Caput Mortum

Inspired by classics like King’s Field 4 and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, this retro 3D fright fest approaches its monster encounters and varied puzzles with a certain finesse and innovative mechanics that set it apart from other games of the genre.

Subtle environmental clues in the form of faded journals, runic riddles, malformed mutations, and warnings hastily scrawled in blood helped to not only provide narrative substance but aided in my motivation to muster up the courage to carry on as not to become a permanent fixture of that accursed place.

Controlling a one-handed lone traveler drawn to an alchemist’s tower perched atop an isolated hill, the terrifying tale unfolds through a series of tense combat scenarios, cleverly crafted puzzles, and a great deal of often uncomfortable environmental storytelling that truly set the tone for the ominous adventure.

You will feel things playing this game, especially if you adhere to a controller-based playthrough.

Crumbling cottages, sci-fi labs, an underground village, a stone school, and so many more delightfully disgusting settings presented themselves with a wide array of colors, textures, props, and puzzles that really set each apart from the last.

I usually suck at puzzles but the ones in this game are a perfect difficulty in my opinion.