White Paper Games’ I AM RIPPER is revealed

I might have said it before, particularly with Atomfall and Watch Dogs: Legion, that I love games set in the UK. Even Forza Horizon 4 is striking, especially as you speed down Princess Street in a Mini when you’re used to sitting alone on a bus or with a sportsball team. Anyway, we’ve covered White Paper Games’ The Occupation previously, being part of Prime Gaming back in 2020, and I won’t lie, I’ve only played a small bit of it. However, the studio’s next game seems more up my alley.

Rather slim on details, the press release is only the announcement of I AM RIPPER, as it is stylized. The details we do have, however, certainly piqued my interest. Here is what the press release says: “I AM RIPPER is a British Thriller set in the brutality and economic decline of the 1980s. You are a forensic investigator called on to solve one of the UK’s most prolific crimes,” so you know, you can start chanting things about a then-Prime Minister now being in a box.

Cutting through the waffle about the studio’s previous games, Ether One, The Occupation, and Dahlia View, it continues on, “The Ripper will create horrific circumstances forcing you to choose a path. The path will have consequences for someone, you just don’t know who. You have to figure out where your moral judgments lay. Power is all around us and how power is used relates to the scenario you’re placed in.

The thriller genre is underserved. We have [thriller] media on TV, in movies, documentaries[,] and podcasts, but we have few game examples. We want I AM RIPPER to cater to all those people who love gritty thrillers, but don’t have an interactive way of exploring the themes, situations[,] and challenges in a non-linear way. I AM RIPPER builds upon everything we’ve [learned] about story delivery, tactile gameplay[,] and meaningful consequence. It’s not a puzzle game, a horror game, or a detective game, but it has all the key components of those genres to create something that feels rewarding, explorative of core themes and characters that feel real and grounded in their world.“

I’ll admit, the “it’s not X, Y, or Z, but has elements of all three” bit smells of a copywriter who’s stuck trying to keep the plot/gameplay a mystery. If your game has a few puzzles, then it is a puzzle game. The same can be said for the horror and detective genres. However, I think the studio is somewhat right about the thriller genre being underserved in gaming, but mostly because if a game leans too much on suspense, it’s punctured by jumpscare horror. While too much action puts it in the annoyingly illiterate action-adventure genre.

Being a bit more direct with the ideas of I AM RIPPER, the press release goes on to note: “It’s 1988, a small north-western dock town in Britain has witnessed multiple victims by a single killer who have been confirmed through forensic analysis. Throughout the game, you will be faced with critical decisions which will change the outcome of your investigation. You must confront a series of gut-wrenching challenges placing the fates of others in your hands. Find the forensics, reveal the secrets[,] and pursue the person responsible.

Experience:

Branching narratives[,] Players will be forced to confront choices that’ll ripple through their timelines and change story outcomes in distinct ways.
Tactile gameplay[,] We love to create gameplay mechanics with high interactivity and this game will be no different. You can see an example of our tactility taken to a new level with the stitch-cutting sequence on our [announcement] trailer.

[Award-winning] storytelling[,] I AM RIPPER is a [fast-paced] thriller told from multiple perspectives. White Paper Games is known for its performances, storytelling[,] and [world-building] and this game will build upon these traits.”

Of course, we don’t have much in terms of gameplay overviews, release dates, or anything right now. We know that I AM RIPPER will be released on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, and we have a small look at the game via the trailer (linked above). I’m excited to see more, especially more gameplay, and of course, to eventually get hands-on with it when it releases at some point.