Tisis heavily focuses on storytelling and has a deep philosophical background inspired by the Ancient Greeks worldview of Hubris that leads to Tisis, the philosophical works of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer and the fictional works of Lovecraft, Bierce, Ligotti and many more.
The story revolves around World War 2 soldier-professor joining the Allied operation in Antarctica, called Operation Tabarin, to counter the Nazis operation of Ahnenerbe to find a mystical artifact that will be used to win the War. There they uncover The King in Yellow, a play that, when read, drives one to insanity. After 6 years, the game starts with the character in a Lunatic Asylum, with its patients being all the soldiers and sailors that went mad in the Antarctica Expedition. There he must prevent the King in Yellow, the main antagonist of the play, from achieving his goals to instill madness and terror to the world.
Gameplay
Tisis is a first-person psychological horror game focused on exploration, environmental storytelling, and a deeply narrative-driven experience. Players uncover disturbing clues and fragmented memories as they descend into a world shaped by madness and cosmic terror, revealing the influence of The King in Yellow. Sanity is a core mechanic: remaining in complete darkness gradually drains the protagonist’s mind, forcing players to carefully navigate between shadow and light as reality slowly unravels around them.
