Delightfully strange and just generally delightful game World of Horror has finally released, leaving early access development on October 19 2023. It celebrates with a deliciously good trailer freshly scored by composer Joseph Bailey that shows off what’s best about World of Horror: scared teenagers trying to save the day, moody scenes of dark landscapes, and terrifying critters coming up out of absolutely nowhere to murder you.
World of Horror is a game about saving the Japanese fishing town of Shiokawa, and probably the world by extension, from impending doom under the gaze of some dark and eldritch god. It’s cosmic horror in the vein of Junji Ito, but where you’re the desperate protagonist trying to figure out how to slow or halt or even just survive the abstract and not-so-abstract terrors that suddenly show up in your everyday life.
“We’re stoked to announce the game has finally left Steam Early Access today, and we are also able to offer everyone the original Early Access price one more time as part of today’s Steam Daily Deal!,” said publisher ysbryd games in the release announcement.
“The Old Gods are reawakening, clawing their way back into a world that’s spiraling into madness. In hospitals, abandoned classrooms, quiet apartments, and dark forests, strange appearances and unexplainable phenomena test the sanity of residents in Shiokawa, Japan. Is it chaotic retribution, or the machinations of beings beyond our comprehension?,” reads World of Horror’s official description.
It’s a game of unforgivign choices and certain death, but in a very good way. Each time you play it’s like unlocking and seeing new cards from a deck of horrors and events that can show up to help or hinder your progress in the world. You resolve much of it via turn-based combat and puzzles, all of which are quite good in my experience.
World of Horror has long been a hit with fans, though its development has been quite extended—understandable, since it’s the product of a single developer and thus subject to the whims of life much more than other games. Nonetheless, it has seen steady development since late 2021 leading up to release.
You can find World of Horror for $20 on itch and on Steam (where it’s currently 25% off.) It’s also part of the current indie horror showcase on Steam.