World of Horror
Release Date: October 19, 2023
RPG, roguelike, horror, card games, Polish, indie games, singleplayer
OpenCritic
World of Horror is a unique old-school horror adventure game with RPG elements, inspired by the works of Junji Ito. The game is set in a coastal Japanese town, as the player attempts to discover the truth about horrifying events that foreshadow the coming of the elder gods.
World of Horror is an old-school RPG with card game elements. It's the debut game of Pantstasz, a single-person Polish studio founded by Pawel Kozminski. The game was published by Ysbryd Games.
Plot
World of Horror is heavily inspired by two world-famous horror authors: the British novelist H.P. Lovecraft and the Japanese mangaka Junji Ito. The game is set in a coastal town in Japan, where ancient powers have awakened. The people are falling into madness, and eldritch creatures start roaming the area. As the end of the world approaches, five heroes must face the horror and their own secrets.
Mechanics
World of Horrors was described by its creators as a roguelite - a more forgiving roguelike. The gameplay is reminiscent of an adventure game, tasking us with exploring different areas and looking for clues, used to solve cases such as contagious coma and unexplained disappearances.
There's no way to explore safely, however. All areas are full of unusual phenomena: suddenly deserting streets, doors appearing from nowhere, floods and eldritch creatures. These events can affect our character's state, funds and mental condition. The playable characters differ in terms of their stats, such as Charisma, Strength or Luck. Whenever we take an action, the game can check our stats to determine will we succeed. There's also the Doom meter, which increases constantly as we play - when it fills up, an eldritch god will awaken, causing an immediate game over. The end of the world can only be delayed by solving five mysteries, chosen randomly from many available occurences.
The gameplay revolves around cards, representing events, items, allies, etc. These cards can be chained together, meaning each scenario can play out in several ways. There's also magic, though using it has a steep cost. Occasionally we'll also encounter enemies, such as ghosts, eldritch entities and humans driven to madness. Combat is turn-based, heavily based on dice rolls and various modifiers.
Technical aspects
World of Horror features 1-bit visuals, reminiscent of Junji Ito's works, featuring several available color palettes. The 1-bit soundtrack enhances the unnatural atmosphere.
The game doesn't use jumpscares to build the atmosphere. It creates tension through gruesome descriptions and illustrations, visibly inspired by Ito and Lovecraft.
Last updated on February 20, 2020
Videos and Screens
[1:27] World of Horror trailer #3
[0:57] World of Horror trailer #2
The Outerhaven Productions: 4 / 5 by Andrew Agress
Drawing from horror authors and their creations, World of Horror builds its own web of eldritch beings and cosmic occurrences. The roguelike nature of mysteries in the game ensures that no two runs remain the same. Though certain mechanics rise above others, World of Horror keeps things fresh with creepy visuals, multiple plot resolutions, and degrees of customization, even as its coastal town falls into decay.
Pure Nintendo: 7 / 10 by Kirk Hiner
The visuals and roguelike elements of World of Horror combine to create a wholly unique experience for Switch users. The gameplay loop does become repetitive rather quickly, but the short gaming sessions and changing relationship between events make this a successful and scary diversion from the norm.
Destructoid: 8 / 10 by Zoey Handley
World of Horror seems to hit all its goals. While its approach to horror is rather derivative of Junji Ito, it’s applied in a creative way and with a vision of its own. I can’t say I was blown away because it really is exactly the game that it claims to be. However, I was immensely satisfied. It’s a wonderfully modular experience, but if you’re deathly afraid of numbers, then that’s where you’ll find the real horror.
World of Horror Summary
Early Access:February 20, 2020
Platforms:
PC / Windows October 19, 2023
Switch October 26, 2023
PlayStation 4 October 26, 2023
Developer: Panstasz
Publisher: Ysbryd Games
World of Horror System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i3, 1 GB RAM, graphic card Intel HD 4400 or better, 500 MB HDD, Windows 7
1-bit Horror Masterpiece Delights on Steam
We finally lived to see the release of version 1.0 of World of Horror. This Polish game, inspired by Japanese horror stories, was received very warmly on Steam.
video games
Adrian Werner
October 20, 2023