
The game features a novel immersive-theatre-inspired eavesdropping mechanic that invites the player to explore and discover this early modern village and its stories – grounded in historical realism, elevated by handcrafted stylised art, and told through the voices of over 100 fully voice-acted characters.
In 1644, Matthew Hopkins began his crusade of witch hunting in England, styling himself “the Witchfinder General.” In 1647, he published a book, The Discovery of Witches, which comprised a series of questions and answers in which he justified his controversial methods for identifying witches. Arguably the most notorious witch hunter in history, Matthew Hopkins and his colleague John Stearne sent more to the gallows for witchcraft than all other English witch hunters before them.
In 2019, I began writing a screenplay inspired by this history while working as a producer at Crows Crows Crows. Transforming this vision to the screen led me to found the new independent studio Twin Swans, bringing together talented artists and developers whose credits also include The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Signalis. Our shared love of history and craft guided us in the creation of Hunter’s Moon – a reimagining of a witch hunt in 17th-century Early Modern England offering an experience of the stories and horrors that might unfold under such wicked circumstances.
While Hunter’s Moon is set at the height of witch-hunting fever in 17th-century England, the concept of the “witch” is universal. Nearly all cultures have independently identified this figure of the witch: a magical person, usually a woman, existing on the fringes of society. Societies throughout history have accused, persecuted, and even executed innocent people based on these magical beliefs. Although many consider it a thing of the past, the practice still continues in some parts of the world.
Despite our modern understanding of the historical and social factors behind witch-hunting, contemporary screen-based media continues to rely on this same magical thinking when telling the stories of women accused of witchcraft. Whether they’re depicted as “real” witches or as innocent women, an element of the supernatural typically pervades their stories: tales of witches flying around on brooms and drinking the blood of babies, or of terrifying ghosts haunting the communities that tormented and killed them. Likewise, many horror games evoke the supernatural – and our willingness to believe in it – to terrify players.
Inspired by this true history of English witch hunts and the tradition of folk–horror, Hunter’s Moon asks you to consider: what if the most terrifying thing in our world is not monsters or magic, but other people? What if our own fears and beliefs are the true sources of horror?
Hunter’s Moon invites you to decide this for yourself on the night of the full Hunter’s Moon on October 26.
You are invited to wishlist the game today on PlayStation Store.
*Hunter’s Moon launches October 25 in North America. In other regions, including UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, the game launches October 26.
