Stifled

Just like any genre, horror is occasionally dominated by one kind of mechanic or trope, and things can occasionally get a bit stale. It looks like we won’t have to worry about that in Stifled, a game that used echolocation (seeing the environment around you using echoes to pinpoint the location of objects) to bring horror to the hopefully silent homes of horror gamers.

Stifled, which is being developed by Gattai Games as a spiritual successor to Lurking, an award-winning student project of a similar nature, uses sounds to immerse the gamer into an experience where they may have to hold their breath in real-life, in fear of making a single noise. You see, gamers will explore the environments of Stifled using echolocation. Every noise made, whether in the virtual world or the real-world (via your mic), will help gamers to see what is in front of them. The only problem with this is that the creatures hiding in the dark will hear you, and come running.

What I imagine will follow, based on my experience with a similarly interesting iOS game called DarkEcho, which has kept me entertained and tense throughout many train journeys, is a balance between wanting to see the world around you, and not wanting to die. 

Not really sure how that works? Check out the concept video:

Stifled doesn’t yet have a firm release date, but Gattai Games are aiming to have people holding their breath in fear sometime in 2015. Listen out for more concrete info on Stifled’s Twitter, or even the studio’s Twitter. Make sure you’re quiet.


Working on a horror game of your own? Just get in touch with me on Twitter! I’m going through my 100 Days of Horror project, so I’ll need lots of horror games to get through to the end. Send me a tweet or an email and you just might get your game featured on my blog.