Spooky season is fast approaching, and with it will come plenty of new arrivals in the horror genre. Eyes of Hellfire is a brand-new social horror game from indie studio Gambrinous Games and publisher Blumhouse. The game blends Irish folklore with intriguing co-op gameplay that involves solving puzzles in a mysterious old lodge based on Dublin’s centuries-old Hellfire Club. Players will not always be working together, though, with plenty of tricks up Eyes of Hellfire‘s sleeve that could result in some having their own selfish objectives to meet at the expense of their friends.
Game Rant recently sat down with Liam Cunningham, an actor with a huge body of work who is perhaps best known for playing Ser Davos Seaworth in HBO’s Game of Thrones. Voicing the mysterious character of the Host in Eyes of Hellfire, Cunningham explained how video games have certain advantages over TV and movies due to the way they can tell stories.
Video games may be one of the newer media when compared to TV and movies, but their meteoric rise in popularity since the turn of the century has put them on equal footing with the two entertainment juggernauts. Each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses, but Cunningham explained how video games open certain doors that are not available to others. He said:
“On TV and movies, you’re a voyeur, pressing a remote control, you sit back and you’re passive. There’s magnificent TV, brilliant movies and magnificent games. But the USP with the games is that the game doesn’t exist unless you participate, unless you’re part of the action. So your emotional investment and the frights that you get when it’s you on the buttons is probably, dare I say it, even more rewarding than being on TV or in a movie. It is most definitely a unique selling point, because it does what TV and cinema do, but then goes a step further. You’re not passive, you’re not consuming it. You’re a participant.”
Early Access is Another Unique Advantage for Video Games
Eyes of Hellfire is launching into Steam Early Access, a move that allows Gambrinous Games to gather and act on player feedback quickly. Cunningham was also keen to point out that this particular trait works perfectly for video games, even though, in other media, it is not seen as such a positive move. He said:
That’s another difference between movies, TV and games. I mean, they do it with movies specifically where they have test audiences in, you know all that. But in that world, it’s kind of seen as, oh well, you’re just letting the audience decide what the end of the movie is. Whereas with games, finding out what players would like, where they see initial ideas going etc, and getting their feedback about pretty much every aspect of the game, is a perfect idea.
With a huge portfolio of work across TV and movies, Eyes of Hellfire will mark Liam Cunningham’s first credited video game role (aside from the as-yet-unreleased Squadron 42, which has been in development for over a decade and is currently slated to launch in 2026). Even at this stage of his career, the 64-year-old is fascinated by video games as a medium and would be absolutely open to more video game roles in the future, should he feel they are a good fit.
