World of Horror is an upcoming retro-roguelite RPG published by Yrbryd Games, publishers of the hit indie cyber-punk bartending simulator VA-11 HALL-A. World of Horror combines an old school aesthetic with rich cosmic horror to create an experience so out there you'll feel like you're playing something really, really shouldn't be.
Developed by "one guy using MS-Paint" (according to the games Twitter account), World of Horror may not come across as a particularly deep experience. However, the currently available demo shows off a sample of hair-raising stories that fans of "Uzumaki" will immediately feel at home in.
Set in a small seaside town in Japan during the 1980s, World of Horror tells a series cosmic horror stories centered around the reawakening of the old gods. Told from 5 unique perspectives, the game offers an Ultima-like RPG experience complete with turn based combat, multiple endings, and a robust stat and inventory system.
The demo will take you through several short encounters in the game, one of which being a journey through a twisted school filled with macabre scenes to find ritual materials in order to banish a demon woman brandishing hospital scissors. There's a ton of body horror and the kinds of prose that will make creepy-pasta aficionados weep.
For anyone unfamiliar with the game's influences, Junji Ito is a manga writer/artist and is very much a modern day H.P. Lovecraft. His work centers around dark forces that pull people towards the void, twisting them mentally and physically. A considerable amount of his work is available for free online, and if you're interested in a crash course look no further than the short story "The Enigma of Amigara Fault."
In the story, mysterious human-shape holes have appeared on the side of a mountain following an earthquake. No one knows why there are there or where they lead, until someone discovers a hole the exact shape and size of their body; a hole made for them. World of Horror will be playing with a lot of these ideas and themes and, so far, looks like its nailing the cosmic horror genre.
World of Horror is scheduled for a 2019 release and will have a new demo available for fans to try out at PAX West next month. You can download the current demo on the official website for the game.
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