Samantha Temple, Digital Media Student, Trapped
Trapped is horror-survival game that takes place in a the mansion of a serial killer. The game begins with four people, locked in a basement vault with nothing but a note telling them they must fight they're way out to survive. Sure, this may sound like a cliched beginning to a dime a dozen horror flick, but this game is far from the average horror shooter.
The house the player finds themselves in has 7 floors and a accessible roof, each representing a level of the game. Each level is riddled with traps and clues as to why the characters were brought there. They start in the lowest level of the basement and work their way up to the final confrontation with the killer on the roof.
The story behind the game is loosely based on the Saw movie series. The serial killer that has the player trapped was wronged by each of the characters at some point and has trapped them and others in his house. The characters are not innocent bystanders, each of them has a brutal personality and are used to getting what they want, and they do not get along with each other.
The characters are a Police Officer, a Bouncer, a Business Woman, and a High School Student. The Police Officer is a weapon specialist and can use any of the true weapons found in the game, the Bouncer is strong enough to move large obstacles, the Business Woman is sharp and can spot traps and solve puzzles, and the High School Student can fit into crawlspaces and run the faster than most enemies if there is a need to flee. The player utilizes each skill in different situations, but if one of the characters dies they cannot be used until resuscitated at a save point in one of the bathrooms of the house.
Gameplay:
The player controls one of each of the characters at any time in the game. Each character has different skills and traits that are needed to escape the house. To escape the first room, the player must have the Bouncer destroy the crawlspace door, then use the High School Student to crawl outside and unlock the main door to let the rest of the characters out. Once the player has completed a level, they may return to it as often as they need to. As they traverse the house, the player will find the remains and aftermath of many of the killers victims. The two female characters suffer a penalty to their abilities in these rooms as they are unused to such extremes, while the Police Officer gains a bonus because of his training.
The enemies in the game include the killer himself, starved dogs, swarms of rats and bugs, and other prisoners of the killer. An RPG aspect enters here as the player can try to convince the prisoners to join them and help them escape. Certain characters influence some NPC's better than others, the Bouncer can relate to the drug dealing punk, and the Business Woman can try to comfort a young man. But some are not easy to convince and many of them have information as to why the characters are there. If the player makes a wrong move the NPC will attack, and they are much harder enemies than the random encounters.
True weapons are rare in the game, the player must improvise with what they do find. There will only be two or three guns total, and they can only be used by the Police Officer and the Business Woman (she can only use the handgun). The Bouncer can pick up practically anything and make it into a weapon. Anything from a lead pipe to chairs to a grandfather clock, although the weight of the item will determine how quickly he can wield it but also the amount of damage it does. The High School Student is proficient with any knives the player may find and can throw them accurately, but she cannot use very many other weapons, her main purpose is to run when it is necessary.
At some points before the final confrontation, the killer will make an appearance. In these situations the only option is to flee, as the player is no match for him until the end of the game.
Win/Loss Condition:
If the player manages to get to the rooftop level and defeat the killer, they will escape the house and win the game. But if every character perishes before making it to the saving point of the level, the game will end and return to the main menu.
