TheAveryChu
There is a neat sub-genre surfacing in the indie gaming scene; games deliberately emulating the low-poly, highly-pixelated environments prominently seen in the early era of 3D gaming. Created during a game jam, Bleakshore is a small horror title that seeks to add this visual twist to it’s walking simulator gameplay.
Despite the minimalist gameplay, Bleakshore is a clear love letter to early, PS1-style survival horror titles, as evidenced by the Silent Hill inspired soundtrack and story. The premise centers on the player’s search for a woman named Orla after receiving an odd voicemail from her mentioning the “Bleakshore.” Throughout their journey, players will discover various items and clues as to just who this woman is and her relationship to the protagonist. All the while, a black figure seemingly stalks the player, displaying the game’s subtle approach to horror and making the discovery of this mysterious figure’s true identity a more meaningful surprise.
If a highly atmospheric and narratively focused experience is your cup of tea, definitely check out Bleakshore, especially since it’s free to download right now on itch.io. If its PS1 aesthetic has captured your attention, be sure to take a look at similar titles like Haunted Demo Disc 2020, and the Resident Evil parody Prototype Mansion.
