We’re fast closing in on the end of Skeleton Appreciation Month, with the grand Spookening of the 31st looming ever nearer. A lot of games are doing silly things to celebrate the season, but few have made me smile quite as much as sci-fi stealth actioner Heat Signature’s Space Halloween event.
Warm up your xylophone, because it’s about to get boney out in the cold vacuum of space.
Now that I think about it, there are an awful lot of spooky things in our list of great PC stealth games, too.
As we all know, there are no graves in space. I mean, it’s space – where would you dig it? Ergo, there is no way for it to read Rest In Peace, and thus you are automatically drafted into the Skeleton War. It’s in the contract – go check.
if your grave doesnt say “rest in peace” on it you are automatically drafted into the skeleton war
— wint (@dril) July 28, 2013
For the duration of Space Halloween, the Skeleton War will be fought to the last bone. The perma-death aspect of the Heat Signature is gone, replaced by temporary undeath. Get murdered in space, and your character will return to duty as an unfeeling skeleton. Being a sack of bones isn’t all bad, though; Without lungs, you can float around in space for as long as you please, and heat sensors won’t be able to detect you as easily, on account of your lack of life signs.
The Skeleton War is being fought on multiple fronts. Missions stating that the ship you’re about to raid is understaffed will now be populated by a literal skeleton crew. Plus, if you’re asked to ‘ghost’ a mission by avoiding all detection, you’ll have the advantage of being a literal ghost. While your newfound intangibility will protect you from bullets, the objective will still be considered a failure if you are seen.
Also, yes, that does mean you can become a Skeleton Ghost. Or a Ghost Skeleton. Once Space Halloween ends, things will return to normal.Mostly. Skeletonized characters will stick around a while longer, but whatever unearthly (unspacely?) forces were animating them will be gone, so your next death will be somewhat more permanent.
Heat Signature is out now on Steam for £11/$15, and Space Halloween will continue spooking up a storm until November 1st.