God’s Basement is a paid horror indie game that lets you wander around purgatory–and see where it ends. Created by Erebus, you take the role of a recently deceased individual, whose soul follows a creature known as “The Operator” and slowly regains memories from your past life.

It is more of a story-driven adventure, making God’s Basement look like the next level for games like Palmyra Orphanage or Visage, although the Erebus game has no enemies or no form of fighting involved. Challenge yourself with this horror experience.

Follow your gut and The Operator

God’s Basement amazingly uses atmospheric tension plus horror elements to push your mind to the edge as it moves the story forward. You start in a seemingly normal office room, following the faint sound of a ringing phone. There are only two main environments–the office where you wake up and a strange house–which makes it visually limited and unappealing for players looking for varied environments.

Also, it also emphasizes the psychological aspect by doing away with any survival, stealth, or fighting mechanics. This game is an experience where the only choices are to stop in fear or to move forward. Of course, conflicts still exist and are presented in this game as puzzles and riddles, with the answers found in its scary environment. This forces you to face your fears in order to advance.

If you’re a player used to horror elements, this game unfortunately ends fast, with an entire run doable in a couple of hours. Also, the game is linear, impeded only by horror elements and puzzles. This means that there’s not much freedom to explore or experiment with the things around you. Though it’s a largely psychologically challenging experience, it comes across largely limited as a game.

A mentally taxing game

What God’s Basement lacks in the need for reflex or strategy, it makes up for with mental and emotional strain as you’re expected to face the uneasy environment that regularly builds up to reveal monstrous forms. With its amazing use of environmental design through its seemingly plain settings, the game hits you when you least expect it and becomes a challenging game in its own right. Definitely recommended.