by RadiumEyes, HSM team writer

As Halloween arrives, Home gears up for the holiday and delivers a celebration of excitement and terror; one can’t even blink without seeing various developers offering their own takes on All Hallow’s Eve, with personal spaces, holiday-themed events and the ubiquitous costumes created especially for the occasion. Even the décor reflects this time of year – October equates to autumn and Halloween, and both concepts join forces to create a magical atmosphere for the PlayStation 3’s premier social platform.

Lockwood celebrates the season and the upcoming holiday with its own, new variation on the Dream Yacht – the aptly-titled Nightmare Yacht, outfitted with skulls, pumpkins and string lights. Upon entering the space, one may notice something unusual – the yacht’s destination seems gloomy and disorienting. Navigation offers no information on your location; in fact, the nav-panels at the controls are completely blank, glaring blankly back at you with a dull blue light. Nothing says “fear this place” quite like a location that confounds sensors, leaving you with a sense of dread and disquiet over where you might be.

Halloween provides the perfect opportunity for stories of the unusual and supernatural, particularly the ones that make shivers run down your spine; Lockwood’s new yacht has its own tale tied to it, and it’s a classic one indeed. Here, the wedding of the century may take place, but the bride and groom share a peculiar attribute – both are undead, and they return to the land of the living for their nuptials. People familiar with Corpse Bride (one of Tim Burton’s many Gothic-style animated works) can appreciate this; even in death, two lovers can find a means of tying the knot. Corpse Bride had only half of the couple (the woman, in this case) return to life after the male protagonist accidentally puts a ring on her finger while practicing his vows, so the comparison is not completely accurate – still, the idea is there. Here, the two spouses-to-be appear as skeletons, and their love transcends the grave.

The space itself comes with its own free items, which a user must find through locating glowing green Lockwood icons interspersed throughout the yacht; I’ve managed to find two so far (a lectern and a table), and both tie into the wedding theme. Imagine if you will, then, a full wedding upon this auspicious boat – the bride and groom, resplendent in their deathly pallor and finery, exchanging vows on a dilapidated yacht in the middle of an unknown ocean, attendants (likely skeletons themselves) clapping as the newlywed couple kiss.

This image conjures up the “till death do us part” segment present in Christian weddings – the man and woman of honor would likely not have that stipulation, as they are undead, and thus would not necessarily adhere to the same rules that govern living society. Corpse Bride touched on the same subject, as the bride (who had been stood up in her previous wedding) now had a chance to find happiness and true love with a man who inadvertently revived her by being in the graveyard at night, practicing for his own wedding – the male protagonist’s decision to be there in the cemetery is a curious one, but it allows him to see life from the “other side,” and interact with numerous people who otherwise would not have been out and about.

Bringing us back to the Nightmare Yacht, Lockwood did well with the scenery and decorations; the ocean, in particular, adds some depth. The background, non-accessible sections of a personal space add a personal flair, and here it’s gloriously creepy – there’s no land in sight, and crags jut out from the sea in odd, angular forms. I recall the angular, distorted architecture featured in German Expressionist films such as the classic Cabinet of Dr. Caligari; although the ship itself doesn’t follow it, the surrounding environment shows a cold, spare landscape devoid of any real life. You’re out in the middle of the ocean, without any semblance of civilization or “reality” in sight – the yacht is at the mercy of the ocean, as well as the numerous floating skulls found on its deck.

The presence of the glowing-purple, levitating skulls make this space all the more thrilling, as you’re left without any sort of context for them; what are they, exactly, and why have they taken over the ship? It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma, but it adds character; the world of the supernatural doesn’t always make sense, and that very foreboding indicates a bit of despair. This reminds me of Japanese horror – films such as Ringu show a cursed item or location that continues to torment the living, even if the person “resolved” the spirit’s woes. With this, you’re not even sure what can explain these skulls – they simply are, much like the kami of Shinto, and do not require any details to exist.

With all this said, I find the yacht both exciting and a little drab (but only subtly so). There’s some great potential here for a mini-game involving the costumes you can purchase from Lockwood’s store, and connecting them further to the space would be excellent. Having a game dedicated to fulfilling these spirits’ wishes would make for a great tale; tales of resolution and redemption abound in horror stories, and we have a perfect moment to translate those themes into Home.  But that’s a story for another time, perhaps – a story that can be told through machinima, and the Nightmare Yacht acts as the stage for the players.

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One Response to “Spirits in the Material World: Lockwood’s Nightmare Yacht”

1. Phoenix says:

   October 31, 2013 at 6:09 pm

   Nice article and reflections on the Nightmare Yacht.

   Reply