As standalone genres, point-and-click text adventures and RPGs have never really appealed to me. However, the horror genre - especially titles that feature stori🐲es with the most twisted and unsettling horror tropes - draws me in like a moth to a flame. As such, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by World of Horror, developed by panstasz and currently available in Steam Early Access.♛ Don’t be fooled by the fact that game is a 1-bit text adventure. Even in its Early Access🧸 state, World of Horror is incredibly effective in delivering hair-raising dread and unsettlin💯g fear that will stick with you long after exiting the game.
One-Way Ticket To Hell
Inspired by horror manga author, Junji Ito, along with the co🃏smic horror themes of H.P. ൲Lovecraft, World of Horror takes place ﷽in 1984 Japan, putting players in the shoes of one of five characters who have returned to their sleepy, seaside town to figure out why the locals are losing their sanity, while grotesque, otherworldly creatures pile up the boꩲdy count (hoping to add yours to the collection).
Players c𝓀an choose from three different difficulties, allowing for customizable playthroughs. RPG elements such as stat categories, experience points, skills, and inventory management play a major part in the overall mechanics, especially during the turn-based combat. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the overall feel of the RPG system felt more like a lively session of Dungeons & Dragons, rather than a typical RPG title. Being a (very) casual RPG player, I didn’t do too much with 💃my skills or spell management. That said, I have no ⛎doubt that the system lends itself well for more hardcore and knowledgeable players to customize their character as in-depth as they desire.
Choose Your Own Horror
The roguelite nature of World of Horror’s narrative is what has stuck with me the most, and quite honestly, has made me want to hone in on understanding the RPG style of ▨play. Investigating 🌞different locations leads players on a journey filled with unsettling situations and NPC interactions. These play out through various event cards that allow players to make their own decisions that will ultimately impact the final outcome.
During my playthroughs, more often than not, I would come across an event with two options, but had only one choice actually available to me because I was missing a required item for the second choice. This was my own fault, though. The game provides clear direction as to how to progress the story forward, but players are free to explore other areas before doing so that might aid in their investigation, or, conversely, lead thౠem to their premature, often gruesome death. I chose to continue through the story as quickly as I could, rather than looking around for helpful items, which I ended up regretting.
Silent But Deadly
At first glance, the interface has a lot going on. The game addresses this outright in the beginning, but I was genuinely concerned that the 1-bit, chaotic design was going to keep me from being truly engaged with the gameplay itself. Thankfully, I was mistaken. After about 15-minutes (which was right around the length ⭕of my first failed playthrough), I was totally familiar💧 with what I needed to do and what I needed to click, so I was able to stay engaged with the overall narrative.
The only real technical issue I encountered had to do with the audio, which actually seemed to work out in favor of elevating the game’s delivery of dread. During my first playthrough, the 🅰retro-styled audio occurred without issue. On the playthroughs that followed, no audio played at all. After troubleshooting, I decided to give up and play in silence. Coupled with the game’s art style and interface (like the creepy house in the background that always in view), I felt that playing in silence actually made the game even more scary and unsettling. I’m still unsure if the audio issue was user-error or an Early Access in-game glitch, but I’m glad that it happened.
Sleep Tight
I am deliberately declining to touch on any of the specifics surrounding the Ito/Lovecraft elements in the game so as to avoid any hint of a spoiler. Rest assured, though. Their influences are abundant and well-executed (I’m still hung up on one of my decisions that I’m pretty sure doomed ♌my most successful playthrough).
From casual player to hardcore RPG veteran, World of Horror is sure to delight any horror fan. While it may not look like much at first glance, the game’s ability to spark unsettling fear is better than most horror games that I’ve played in recent memory. My hope is that once the full game releases, more story lines will continue to be added, as that could provide countless hours of fun, terror, and replayability. I’d say, “Don’t play right before going to bed,” but it wouldn’t maꦯtter. World of Horror (and its unnerving inhabit๊ants) will most likely permea💛te and plague your mind even on the brightest, most beautiful of days.
A Steam Early Access code was provided to TheGamer for thꦓis preview. World of Horror will be available for PC on February 20, 2020, and will eventually make 🍌its way to PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. A free demo of♑ the .