Spooky season has come and gone, but the horror queen is still here! I hope everyone had a safe Halloween! Things were quiet on my end, mostly because I’ve been playing horror games! And friends, it was only a matter of time before I started talking about World of Horror. I’m super excited about this one, especially as it’s a little different to my normal gaming endeavours. Let’s jump right in!
What is World of Horror?
World of Horror is a 1-bit roleplaying game, developed by Paweł Koźmiński and published by Ysbryd Games. The pixel art style is inspired by legendary mangaka Junji Ito and Eldritch horror master H.P. Lovecraft. World of Horror is very much a roguelite, featuring turn-based combat and choices with rippling status effects.
Set in a small seaside town in Japan, The Old Gods are reawakening. Sanity is depleting, and grotesque, otherworldly creatures are terrorising the population. It is truly the end of the world as these people know it. You must confront these horrors head on, tackling mysteries within the new apocalypse.
There are five playable characters, with their own stories and perspectives on what’s happening in the town. Playthroughs are tackled through decks of event cards. Different cards and combinations will lead to different outcomes, and may even unlock new mysteries or clues.
World of Turns
Turn-based combat and roguelites in general have never really been my style. Despite this however, World of Horror enthralled me. Admittedly, it was the Ito-inspired art style that caught my interest initially. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a deep love of Junji Ito. He’s one of my artist idols. So to see something inspired by his work, I couldn’t help but want to play. Plus, I am trying to branch out a little bit.
Admittedly, it took me a little bit to get the hang of the combat. Even with the little tutorials, it just didn’t click in my brain. Some of the choices along the way were a little confusing for me too. This isn’t a reflection on the game however. It is completely down to my lack of knowledge and experience in this kind of game. Once I got the hang of things, it got pretty fun.
The art style is very well thought-out, and makes sense with the universe. The inspirations are clear with additional stylistic decisions heightening the atmosphere. It makes for a very well rounded horror experience.
Final Horrors
Despite the art style, I was a little skeptical about World of Horror at first. I’m a little set in my ways when it comes to gaming, mostly because it takes me a while to adapt to new things. I am very glad I gave this game a shot. The only thing that could have made this whole experience better for me would fall back to genre. I love the whole concept and the story, but I would love a more linear experience. That is very much personal preference, because even though I loved this game, the turn-based roguelite aspects still don’t click with me.
Something else that I really love is the fact that World of Horror is getting a physical Nintendo Switch release in December. I already have it on pre-order. The art-style and story make this game very well worth playing, and I think it would go over very well with lovers of roguelites!
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