Do You Miss ‘Condemned’? ‘Displacement’ Looks To Be a Sci-Fi Twist on the Classic Action-Horror Game

Remember the Xbox 360 launch title, Condemned: Criminal Origins? A first-person psychological thriller/survival horror action game, it was unique for its time because it was a first-person game that focused primarily on melee combat as opposed to blasting your way through every level. Other than its sequel, we haven’t really seen a game like it. That is, until Displacement.

‘displacement’ is creepy and violent as hell

That trailer looks absolutely nuts. And it is every bit of Condemned and then some. You play as Arthur Bishop, sent to Rubicon station to make sure the staff haven’t lost their damn minds. Big surprise, they have, and everything has gone to hell. The trailer showcases the brutal nature of the game, including what looks like some executions and even tossing a pickaxe through someone’s head.

The game is developed by Obelisk Studios, which, according to the site, is “an independent studio with experience on titles like Sons of the Forest, Far Cry 6, Dota 2, Love, Death & Robots, and many other amazing projects. For the past year, we’ve been working on our debut game — Displacement.”

CHECK THE TEMPERATURE

If the inspiration of the game wasn’t enough, Displacement also has a temperature-based system and puzzle built around it. Check out some of the gameplay descriptions from Steam:

Master temperature manipulation — wield a powerful device that lets you heat up or freeze objects at will. Freeze locks, shatter barriers, ignite traps, or freeze enemies mid-attack.

Solve temperature-based puzzles — redirect heat between rooms, freeze and thaw objects to progress, and outsmart the environment itself.

Use temperature creatively in combat — freeze cultists in place, overheat their weapons, or reshape the battlefield with ice and fire. Even bosses aren’t safe from your elemental ingenuity.

A fully dynamic thermal system — build makeshift heat sources to survive the cold, warm your surroundings, and manipulate the environment in real time.

So, we’ve got an indie action-horror title from industry vets who have worked on a number of great games, alongside a system in-game that takes full advantage of temperature and brutal melee combat. I can’t see any reason not to be excited about Displacement. I’m pretty sure Matt or Shaun would be just as crazy about it, too.