It’s been a pretty good time for fans of indie horror games. While the big-budget heavy-hitters are certainly doing well, it feels like games from smaller teams and productions have been thriving. Games like Signalis, Immortality, and Inscryption have put a lot of eyes on the genre.
This thriving spirit wove itself into Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. Alamo Drafthouse’s annual film festival plays host to a variety of genre films, all from different backgrounds, production scales, and styles. While the festival has hosted some games partnerships in the past, this year, it teamed up with Day of the Devs to spotlight a selection of notable horror games.
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Over the course of a couple of days, I went hands-on with most of them—VR can make me motion sick, and I didn’t find time for the neat-looking installation Channel: Death—and found a lot to be excited about. I can be a bit picky about my horror games; I usually prefer creepy vibes and dread to jump-scares, and gun-toting, herb-crafting survival horror to run-and-hide affairs. But the range of games on display surprised me, drew me in, and certainly made my Steam wishlist a little larger.
Post Trauma
Falling on that herb-crafting survival-horror side of the spectrum, Post Trauma immediately brings to mind Resident Evil. The demo, set in a decrepit and creepy hospital wing, sees your protagonist slowly puzzling their way through room after room, seeking a way out.
At first, the slower speed and some opaque puzzle solutions felt like molasses. But soon, I was taking notes on my phone, getting wrapped up in dissecting the various riddles. Post Trauma was a slow burn, slowly but surely growing on me. Combat felt a bit less engaging, but fans of puzzle-heavy survival-horror games should probably keep an eye on this one.
Karma: The Dark World
Mind-bending horror certainly feels well-suited to video games. Karma: The Dark World has clear inspiration from twisting cinema, ranging from dystopian future concepts to Inception-esque dream worlds. After a jarring introduction, your character is plunged into worlds with loose logic and creepy monsters.
Most of my time was spent solving some light puzzles and engaging in little gameplay vignettes, like drearily repeating a stamping process for an Orwellian company. Otherwise, it was watching the story play out in first-person or running from monsters. It’s a visual treat, and the hallways twisting and bending around looks great, though I didn’t enjoy the actual fleeing as much. Karma seems made for people who want a little splash of Lynch or Nolan in their horror.
Grunn
Sokpop’s Grunn might have been my biggest surprise at the festival. The concept is simple: you’re the new gardener, and you must tend to the garden. Use your tools to clean and spruce up the place, but don’t poke your head where it doesn’t belong, and definitely don’t go out at night. Seriously. Don’t go out at night.
Grunn’s pleasant lo-fi look adds some delightful eeriness to the play area. There’s a feeling like you’re watched, at all times, that I couldn’t shake. And of course, it’s quite easy for curiosity to get the better of you. What’s in that weird house you’re tending to? Who’s leaving these notes and polaroids? Is there something lurking out there, watching me? I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more from this creepy, compelling project.
Tom the Postgirl
A good art style can go a long way for games, and Tom the Postgirl has a visually striking look. This Brothers Grimm animation style isn’t just set dressing either; it carries into the storytelling too, as you follow the titular postgirl delivering boxes to surreal, creepy homes.
And sure, you could just drop the box and move on. But don’t you want to know what’s going on in those homes? What’s making all those noises? And what’s in the box? Maybe you could use what’s in the box to do something different, something a little… devious. I’m curious to see how this concept pans out into a full game, but as a quick demo experience, Tom the Postgirl definitely leaves an impression.
Skate Story
Initially, I was a little confused about why a skateboarding game was at an ostensibly horror-focused showcase. Within minutes, though, I was signing a contract for a skateboard, so my glass-bodied demon could consume the moon after Ollie-ing onto some demonic ritual circles. Ah, yeah, there we go.
Though the setting is distinctly surreal, the skating is firmly realistic. Slowly learning the basics of powersliding, timing an Ollie, and nailing a sick Kickflip felt incredibly good, the way it did when you first started hitting the pavement on a real board. The first time I managed to grind a rail, after eating shit time and time again, was triumphant. Skate Story isn’t just a game about demons or a game about skating, but a fantastic combination of the two.
Holstin
Though this demo’s been freely available on Steam for a bit, it still felt great to head back into the tunnels of Holstin and try to survive. If you haven’t tried it out before, you really should; Holstin’s magic trick its fluid transitions between a classic isometric view and an over-the-shoulder action cam, a la Resident Evil 4.
But even apart from that surprisingly powerful camera option, Holstin is also a really solid survival horror experience with a great art style. I’m hoping it gets some traction when it finally arrives.
Horses
It’s really hard to talk about Horses without giving away some of the fun. So on the surface level, if you’re intrigued by surreal horror experiences with mixed media, shocking imagery, and big ideas, this is it. Horses is the arthouse tale that gets under your skin, that leaves you mouth-agape and wondering how anyone could conceive of this, slowly drawn in by every bizarre moment and decision. Every frame of Horses left me more stunned than the last, and honestly, it fit incredibly well with some of the more outlandish and gruesome horror films showing at Fantastic Fest.
To be more direct, this is a game about 14 days spent on a ranch, taking care of horses. You like horses, right? Just keep that smile on, do your tasks, and you’ll love Horses in no time.
Hollowbody
Hollowbody is an interesting one. There’s a love for a certain era of horror, somewhere around the PS1 and PS2. It has the player picking through a creepy apartment complex, picking up bullets, and finding a big club to bash some enemy heads with.
It’s a bit straightforward, but you know what you’re getting. The pacing and movement of this one felt a bit slow, but if you’re hungry for some creepy retro-inspired survival horror, this might sate your appetite, and it’s also already out now.
darkwebSTREAMER
Many games at Fantastic Fest surprised me in their art style and direction, but darkwebSTREAMER did that while also looping in a fairly unique gameplay loop to match its odd premise. You are an up-and-coming streamer on the dark web, putting your own sanity and mortality at risk for the chance at an adoring audience. The developer evokes all the mystery of an older internet, filled with guestbooks, IRC logs, and ephemera-laden blogs, but infuses them with that fear of the unknown; that somehow, even through the web, something is lingering just on your periphery, waiting for you to drop your guard.
darkwebSTREAMER draws on the same retro-horror aesthetic as games like World of Horror, with a similar chunky, tactile UI and stats-driven systems. That alone might be enough to make your brain hum with excitement, but if you also like creepy throwbacks to an older time, darkwebSTREAMER is waiting for you to go live.
Fear the Spotlight
Not playing favorites, but if I had to pick one demo that stuck with me the most from the weekend, it’s Fear the Spotlight. One of the first projects picked up by Blumhouse Games,
Cozy Game Pals’ horror story immediately evokes PS1 era nostalgia and teen drama heartache in equal measure. Breaking into your school library to use a Ouija board? It’s a perfect set-up.
Things go bad fast, though. Fear the Spotlight feels carefully designed to steadily ramp its tension. Your hands are always on the controller, always taking part in whatever’s happening, even when events fly out-of-control. The dread builds until it erupts in a big way, ending the demo with an obvious segue into the full game. It’s a great cliffhanger that really left me wanting more.
Horror game demos can be some of the most captivating vertical slices around when they’re done well, and Fear the Spotlight nails it. It’s become one of my must-watch indie horror games, and feels like a strong foot forward for Blumhouse’s publishing efforts. I can’t wait to see what Cozy Game Pals pulls off with the full runtime.
Fantastic Games ran as a part of Fantastic Fest 2024 from October 20-22nd.
