Luto - What We Know So Far

Despite the fact that Konami killed it after conflict broke out between the company and Kojima, "P.T." has left a bold mark on the horror game industry. The tragedy of the horror demo still giving up secrets years later has encouraged others to try and fulfill its initial promise of deeply disturbing scares and surreal terror. In part, what made "P.T." resonate with fans so deeply was how it brought simplicity back to horror players. There weren't the zombies of "Resident Evil" or other added complications that can leave players confused when the dust clears.

Now, there's a game that aims to capture a lot of the same vibes "P.T." was giving off, right down to terror via simplicity. As soon as players catch their first sights of "Luto," they'll know what makes it so special: the ghosts donning a classic sheet-wearing appearance. Here's everything known so far about the upcoming horror title "Luto."

Players tuning in to the June 11 Future Games Show presentation were in for a tidal wave of trailers and announcements for upcoming titles — "Luto" included. "Luto" had its second trailer showcased during the Future Games Show, but the title already started making a name for itself after an initial teaser and a first trailer released last year.

The trailer opens with the crackling of a voice talking over radio static, recalling a story about hell. The voice says, "Well, there's an old saying about this place called hell that bad people go to after they're dead, after they die. That the worst part about hell, it's not the flames, it's the hopelessness." As the voice continues, viewers are taken from eerie photos to a slow pan down a dimly lit hallway — then a sheet rises, hovering in a vaguely human form. The trailer then cuts to what appears to be gameplay showcasing sheet-covered ghosts tumbling through doors in pursuit of players and watching as the camera makes its way through disorienting hallways aghast with poltergeist action. The trailer ends by panning out to show reveal the action was occurring on a VHS tape playing on a TV. As the video shows a door being opened, the door to the room in the real world begins to creak open, too. 

After seeing some of the scares "Luto" seeks to offer with its classic horror aesthetic, prospective players may be wondering when they'll be able to get their hands on the title. The trailer shown at the Future Games Show presentation ends with a simple 'Coming Soon' billing, but host Doug Cockle followed up by saying the title would see a release sometime in 2022. On social media, fans also sought any additional release information they could scrounge — leading to a short exchange between a future player and Broken Bird Games.

One Twitter user, reacting to Broken Bird Games' Tweet coinciding with the "Luto" showcase during the Future Games Show, said, "so excited for this game! can u say if will release on 2023?" Broken Bird Games took the time to respond to the question, answering with, "We aim to launch Luto in 2022, we cannot confirm a date yet." Players are understandably excited to spend some time exploring the haunting secrets "Luto" promises to hold, and with luck, they'll be doing it before the new year.

Though "Luto" is sure to hold all kinds of mysteries just waiting for players to unravel, some aspects of the game can be inferred just with some practiced observation and a little bit of assumption. For one, "Luto" has been described by its creators as a "psychological horror narrative experience," so in that vein, players shouldn't expect to go in and find combo-crushing action. Putting psychological horror and narrative at the forefront, "Luto" will likely be a slow burn, encouraging players to saver every dingy hallway and cautiously tip-toe through foreboding rooms.

From what bits of assumed gameplay that were shown off during the Future Games Show, "Luto" looks to be borrowing a fair share from the experience players grew familiar with through "P.T." The title will be at its best when players are second-guessing walking down an unexplored hallway or stopping dead in their tracks when they think they saw something move in the corner of their vision. With the title notably exploring themes of anxiety and depression, "Luto" looks like it may shape up to prove a worthy successor to the unreleased "P.T."