World of Horror, a 1-bit tribute to the horror works of Lovecraft and Japanese manga, is one of the PC games that you absolutely need to keep your eye on.
“The Old Gods are reawakening, clawing their way back into a world that’s spiraling into a mysterious madness,” reads a description of World of Horror‘s story posted on the game’s Steam page. “In a small, seaside town of Japan, the population’s sanity is dwindling and otherworldly, grotesque creatures terrorize those who call the place home. In World of Horror, it’s the end of the world and the only solution is to confront the terror reigning over the apocalypse.”
There’s quite a lot to understand about this fairly ambitious game, but the basic idea seems to be that World of Horror sees you play as five different characters who must navigate a choice-filled adventure split into branching paths. Along the way, you’ll participate in story sequences that require you to utilize a deck of event cards that will help determine the outcome of certain story segments. Using different cards in certain situations could lead to different outcomes. The structure reminds us of a more open, adventure-like version of Slay the Spire.
Of course, the initial draw of this experience is the game’s 1-bit visuals and interface. Much like the brilliant Return of the Obra Dinn, World of Horror feels and looks like something that could have been released in the earliest days of PC gaming. There’s always been a nostalgic appeal to that style, and we can certainly see how it could be used to enhance an atmosphere of dread and confusion.
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Put it all together, and you’ve got a fascinating horror game that looks to break the modern mold by delivering unique scares inspired by some masters of the genre. We’re interested to see what this cocktail of ideas tastes like, but we’re fascinated by everything that’s going into it.
World of Horror is expected to launch via Steam Early Access on February 20.
Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.
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