Admittedly, playing the Heartworm demo at October’s Steam Next Fest was a pain in the ass, but it made me feel a little closer to protagonist Sam. In the demo, we sense almost immediately that Sam is in pain, mourning her loved ones and seeking healing from her grief in the depths of internet forums.
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With nothing on hand but your camera, a lighter, and some cigarettes, it’s up to you – as Sam – to explore this haunting place and see if the rumors are true. Rumor has it in the deepest recesses of the internet that there is a special place where people can reunite with their long-lost relatives. Rumor has it that those who go to this special place never come back. But that doesn’t stop Sam.
The hum of abandoned televisions and lost souls accompanies you as you cross the threshold into this strange, otherworldly mountain place, and you immediately feel as if something is watching you. It’s this feeling that reminds me of the recent indie survival horror The Empty Body, which also has details that make you question your own sanity.
Heartworm also doesn’t explain what it is or what you’re doing and why. Beyond the first few tutorials and the chance to choose whether you want modern controls or tank controls, the game lets you use your own device, and if this 20-30 minute demo is an example, you’re in for a journey. Players should look forward to it. As you explore the streets and empty homes along the way, you’ll encounter puzzles and general oddities, from a bunch of TVs screeching with static in the middle of the street, to doorways littered with video tapes, to the strange static you see biology. Will eventually fight.
To overcome these problems, you need to take pictures, and the camera’s shutter does its damage. It’s all very “Fatal Frame” and even reminded me of the Dark and Deep demo I played during the Steam Next Fest in June, in which players had to use frames to interact with the environment and fight off threats.
You’ll find houses that take you into brand new areas, hallways decorated with a suspicious number of masks, and a general feeling that something isn’t right with the world, and Sam finds himself exploring in hopes of getting some answers.
My demo ended with a time jump to a boss fight, which unfortunately featured a giant spider capable of lifting the bus with ease. Not only that, but the creature can spawn smaller, exploding spiders, which really tripped up Sam the first time I tried to fight them. This largely felt like a change of pace from the haunting streets Heartworm had me exploring before, but it did show me that Heartworm’s boss fights weren’t joke. Again, though, I question how and why Sam ended up here, and why she hasn’t turned around and gone home.
Inspired by the likes of Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and Silent Hill, Heartworm does have a Silent Hill feel to it, as it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s fake, And Sam doesn’t seem to care about the threat from Silent Hill. Loom; all she cared about was to be reunited with them again. I have no idea who they are, but I’ll be curious to find out who they are once Heartworm is finally released.
Heartworm is now wishlistable on Steam.
