The gameplay in Children of New Eaden mostly consists of exploring the gameplay areas, making meaningful choices, searching for clues that reveal more information, and interacting with NPCs. The two players control their playable characters (they choose between Caidan and Rheyn at the start of the game) through 3rd person camera view in two separate scenes. Under specific story-related circumstances, they can be present in the same scene, similar to the gameplay in The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes (Supermassive Games, 2021).
The main goal is to use protagonists different sets of skills to uncover the truth and share individual discoveries to get the desired ending. For example, Caidan has strong cognitive senses which allow him to see the tiniest details in any environment. On the other hand, Rheyn has strong psychic senses which allow her to see beyond physical boundaries. Their sets of skills are important because they are incorporated into the gameplay.
For Caidan, the UI instructions are very clear as he has planned his objectives and knows where he needs to go. As the majority of clues he looks for are not something an average person can see, they are hidden from plain sight until players enter a certain vicinity. Caidan can also analyse specific clues on the spot. When talking to NPCs, the players are able to make dialogue choices. At the end of each chapter, they need to draw a conclusion to see where their decisions and the accuracy of information will take them.
For Rheyn, the UI instructions are mostly vague as she has recently lost her memory and doesn’t know where she is going. Her clues are revealed from the start because she doesn’t have the same abilities as Caidan. Although she can’t analyse clues, she can collect some objects that may or may not be useful later in the playthrough. Just like with Caidan, the players playing as Rheyn can make dialogue choices and have to draw conclusions at the end of each chapter. Both characters can trigger specific events, such as a chase or fight sequence.
The players need to communicate with each other what they discovered during their individual chapters – if they are accurate, they will be able to uncover the whole truth – if not, this will lead to a more unsatisfying ending.
NINA ALVIR 