Horror game fans are excitedly talking about a new horror game that’s justlaunched as part of Xbox Game Pass. The game’s name isWorld of Horrorand it’s being pitched as a horror RPG deeply inspired by the works of two of horror’s most famous writers, Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft. Going off of those two names, potential players can probably guess thatWorld of Horrorgoes to some very dark places. Interested parties can download it for free via Xbox Game Pass right now, though it’s also available to buy on Steam.
According toWorld of Horror’s description, it takes place in a small fishing village named Shiokawa, set in Japan. Shiokawa is at the heart of the mystery behind the awakening of theOld Gods. The result is that people in Shiokawa are experiencing nightmarish phenomena as the world around them melts into madness. How the player fits into this story as the end of the world nears remains to be seen.
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TheH.P. Lovecraftinfluence should be immediately apparent, with the references to the Old Gods, madness, and the end of the world. As for the Junji Ito influence, that has more to do withWorld of Horror’s visuals. The game features a manga-esque visual style reminiscent of Ito’s work. It also features a lot of horrific visuals, including violence and gore, that also harken back to Ito’s most frightening stories.
As forWorld of Horror’s gameplay, it really needs to be experienced to understand. It’s clearly a horror game, but as for its genre it’s quite a bit involved. It’s anRPG with roguelite qualities. There’s turn-based combat in which the player will take on brain damage and garish wounds. Beyond that, players will have to make challenging decisions where life and death hang in the balance. In theWorld of Horror, nothing’s beyond the norm.
It should be noted thatWorld of Horroras it currently stands is incomplete. It’s anEarly Accessgame. Currently, there are 12 mysteries to solve, over 200 encounterable events, and 5 main characters. By the time it’s finished, developer panstasz wants to increase these numbers by 50-100%. It’s still a robust (though somewhat buggy) experience worth checking out. After all, it may not remain on Xbox Game Pass when reaches its full launch.
