Publisher Secret Mode might be the new kid on the block, but the first game it’s putting out from Cosmonaut Studios is an intriguing one. Announced with a PlayStation 4 release on 19th May 2022, Eternal Threads is all about manipulating time and changing the actions of characters in order to save them from a house fire in northern England.
You’ll have a seven-day timeline to work with, watching as your decisions and changes affect the six lives now in your hands. The reveal trailer embedded above doesn’t really show any of this, but screenshots below do. “Prohibited from simply stopping the fire, you must instead manipulate the choices made by the housemates in the week leading up to it so that they all survive the event.”
A press release notes how there are multiple ways of saving each character from dying in the fire, but some outcomes are better than others. “Some decisions will have only minor effects on the timeline, moving objects around the house or revealing deeper stories and secrets. Major changes, however, rewrite the timeline by changing existing events, adding new events, and even replacing other events entirely.” The UI also includes details on each of the six faces as well as text explainers of what they did next should they survive the blaze. The idea is to have them living their best lives after the ordeal.
If you’re interested, a demo will be made available on PC from 2nd May 2022 through until the 8th, containing roughly an hour of gameplay. The title then releases fully on PS4 a few weeks later on 19th May 2022. “Ultimately, everything is about choices and consequences.” Has Eternal Threads caught your eye? Change your own timeline in the comments below.