A survival horror game set in the trenches of Verdun during the first World War will release this week. Conscript puts your lone soldier in the trenches, moving between blockhouses and safe zones in an attempt to find your brother who has gone missing in action. To that end you’ll stab, shoot, and sneak your way through the trenches, planning the best routes and conserving your limited resources whenever possible.
Conscript is very clearly inspired by survival horror classics, especially the early Resident Evil games. You’ll do lots of note keeping for all the little puzzle solving and backtracking, being sure to take a close look at your map of the trench environment as you go back and forth between areas. It has save rooms, and all that.
World War 1 is definitely a novel theme for this kind of Survival Horror, but a fitting one. What’s a more interesting, maze-like level design than a complex trench network that has been shattered by artillery fire? The developer knows it’s a good one, and the game description emphasizes elements like item management and route planning as important to how you play.
What looks to set Conscript apart from other survival horror games in this vein is the air of grim despair and melancholy rather than jumpscare frights and monster dog-squids or whatever they’re throwing at you in Resident Evil these days. It’s also unique among old school survival horror games in that you can’t avoid every fight, because this is a war, so get dug in to how that chunky, even awkward Survival Horror combat plays. Focusing on that, you’re given nice little Resident Evil 4 systems to play with: things like collecting cigarettes to trade for weapon upgrades.
Conscript is developed by indie developer Jordan Mochi and Catchweight Studio, published by Team 17, and is Steam Deck verified. You can find Conscript on Steam for $20. It releases on July 23, but there’s a demo out now. There’s also its official website, conscriptgame.com.
