Black Tides: Draga’s Wake is an action horror game in development at Strange Creature Factory Ltd, set aboard an icebound whaling ship. Players become Draga Bolivar, a smuggler and pirate first mate whose final heist ends in disaster. Trapped on the Ormora, he must locate his missing crew while an ancient god takes root in his body and those of his companions.
The early twentieth-century vessel has been overrun by a doomsday cult and cosmic horrors. Riveted steel, venting steam pipes and failing machinery form a labyrinth of narrow passages, flooded lower decks and larger spaces spread across multiple levels. As players advance, the ship becomes increasingly alive and changes around them, reshaping the environment through which Draga searches.
Combat centres on close-range fights against mutated creatures. Timed dodges and heavy melee combinations can be mixed with quick ranged attacks to hold back aggressive enemies or exploit openings. Ammunition, health and power are scarce, making the cost of an encounter part of the decision to engage. Spending resources can help secure a kill, while closing the distance preserves ammunition at the risk of taking damage.
Draga can also embrace the entity growing inside him, transforming into a Vessel State that changes how he fights, moves and perceives his surroundings. Progression involves absorbing crew members and other survivors. Choosing whom to consume shapes the skill tree, physical mutations and the fate of people Draga once knew as companions. His longstanding loyalty to captain Caleb is part of a story that forces him to reconsider his past alongside the creature he is becoming.
Creative director Greg J Strangis spent sixteen years working as a character and creature artist at studios including Rockstar Games, Naughty Dog and Turtle Rock Studios. The project draws on Guillermo del Toro’s approach to mythology and monsters, alongside the transformational body horror of The Thing and Leviathan, linking creature design to individual characters and their stories.
A release date has not been announced. The Playority release calendar allows readers to follow upcoming games, add them to an account and receive updates about their launches.
