In late December, Frictional Games’ website began hosting an ominous teaser image. It was merely a flashing white dot at the time, nothing too fancy. Weeks later the strange white speck had grown, pulsating faster, fueling all kinds of internet theories. Now the studio behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA has allowed the tease to morph into something grander–an alternate reality game (ARG). Thus far, the ARG has spawned links to two YouTube videos.
A visit to the studio’s website shows the white dot seemingly evolving into an embryo. That’s no longer the main attraction, though. Situated in the bottom right corner is a row of social media icons. On that same row sits a new icon, an oddly shaped space ship, eyeball, or hieroglyph… it’s really not easy to discern. The new icon can’t be clicked; however, hovering over it provides a piece of a URL to the following YouTube video:
The video lasts only 10 seconds, offering very little in the way of context. There’s a crackling sound heard throughout, while the camera shakes above a pile of rocks. Adorning the middle rock is a light blue drawing, which appears to take the shape of cilium (hairlike organelles on a cell). Maybe it’s another weird-looking eyeball, though?
According to the video’s YouTube description, the tape is a copy of a video cassette from February 16, 1983. The tape, marked “Shetpe, KSSR,” apparently sits in a private collection. A quick Google search explains that KSSR likely refers to either Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, known today as Kazakhstan, or Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, which is now Kyrgyzstan.
Hawk-eyed ResetEra user Foxnull uncovered yet another video by searching the website’s CSS. Check it out below:
This video is twice as long as the first, but features no visuals, only sound. It sounds as if wind is blowing in the background, while a creature howls in the distance. Perhaps we have to wait for the next clue to begin understanding the bigger picture Frictional Games is painting.
