''Golem'' is a video game developed by Highwire Games for the

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...

, specifically for the

PlayStation VR The PlayStation VR (PS VR, known by its code name Project Morpheus during development) is a virtual reality headset developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, which was released in October 2016. It is fully functional with the PlayStation 4 an ...

virtual reality headset A virtual reality headset (or VR headset) is a head-mounted device that provides virtual reality for the wearer. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers. VR ...

. It was released on November 15, 2019.

Development

''Golem'' is the debut game from independent studio Highwire Games. Based in Seattle, the studio was founded in 2015 by former

Bungie Bungie, Inc. is an American video game company based in Bellevue, Washington. It is a studio owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The company was established in May 1991 by Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones (progr ...

employees

Martin O'Donnell Martin O'Donnell (born May 1, 1955) is an American composer known for his work on video game developer Bungie's series, such as '' Myth'', ''Oni'', ''Halo'', and ''Destiny''. O'Donnell collaborated with his musical colleague Michael Salvatori ...

and Jaime Griesemer, alongside Jared Noftle, co-founder of

Airtight Games Airtight Games was an American independent video game developer based in Redmond founded in 2004 that was made up of former members of FASA Studio, Will Vinton Studios and Microsoft, as well as several other studios. The key members included pre ...

. Vic Deleon, another former Bungie employee, left

343 Industries 343 Industries is an American video game developer located in Redmond, Washington, part of Xbox Game Studios. Headed by Pierre Hintze, the studio is responsible for the ''Halo'' series of military science fiction games, originally created and ...

to join the development team as world art director and Travis Brady of

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joined as character art director. ''Golem'' was developed for the

and makes use of the

. The game was developed using

Unreal Engine 4 Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game ''Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of genre ...

. Highwire approached

Epic Games Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...

' Seattle-based studio for assistance on developing the virtual reality game. O'Donnell, who serves as the game's composer, launched a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

campaign to

crowdfund Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

a "musical prequel" to ''Golem'', titled ''Echoes of the First Dreamer''.

Release

''Golem'' was first announced in December 2015 at the

PlayStation Experience PlayStation Experience, also known as PSX, is an annual event for the video game industry presented by Sony Interactive Entertainment used to reveal and advertise PlayStation games and game-related merchandise. The event is open to the public an ...

. The game was scheduled to launch on 13 March 2018, but had since been delayed for further polishing. On 19 August, Highwire games confirmed a new Fall 2019 release window.

Reception

The game received mixed reviews, according to review aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, with an average of 59/100 based on 19 reviews. The game was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition" at the 2020

D.I.C.E. Awards The D.I.C.E. Awards (formerly the Interactive Achievement Awards) is an award show in the video game industry started in 1998 and commonly referred to in the industry as the "video games Academy Awards, Oscar". The awards are arranged by the Ac ...

, and won the award for "Best Dialogue for an Indie Game" at the 2020 G.A.N.G. Awards, whereas its other nomination was for "Best Sound Design for an Indie Game".

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-03-11-marty-odonnell-announces-kickstarter-musical-project/ , title=Destiny composer Marty O'Donnell announces Kickstarter musical project , work=

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...

, publisher=

Gamer Network Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...

, first=Tom , last=Phillips, date=11 March 2016 , accessdate=16 December 2017 {{cite web , url=https://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/12/05/golem-from-highwire-games-is-a-playstation-vr-exclusive/ , title=Golem from Highwire Games is a PlayStation VR Exclusive , work=PlayStation Blog , publisher=

Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game industry, video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is ma ...

, first=Jaime , last=Griesemer , date=5 December 2015 , accessdate=5 March 2016 {{cite web , url=https://blog.us.playstation.com/2017/12/09/golem-the-power-of-your-dreams/ , title=Golem: The Power of Your Dreams , work=PlayStation Blog , publisher=

, first=Jaime , last=Griesemer , date=9 December 2017 , accessdate=16 December 2017 {{cite web , url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-06-18-bungie-airtight-veterans-found-highwire-games , title=Bungie, Airtight veterans found Highwire Games , work=GamesIndustry.biz , publisher=

, first=Matthew , last=Handrahan , date=18 June 2015 , accessdate=5 March 2016 {{cite web , url=http://www.polygon.com/2016/2/22/11051686/golem-playstationvr-highwire-games , title=A Seattle supergroup of developers is trying to crack VR's trickiest problems , work=

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...

, publisher=

Vox Media Vox Media, Inc. is an American mass media company based in Washington, D.C., and New York City. The company was established in November 2011 by Jim Bankoff and Trei Brundrett to encompass ''SB Nation'' (a sports blog network founded in 2005 by ...

, first=Ben , last=Kuchera , date=22 February 2016 , accessdate=5 March 2016 {{cite web , url=https://highwiregames.com/2019/08/19/golem-emerges-from-the-shadows-this-fall-on-playstation-vr/ , title=Golem Emerges From the Shadows This Fall On Playstation VR , work= Highwire Games , date=19 August 2019 , accessdate=4 September 2019 {{cite web , url=https://www.pcgamer.com/control-and-death-stranding-get-eight-nominations-each-for-the-2020-dice-awards/ , title=Control and Death Stranding get 8 nominations each for the 2020 DICE Awards , work=

PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...

, publisher=

Future plc Future plc is an international multimedia company established in the United Kingdom in 1985. The company has over 220 brands that span magazines, newsletters, websites, and events in fields such as video games, technology, films, music, photogr ...

, first=Andy , last=Chalk , date=13 January 2020 , accessdate=17 January 2020 {{cite web , url=https://www.thehypemagazine.com/2020/02/game-audio-network-guild-announces-18th-annual-g-a-n-g-award-nominees/ , title=Game Audio Network Guild Announces 18th Annual G.A.N.G. Award Nominees , work=The Hype Magazine , publisher=The Hype Magazine, Inc. , first=Kelly , last=Wilson , date=13 February 2020 , accessdate=27 February 2020 {{cite web , url=https://variety.com/2020/music/news/death-stranding-gaming-gang-awards-winners-list-1234600151/ , title='Death Stranding' Sweeps Gaming's G.A.N.G. Awards With Six Wins Including Audio of the Year , work=

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

, publisher=

Penske Media Corporation Penske Media Corporation (PMC) () is an American digital media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including ''Variety'', ''Rolling Stone'', '' ...

, first=Jazz , last=Tangcay , date=6 May 2020 , accessdate=7 May 2020

External links

Official website
2019 video games Fictional golems PlayStation 4 games PlayStation VR games Unreal Engine games Video games developed in the United States Video games scored by Martin O'Donnell Single-player video games