Gloomwood, the stealth horror FPS with numerous wonderful retro touches, has now gone live into Steam Early Access. From the developers/publishers of beloved retro-inspired indie titles DUSK, AMID EVIL, ULTRAKILL, and FAITH have brought players an early opportunity to go hands-on with this terrifying gothic horror immersive sim “full of haunted streets, dark tunnels, and decadent mansions.”
The game leans upon three key pillars, Exploration, Scavenging, and Survival, from the game’s Steam listing:
Explore:
-An intricate, hand-crafted city with freeform exploration – from towering rooftops down to hidden passages, the routes you take and paths you make, are your choice.
– A detailed stealth and sound system that tracks your light visibility and propagates noise accurately through the world. Tread lightly. Or prepare to get loud.
Scavenge
– A unique arsenal to meet any situation – a stealthy canesword, six-shot revolver, folding shotgun, hand-placed traps, rope-slinging harpoon rifle, and more.
– In-depth player interactivity, from leaning to eavesdropping, peeking through door cracks, checking the bullets in your firearms and mantling onto ledges.
Survive
– A mob of ghastly denizens and monsters with acute senses, like the sharp-clawed Crowmen and the fearsome, cadaver-seeking Corpse Duster.
– Gloomwood is full of objects to pick up, throw, climb, smash and use to your advantage. There is more to this city than you can possibly imagine…
The game’s fact sheet also paints an incredibly rosy picture for fans of the likes of Thief and other 90’s and 00’s immersive sims.
Trapped in a dark, Victorian city consumed by an ancient curse, you must plan your survival and daring escape using nothing but stealth, an arsenal of eccentric weapons, and your wit in this haunting adventure inspired by the immersive sims and survival horror greats of the late 90s and early 2000s.
Gloomwood has long been one of 2022’s most anticipated titles, but it has also been on the receiving end of several delays, the most recent of which came in August, a last-minute delay that pushed the game to the September 6, 2022 launch date that we’re now enjoying. At the time the developer, New Blood Interactive declared, “It seems that ever since we announced the release date we’ve been hit with so many issues you would think the immersive sim curse is indeed real, but we will power through it” – presumably the curse has now been lifted, and this Early Access window won’t also be plagued by problems before it eventually launches into a 1.0 state.
Gloomwood is now available for players to try out via Steam Early Access for $17.99/€15.11/£13.94 inclusive of a 10% launch discount. The developer, New Blood Interactive is well known for its fairly transparent development, so fans with feedback will find it easy to do so, while they can eagerly await updates and other formal responses to feedback fairly swiftly as development on the game continues into the future.
