Dundee’s reputation as a hothouse for game development has yielded another exciting new venture, as Studio Catloaf, a two-person team comprising Abertay University alumni Alexander DeLaCour and Jan Huss, has launched a playable demo for their dark fantasy title, Book of Abominations.
In Book of Abominations, players arrive on the remote Halflight Isle to inherit a house from a distant relative, only to unwittingly unleash a monster apocalypse from the pages of a dusty old tome. The game is a monster-collecting RPG that puts a dark, eldritch horror spin on the genre. It will be up to the player to capture these abominations, explore the mysterious island, and discover the secrets of the book.
Gameplay features fast-paced, dynamic JRPG-inspired turn-based combat, where players battle and capture a series of grotesque yet curiously charming eldritch horrors. Players will aim to fill their bestiary, mutating their captured Lovecraftian abominations through combat encounters to evolve them into more powerful forms. Each monster possesses an array of attacks and abilities to implement various status effects, buffs, and debuffs. The game will also include one-off boss fights to gain powerful summons and a variety of charms to give the monster party unique advantages.
Beyond combat, players will explore Halflight Isle – a once prosperous fishing community now shrouded in a history of supernatural, otherworldly horror. The game will involve meeting and befriending a colourful cast of human and monster NPCs, using powers bestowed by benevolent monsters to solve puzzles and access new areas, and discovering secrets and collectables across the island to assist in their quest.
For the Scottish Games Network community, the launch of a debut title from Abertay graduates like Alexander and Jan is an encouraging development. It demonstrates the pathway from higher education and local competitions into independent game development within Scotland. Book of Abominations represents a significant first step for Studio Catloaf.
You can download the demo for ‘Book of Abominations’ now directly from its Steam page. Those interested can wishlist the full game to follow Studio Catloaf’s progress and support this new Scottish games studio.