Attention inmates!
From April 14th to 21st, our beloved prison will be part of the Lovecraftian Days with a 40% sale! You may wonder what in your prison stay may refer to our dear Howard Phillips? Let us introduce you to the dark, twisted and tentacle-y side of Space Prison!
Cosmic dread
Lovecraftian horror is a subgenre of horror fiction that emphasizes the cosmic horror of the unknown (and in some cases, unknowable) more than gore or other elements of shock, though these may still be present. (source Wikipedia)
The cosmic dread in Lovecraftian literature can be found in Space Prison through existentialism questions: "In existentialism, it is more specifically a loss of hope in reaction to a breakdown in one or more of the defining qualities of one's self or identity".
In Space Prison you start in a body but each time you die, your mind is transferred to a new body but then what is the player identity and how can they define themselves if death seems to rewrite who they are each time. The loss of hope is also symbolize in-game by a ressource called "Hope" that can be gained or lost depending on the players actions.
The fear of the unknown
The paradox of time and space in Space Prison is also explored through both the time sentence of the player (who is sentenced to thousands of years of prison) but is transferred into a new body every time they die, which makes the sentence, despite its high number, feel incomprehensible. The game's space is also paradoxal: you're in the middle of space, which is infinitely big, and still you're confined in a prison, a limited area, and you wish to flee this space, but to go where?
Escaping is your main objective as a player and still it seems paradoxal to flee the security of a place (even if it is a prison) to go to the inifite void that is space. That kind of duality verges on the madness that Lovecraftian literature highlights through paradox and the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible.
The lack of knowledge the player has in game on this alien society/ prison system builds up the tension in the game. After all, what are the rules in this prison? You, as a player, have no idea when you start your game. You try to gather knowledge by exploring the prison, but you don't know what you will find behind every door (friends or foes) and despite the danger and the unknown you still have to satisfy your curiosity and wish for more knowledge on the prison to build your plan to escape this forsaken place.
Tentacles, of course!
The alien setting is also based on Lovecraftian inspirations, with the tentacles of some species (like the famous Cthulhu) on a purely aesthetic aspect like for The Steamy Games version of Space Prison poster (Spicy Prison) depicting a Ferath embraced and choked by tentacles.
On a more spoiler-y territory, there's a quest chain -The Cult- which is about a cult of the Great One. The cult itself and the alien ancient creature were inspired by Cthulhu myths, and you, the player, can defeat the Great One at the end, and either end the cult or become the next incarnation of the Great One!
And to you, what is the most unsetteling thing you encountered during your stay in our lovely prison?
See you behind bars!
The Wooden Alien Team