In the forgotten valley of Blackthorn Hollow, sisters Payner and Meili tend to a blighted farm where the soil whispers secrets and the harvests rot before they ripen. Their isolation is shattered when a nomadic alchemist reveals their bloodline’s curse: Each generation must sacrifice one sibling to appease the valley’s ravenous spirit. As the equinox nears, the sisters confront impossible choices—exploit forbidden rituals to nourish their crops, or let starvation erode their bond. But the true horror lies buried in their shared memories: What if their "parents" were never human at all?
Core Mechanics
1. Rot-Tainted Agriculture – Cultivate mutated crops with dual purposes: Poisonous wheat repels scavengers but risks hallucinogenic side effects, while glowing pumpkins illuminate hidden threats at night but attract spectral pests.
2. Synchronized Survival – Control both sisters simultaneously via split-screen actions; Meili distracts encroaching horrors while Payner forages, but prolonged separation triggers panic-induced debuffs.
3. Echo Harvest System – Replay key memories with altered decisions to gather "chrono-residue," a currency that slows time during critical survival moments.
Defining Features
1. Living Environment AI – The farm adapts hostility based on sisterly trust; arguments cause crops to wither faster, while unity sprouts protective bramble walls.
2. Fable-Driven Crafting – Recipes require scavenged folklore pages; misinterpret a tale’s moral, and crafted items backfire (e.g., a "warding doll" that manifests its own malice).
3. Permadeath Nuance – One sister’s death continues the story through the survivor’s guilt-warped perspective, unlocking distorted endings and eldritch farming tools.
Strategic Insights
1. Lure with Rot – Let specific crops decay to bait and trap lesser spirits, harvesting their ectoplasm for potent (but sanity-draining) fertilizers.
2. Mirror Emotions – Mimic encountered entities’ behaviors during confrontations—mocking a wailing ghost may anger it, but laughing in unison could form a temporary pact.
3. Sacrifice Progress – Occasionally let the farm deteriorate to access overgrown areas containing ancestral relics that rewrite the curse’s rules.
Preview: