Living Nightmares is a freakin’ freaky indie horror game that takes everything you know about dolls and cults and put them into one game.

It’s everything you know about horror games on steroids. It combines atmospheric, surreal horror that gives you that spooky feeling like something’s gonna jump out at you. You know, that super tense feeling you get when walking down a dark hallway in a dimly-lit giant mansion.

And then you also get the actual jumpscares as well.

Yup, you get both in one.

Typically, you either get one or the other, but Living Nightmares delivers on both ends. The game has you playing as a character named John Doe (how original), which is a guy who can’t remember anything and wakes up in a dark mansion (how also original). He quickly notices that there are strangely dressed cult members wearing black cloaks and all he wants to do is escape.

The game has a whole cast of characters from Legio (a cast member that speaks to you from the cult) to The Burning Man (which is a violent person that’s unpredictable) to the Girl Next Door (who portrays a normal citizen but can’t help you at all) to the Mansion itself (which is a character and is self-aware) to Samura (a pretty girl who seems to be kind) to the Doll (which you’ll see for yourself!).

But, as with any horror game, it’s not that easy!

The objective of the game is to explore the mansion and collect seven coins throughout seven different “nightmares.” In other words, John has exactly one week to escape the mansion or else who knows what’ll happen to him. Each nightmare is like different episodes that you play through and the end result is a special coin that’s required for your ticket to freedom.

It’s similar to The Twilight Zone, where each night has you playing through a dream and each one is unique with different artwork and visual effects. The gameplay mechanics also change throughout the different dreams, so it’s like playing seven horror games in one. However, the dreams are connected to each other and influence each other in their own way. You’ll have to play it to understand to avoid any spoilers.

In the demo build, you start out in a monochrome dream (with plenty of nightmare fuel to go around). You’ll get exposed to the combat system and also encounter some of the monsters- and there’s one especially creepy monster that’ll burn an image into your eyes. It’s a two-faced doll.

The game features surreal and detailed graphics that easily suck you right into the gameplay. The artwork is dark, dull, and damp all at the same time and gives you that immersion where you can’t look away from the screen because you’re so attuned to what may be lurking around the corner. You’ll be glued to the screen, but at the same time, you’ll wish you never started playing it.

Personally, I hate this kind of horror because it’s the type that always gets me. If it didn’t have jumpscares, I wouldn’t have as much of a problem. But knowing that jumpscares are everywhere and the fact that you have an HP bar means it’s not just one of those indie exploration games. It means you’ll have to fight the monsters or get killed (which means you need to look at the screen)!

The combat system in Living Nightmares is done via first-person. It’s an FPS system where you get to use different weapons in order to take down or chase away monsters. The game has superb audio that matches with the level design and plenty of jumpscares to go around. There’s also extremely tension in some areas that you just know something’s gonna jump at you.

From the demo so far, Living Nightmares is a very well-done indie horror title that just delivers scare after scares and offers something fresh to table. If you like horror games, give this one a go. You’ll get scared. I guarantee it.

Try out the game using the link below. Put on your headphones and max out that volume. Then turn off the lights. Launch the game. And then get ready to turn them back on a few minutes in.

Download and Play Living Nightmares (Early Access)

Play

River T.

I play the newest to the crappiest indie games and filter them for the rest of the crew.

In other words, I’m a bottom-feeder. Why do I volunteer for this trash?

Indie devs: the last honest game creators.

The post Living Nightmares (Early Access) – Indie Horror on Steroids with Jumpscares, Monsters, and a Two-Faced Doll appeared first on Peach's Castle.