Don't blink!
Many YouTubers have already tried this new little gem called Vigil. This game takes place in an underground facility and tasks you with the job of disposing of boxes. But with you in the facility, there roams a robot, that honestly reminds me a bit of Five Nights at Freddy's.
The Special Mechanic
This all sounds like a typical indie horror game, à la Dollmare. But what sets this one apart from others is its unique blinking mechanic. Because the automaton only moves when you look away or blink...in real life. In order to play the game probably you need to use a webcam.
As soon as you start the game, it will calibrate your webcam footage in order to figure out if you're blinking or looking away. We recommend that you factor in lighting, as the webcam won't really see much in a dark room. This takes a bit away from the creepy atmosphere, but is worth it for the experience.
Not The First But Very Good
Mechanics like these have been around for quite some time. The blinking mechanic has been used before in games SCP: Labrat, but no other games has ever implemented real life blinks before. There have been horror games that use your voice for example to either let the enemy know where you are or to even mimic your voice, like in Night Shift: Laundry.
And this seems like a fun addition to the "uses real life aspects" type of horror game. To implement real life sounds or inputs, immerses yourself even more into the game, which is very effective for the horror atmosphere and getting scared.
Inspiration From Doctor Who
The blinking mechanic reminds me a lot of the weeping angels from Doctor Who. In fact, this was the exact inspiration for the game developer. In a YouTube video on his channel "Zoteling" he explains his thoughts about his inspiration
From Resident Evil to Lethat Company, you can find monsters inspired by the weeping angels all over the industry. But they usually lack one core part, what made weeping angels such a scary concept to me as a kid. They don't react to your blinking.
What he means is that these monsters only ever move when you turn your back to them or look away, but not about just blinking. What do you think about these real life mechanics? Will you give this short game a try?