Darkborn was formerly known as Project Wight, from Sweden-based studio The Outsiders, which was first introduced in February 2015. The sneak peek video was released in November 2016. David Goldfarb referred to the project as "an alternate history of the early Viking era." It's a Dark Ages timeline "where humans share the world with the last remnants of a forgotten species of intelligent creatures." The twist to the idea is that you were seeing the world through the eyes of those creatures, in this case, a young creature searching for its parents. Set in a cave, the creature moves on all fours to find a couple of Vikings butchering one of the adult creatures, likely the father. This is a cruel world where humans have nearly eradicated the wight-kind. As a wight pup, you can only run and sneak away as the Vikings chase you through the cave. Then, the video cuts to another segment where the adult or adolescent creature is now attacking a Viking from a clifftop, then gliding down to a Viking camp and wreaking havoc. It was an impressive sneak peek.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHFlIpN0ROw
After that, The Outsiders went radio silent and turned to the development of the game. In December 2017, there was an announcement that Project Wight would be published under Take-Two's new publishing label, Private Division. Today, The Outsiders revealed over 15 minutes of gameplay through IGN and GameInformer. This gameplay trailer is even more impressive, both graphically and narratively, with a great ambiance as you wake up and see the cave through the eyes of one of the Darkborn creatures, still a pup, and witness humans butchering your younger sibling. As you flee and sneak away, a voice emerges (likely voice actress Amelia Tyler) and it guides you through the world of Darkborn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXa0FlYQGMU
Quick Take
Although the Vikings look a lot different in this new video, I really like the whole aesthetic of Darkborn. It reminds me of the novel Grendel, which sees the world through the eyes of the Beowulf monster, rather than through the traditional view of the hero. I hope there's some interplay with this kind of narrative in there somewhere, it would be quite intriguing.What do you think of Darkborn? Have you ever wished you could play as a monster rather than a hero? Let us know in the comments below!
