The 2012 indie parade just keeps on marching, and the latest game to fall into line is Dreampainters' short horror adventure named Anna.

Based on authentic folklore as told by current village elders and recorded historical documents, Anna is set in and around an old sawmill in D’Ayas Valley, an Alpine region in north-western Italy. Players must confront the eerie presence haunting the six explorable areas, solving puzzles and fighting to maintain a healthy mental state along the way. Your actions will not only impact your state of mind, but ultimately lead to one of three possible endings.



As seen in the first trailer of the game, Anna is explorable in full 3D, including some direct physical interactions with the world. The game will use the standard WASD keyboard and mouse combination controls to navigate, but according to the developers, clicking the mouse on interactive hotspots calls up an "old-style graphic adventure interface, with three verbs: examine, pick up and use." Although a single playthrough will reportedly last only about three hours, replays will lead to new paths of exploration and gameplay, significantly increasing the play time as you pursue the alternate endings.

The developers aren't revealing much about the plot so far, but we may not have long to wait to find out more, as the game is currently on track for release on May 18th. Dreampainters plan to distribute the game digitally through various online portals, but are also contemplating a self-published version with additional bonuses, though no firm details have been planned to date.