Pacific Drive Announces Chilling 'Whispers in the Woods' DLC
The critically acclaimed survival driving game, Pacific Drive, is set to delve deeper into its mysterious and eerie world with the announcement of a new horror-focused expansion titled Whispers in the Woods. Developed by Ironwood Studios, this significant downloadable content is slated for release later this year, promising to deliver a much more terrifying experience for players.
Whispers in the Woods invites players to explore an entirely new section of the Olympic Exclusion Zone, where a new, unsettling narrative awaits. The DLC’s story is expected to provide 8–12 hours of gameplay, centering around a group of fanatics who have become deeply obsessed with the Zone's strange anomalies. Players will encounter new characters who shed light on this chilling lore.
What's New in the Olympic Exclusion Zone?
The expansion is packed with fresh content designed to enhance the already unique gameplay loop:
- New maps and intersections featuring peculiar altars and unique resources.
- A variety of new car parts to discover and equip.
- Unforeseen anomalies that will test players' survival skills.
- New garage stations for upgrading and repairing your trusty station wagon.
- Fresh cosmetic items to customize your garage space.
- An all-new soundtrack composed by Wilbert Roget II, promising to deepen the atmosphere.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing additions is a new gameplay mechanic: artifacts. These mysterious items activate under specific conditions – for example, your car's horn might blare with every jump. Players won't be able to ignore these, as a certain number of artifacts will need to be collected to successfully complete an excursion. Fortunately, their effects aren't all detrimental; some can provide beneficial boons to aid your journey through the treacherous Zone.
Heightened Horror Experience
In an interview with PC Gamer, Cassandra Dracott, studio director at Ironwood Studios, shed light on the deliberate turn towards horror elements in Whispers in the Woods. Dracott shared her personal connection to driving through forests, describing it as a comfort zone. However, she acknowledged the inherent fear of feeling isolated in the dark, especially when strange sounds echo nearby. “It’s logical that someone feels lonely in the dark and gets scared, especially if something nearby makes creepy noises,” she explained. “And in working on the add-on, we decided to put an emphasis on this and see what we could do to create something much scarier. I myself jumped a couple of times while playing the basic Pacific Drive. In the expansion, I was definitely scared much more often.”
This means players can expect a significantly amplified sense of dread and tension compared to the base game. For fans of the original's atmospheric survival and unsettling encounters, Whispers in the Woods promises a more intense and chilling journey. Pacific Drive is currently available on PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store) and PlayStation 5, complete with Russian subtitles for international audiences.
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