NEWS

Aviary Studios Announces FMV Psychological Horror-Thriller


Aviary Studios has announced Hello Stranger, an exciting new FMV psychological horror-thriller game written and directed by Paul Raschid (The Complex, Five Dates, Ten Dates, The Gallery). Coming to PC via Steam in May 2025, Hello Stranger tells the chilling story of a man trapped in his smart home by a masked stranger who forces him to play three games to survive. His life hangs in the balance as you play these games and make choices that will ultimately determine his fate.



Hello Stranger boasts a stellar cast of acting talent including George Blagden (Vikings), Danny Griffin (Fate: The Winx Saga), Christina Wolfe (The Ark and FBI International), Kulvinder Ghir (Foundation and Goodness Gracious Me), Laura Whitmore (Queenie), Yasmin Finney (Heartstopper) and Derek Jacobi (Gladiator and many more) and the game was selected for the prestigious Dinard Film Festival 2024, where it was screened as a group gameplay event to a sold-out audience. It was also part of the Red Sea Film Festival 2024.

Group gameplay cinema screenings are part of Aviary Studios' continued strategy to blend the mediums of game and film. Since September 2022, their previous title, The Gallery has also played in-cinema in the UK, France & China.

About Hello Stranger
Cam conducts life exclusively from his smart-home - work, shopping, entertainment and, most notably, socialising. Cam interacts with strangers on the Hello Stranger platform, a randomised video chatting application.

Eventually, he encounters a masked stranger with an altered voice. Unnerved, Cam leaves the call only to find the stranger has hacked his smart-home and locked him in. The Stranger tells Cam that he must win three rounds of games or it is 'game over'. Viewers must make decisions and play the three games for Cam to survive, but one wrong move could lead to a grisly end.

Explore over four hours of filmed content featuring choice-based mechanics and numerous mini-games. There are 10 possible endings, all of which need to be found for players to unearth the full story of Cam’s dark world.

Features:
● Choice-based mechanics and mini-games, including 10 unique endings.

● Two story modes:
Cinema Mode - Limited games that only function with a decision-making system – closer to an interactive film experience.
Game Mode - All games available with a variety of gameplay systems – a full FMV game experience.

● Two game modes:
Timed Choices - A more immersive, pressured experience.
Paused Choices - For group play / audience participation during live streams.

● A graphic Story Tree of all possible narrative branches. These branches unlock as the player progresses through the pool of 4 hours of filmed content, 16 mini-games and 10 endings, which all need to be seen to understand the full picture of 'Hello Stranger'.

● Renowned acting talent, including George Blagden, Danny Griffin, Yasmin Finney, Laura Whitmore, Christina Wolfe, Sir Derek Jacobi and more.

Hello Stranger will launch for $9.99 USD/ €9.75 EUR/ £8.50 GPB and fans can add the game to their Steam Wishlist now.


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