While We Wait Here, the New Psychological Horror Kitchen Sim, Is Launching on October 23

Developer Bad Vices Games has officially unveiled the release date for their upcoming psychological horror title, While We Wait Here, with the launch trailer confirming an October 23, 2024 debut.

Hello everyone 👋
We're back with great news!
While We Wait Here will be released on October 23 on #Steam, #PlayStation , #Xbox , and #Switch 🌪️
Enjoy the launch trailer 👇#WhileWeWaitHere #SteamDeals #gamedev pic.twitter.com/7p8DcQFzo0

— Bad Vices Games (@BadVicesGames) October 3, 2024

According to the short trailer, the game will be available across multiple platforms, including PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, for the modest price of $4.99. Early adopters who purchase the game on launch day will also enjoy a discount.

Following the trailer launch, While We Wait Here has generated significant buzz among fans of both horror and simulation games as the unique game combines the mundanity of a kitchen management game with the existential dread of an apocalyptic event, creating a one-of-a-kind experience. Here’s everything you need to know about While We Wait Here:

Everything to Know About While We Wait Here

Game Overview

At its core, While We Wait Here combines two seemingly incompatible genres: psychological horror and kitchen management. Players will take on the roles of Cliff and Nora, managing a small diner near a mountain range and serving customers amidst a looming global catastrophe. The setting presents a unique twist on horror games and simulators, allowing players to interact with a steady stream of customers, each grappling with their problems as they confront the world’s imminent end.

As players cook meals, serve food, and clean dishes, they also engage in deep, emotionally charged conversations. These interactions form the heart of the gameplay, as players must help customers navigate their fears, make choices about their fate, and grapple with the knowledge that their current meal could be their last.

In short, While We Wait Here uses the ordinary setting of a diner to explore complex themes surrounding mortality and existential dread. The game capitalises on the juxtaposition of day-to-day routines — cooking, cleaning, and serving — with the backdrop of an earth-shattering catastrophe. This contrast between the mundane and the extraordinary creates a tense, thought-provoking atmosphere that deviates from traditional horror games.

Multiple Endings and Meaningful Choices

Based on the trailer, The developers have heavily emphasised narrative choices, offering multiple endings based on how players interact with the characters and respond to the impending disaster. Each conversation with a customer could influence the outcome, from convincing them to flee to safety or encouraging them to remain in the diner and face whatever comes. These decisions will shape the game’s conclusion, ensuring different playthroughs and re-runs.

Additionally, While We Wait Here promises fully voiced characters, enhancing the emotional weight of the dialogues and interactions. The characters, each dealing with the world’s end in their own way, range from those who deny the catastrophe to those who welcome it as a form of punishment for their past misdeeds. The voice acting, paired with multiple languages for subtitles, ensures that the story resonates with a global audience.

Gameplay Mechanics and Immersive Features

Despite its horror elements, While We Wait Here maintains the core mechanics of a kitchen management simulator. Players will prepare food, cook meals, and serve customers in a first-person perspective. This routine becomes more fraught as the external disaster grows closer, raising the tension inside the diner.

Key features include:

• Engaging Conversations: Interact with customers in deep, fully-voiced dialogues that touch on themes of mortality, relationships, and the looming apocalypse.
• Multiple Endings: Your choices will shape the story, offering several possible endings based on how you guide the characters through their final moments.
• Meditative Horror: The game presents a non-linear experience where players can explore different outcomes without a “game over” mechanic. Instead of right or wrong choices, every decision carries weight, and it’s up to the player to decide what’s best.
• Diverse Interactions: From flipping burgers and frying pancakes to washing dishes, the first-person interactions contribute to the diner’s atmosphere and narrative depth.
• Atmospheric Setting: Set on an isolated highway near a mountain range, the restaurant feels isolated yet vibrant, with the outside world’s catastrophe serving as an ever-present threat.

While We Wait Here Is The Successor to “Ravenous Devils”

With everything considered, While We Wait Here offers a fresh take on both genres, as Bad Vices Games is no stranger to merging horror with kitchen management. Their previous title, Ravenous Devils, invited players into a nightmarish world of cooking and butchering civilians, drawing comparisons to Sweeney Todd. While Ravenous Devils was an indie horror gem, the stakes are even higher for While We Wait Here, with expectations rising for the studio to deliver another standout experience.

Unlike Ravenous Devils, which focused more on visceral horror, While We Wait Here seems poised to take a more philosophical and psychological approach to the genre. The emphasis on character-driven stories and moral dilemmas adds depth, allowing players to question their actions and the fates of those they encounter.

Will you stay in the comfort as the world ends, or will you run for shelter? Let us know your thoughts on our Twitter page as we cover daily announcements from your favourite games and gaming studios.