Hello everyone! This is solo passion project and my second horror game. Here is a a very very early alpha gameplay video. More info soon. Hope you like it!
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TV Channels test with remote (6+ channels with nostalgic content, ads and VHS cassettes)
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Very Nice Touch. Can easily visualize hidden messages, subliminal messages, Easter eggs, Jump Scares hiding in there somewhere. Or maybe not, but some players will anticipate there are and that’s the beauty of it. Awesome work.
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Greetings @Nemaniaon !
Thank you for sharing your very early alpha gameplay of “In Vicinity of Sorrow”. The darkness of the environment is enough to put the player on edge, constantly anticipating something to go “bump” in the darkness or something unnatural to peer around a corner.
There’s something creepy about dated living spaces, and you’ve captured that level of creep in your build (the distressed paint, the old wallpaper, the dingy curtains, the old electronics, the peeling veneer, etc). Great job thus far!
We’re looking forward to what your solo dev passion brings! Can you tell us more about the title “In Vicinity of Sorrow”?
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Greetings! Thank you for your kind words and for noticing the details. I would love to share a bit more about my project.
Invicinity: Sorrow (In Vicinity of Sorrow) is my second “horror” project with UE. It has been in development for over a year, but since I work on it in my spare time, I am not yet able to give it my full attention, thus the development has been slow and not consistent.
The story is set in a dystopian 80-90s inside an old apartment in a crowded tenement building during winter. There is something quite off with the building and its tenants, and it is up to the player to decide what to do. Depending on your actions and noise level, the tenants might become aware of your presence (or not). You can choose to just lay in the bed and watch TV, sit in a chair and listen to the radio, explore the whole apartment, or venture out into the building.
I enjoy experimenting with horror projects that focus on atmosphere and sound, rather than jumpscares. With Invicinity, I have created a world that anyone can visit at a special time and choose how to interact with it in various ways.
Almost everything you encounter in the game will have a purpose and be interactable in some way. For example:
- TV Remote
- 9 channels (nostalgic cartoons, shows, old movies, old ads
- VHS
- different cassettes with rewind options
- Front door
- Using peephole and ability to lock/unlock door, and leave the apartment
- Usable bed and chairs
- Ability to sit or lay in bed and watch TV
- Readable books
- Many easter eggs …
The time in Invicinity is connected to the player’s PC time (with the ability to bypass it), and many of these things will depend on the time you choose to play the game.
(6 am - 7 pm) - Safe experience (Apartment exploration and less scary)
(7 pm - 6 am) - Scary experience (Tenants A.I.)
(3 am…) - Secret special times throughout the day.
The demo will be ready in less than a month, and anyone willing to test and give feedback can get the demo for free contacting me on: invicinityofsorrow@gmail.com
New proper gameplay video coming soon!
I am currently using UE5.2
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Here is a quick overview of new apartment exploration (Alpha 0.3) (UE 5.2)
Would love to get some feedback!
(It seems to be a bit darker than it is because of compression, will work on that for next overview)
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Although the video may be dark in certain parts, the impressive apartment and game mechanics showcased are still noteworthy! I’m curious, how much time have you spent developing “In Vicinity of Sorrow”? Additionally, what was the initial horror game you created? 
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Hello @Zezkaii, thank you for the kind words!
I started “In Vicinity of Sorrow” around the end of 2021. But since I worked on it as a hobby in my spare time, sometimes there were gaps of several months in between with no work at all, so I guess you could say it’s been in development for not more than 5-6 months in total.
My last game was Lunacy: Saint Rhodes (also horror), which I worked on from 2017, on early versions of Unreal 4. Since 2021, I stepped down as a lead dev because of some issues with my publishers, and since then I started with Invicinity.
I am eager to show more of the current project as soon as it’s ready.
(Darkness was mainly because of custom film grain effects, which I will improve for the videos in the future)
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The pleasure is all mine, and thank you for the clarification! I am sorry you had to step down as Lead Dev for “Lunacy: Saint Rhodes” due to issues with your publishers; I checked out the game on Steam, and it looks impressive. I hope you receive the recognition you deserve once it’s released! On a positive note, I am excited to see more updates for “In Vicinity of Sorrow.” 
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Hey everyone, I am preparing a huge update in the next few days but I wanted to share a couple of quick sneak-peek videos of my new camera system and weather/time update.
- Quick 0.4 update regarding the time and weather update
Weather changes depending on time
- Since it’s quite cold at night, rain turns to snow around 6pm.
You are also able to get in the game at around 6pm and wait for the transition to
happen, as well as around 7am and wait for rain to remove snowy rooftopsDifferent spawn points around the apartment
- If you were to visit the game at around 11pm, the character may be in bed already, and that would be the starting point. If it was around 12pm, he may be in the chair eating. A lot of other things depend on that, like for example flashlight.
If you were in bed, the flashlight will most likely be near the bed or in the room, but not on the player. If you were to spawn in a chair listening to the radio, the flashlight may be really close to you but not on you.
There is a lot more that I would love to talk about, but for now, I wanted to share a little bit for a few of those that may be interested in a project like this. Cheers!
2am video
6pm video
12pm video
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Hey @Nemaniaon !
I absolutely adore the sound design on this. Especially the rain. Gave me goosebumps as you made your way around the apartment. The atmosphere has this unique feel to it and I love the idea of the different times resulting in different spawn points. I’m very excited to see your next update on this!!
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Hey @The_M0ss_Man!
I appreciate the kind words and I am eager to show more real soon!
Demo testing will be starting around 15th July, anyone interested in testing and giving proper feedback will be able to get the demo for free through e-mail. Demo will be around 30min long and can be tested at different times of day.
Here is another walk through the apartment, 0.5 Alpha. (Lumen GI enabled)
I experimented a bit with the camera movement. Since I like my fisheye effect, I upgraded it with a movable vignette. The outside of the apartment and Neighbours AI is getting ready for the demo, will show more soon.
The outdoors is upgraded and neighbor apartment lights can be seen. They turn on and off throughout the day.
The building hallways are fully accessible and remade. You are able to ring on neighbor doors, eavesdrop on conversations, be chased by shadows and more.
Neighbor AI will adjust on your play style and the current time of day.
This video is from around 2AM. Would love some feedback on it!
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Hi there @Nemaniaon,
Hope you’re well!
Just popping in to say how great this looks so far. The ambiance and eeriness is wonderful. The entire video is filled with suspense and that feeling of needing to check behind you constantly. I really look forward to seeing more!
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The demo releases in three days, and everything you have showcased about “In Vicinity of Sorrow” looks incredible! I HAVE to get my hands on it if you are ever so kind and willing! 
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Hey everyone!
Apologies for the delays but the demo needs a few more days to be ready.
Here is a new Alpha 0.6 Overview of the apartment
There will be around 20-30min of demo gameplay story, but also an ability to visit the Invicinity at a different time of day and experience everything in a different way.
- Alpha 0.6 improvements
- Immersive Camera and FOV
- Apartment overhaul
- New Year’s Eve Atmosphere
- Various events throughout the day
- 7+ hours of TV Channels and VHS content:*
- old cartoons (looney tunes…)
- movies (cozy and horror movies like Nosferatu on VHS…)
- documentaries (about life, space, history…)
You will have to experience the Tenants by yourself in the demo at special times of day
No jumpscares, only terror and nostalgia
Contact me for the demo: invicinityofsorrow@gmail.com
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“No jumpscares, only terror and nostalgia” That message alone has me shivering excitedly. 
Everything you’ve shown of In Vicinity of Sorrow looks so good, and I, for one, am curating my email begging for the demo as soon I leave this message of praise for your continued hard work of ensuring users can get the best possible experience! Thank you so much, and I know the 20-30 minutes of gameplay you have in store for us is going to be insane.
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Greetings again, @Nemaniaon. I hope you’re having a fantastic Monday! I’m curious if the emails for the In Vicinity of Sorrow demo ever went out to the users who requested them. I’ve checked my email for weeks after confirmation that I’d been added to the mailing list. 
Greetings @Zezkaii, apologies for the waiting 
After some internal testing, I decided to prolong the demo release for just a bit more.
I am quite eager to release it and as soon as I feel it’s perfect, which shouldn’t take more than a week, hopefully. I will send out the emails and announce it here as well, so no worries about missing out!
I am going for a bit more content than I was initially planning for the demo, and since I am still solo, there were a lot of areas that I needed to cover and improve before everything was ready.
I wanted to share some of the latest screens of the New Year’s Eve Atmosphere, with the old nostalgic 90s film vibe.
Thanks a lot for taking an interest and I hope you get to experience it as soon as possible!
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Hi again @Nemaniaon,
Hope you’re well and having a great week so far!
Absolutely obsessed with how this is turning out. I’m glad you’re taking the time to make it as amazing as you want it to be. Its the final details that add that extra shine. Sending you lots of support in this final stage! 
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Thank you so much for the update; I appreciate it! Your hard work is evident in the newest screenshots, and I’m relieved I haven’t missed the opportunity to play-test this beautiful creation.
I’m sure your demo will be perfect, and I look forward to enjoying it. Take all the time you need, and once again, thank you for the continued updates. We greatly appreciate it! 
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