EEK3 is the choice showcase of small horror sport creators that amalgamates yearly like a shell of flies across the corpse of E3. It is numerous enjoyable for individuals who take pleasure in ye olde PS1 aesthetics and foggy throwback horror. The 2024 showcase was speculated to occur in time for Halloween, the evening when the spirits of outdated platformer mascots rise from their graves to reward polygons to babies. Nevertheless it was postponed attributable to technical issues. Solely now has the 2-hour showcase of sport trailers emerged, culminating in a brand new Haunted PS1 demo disc full of upcoming video games. “The curse,” say the organisers, “is lifted.”
There are over 70 video games proven off. As you possibly can think about, it is fairly an extended present. However I heard you might have a lot of time in your palms. It is a complete new yr. And if you happen to want it, this is a full listing of all of the video games on present.
There are quite a lot of stand-outs among the many lo-fi horror. Jail Of Husks is a sword swinger set in a medieval castleland harking back to Lordran from the primary Darkish Souls. Angeline Period is a vibrant and bumpy hack ‘n’ slash from the creators of the Anodyne RPGs. In the meantime, Of Love And Eternity is an attractively pixelated knightly romance – and by romance I imply your love was killed and so had been you and now you might be in a hellish skull-filled nation the place it’s a must to use a lantern stuffed with glowbugs to see the bone-littered path in entrance of you. We final noticed it demoed again in 2021.
There are most likely a ton of different promising entries – I have never bought by way of the entire present but. However I spy some acquainted faces coming down the gore tubes. Journey is the humorous, vivid timeloop caper I attempted in autumn. And the greedy hand of non-euclidean horror sport Eclipsium not too long ago bought Nic cooing. And, oh look, Sorry We’re Closed additionally will get a shout-out, regardless of the very fact the new pink horror with sexy demons already launched in November (Ed reviewed it, in case you are questioning). That is most likely only a hangover results of the showcase’s lengthy delay.
Nonetheless, sure, 70 video games. That is numerous floor to cowl. Fortunately, the Haunted PS1 demo disc which accompanies the showcase is just not fairly so overwhelming. It solely has 24 demos to check out. These demo discs have typically been the delightfully fetid supply of quiet hits. Parkour mountaineering sport Lorn’s Lure was first featured on the demo disc again in 2021, for instance. And considered one of my favorite video games of final yr, the Elder Scrolls-inspired Dread Delusion, first appeared on the 2020 disc.
In brief, the Haunted PS1 of us have observe document for curating attention-grabbing stuff, and each disc has a enjoyable framing machine that makes it a sport in itself. This yr, a ritual has unsuitable, say the creators, and it has manifested a two-sided disc, with one aspect dedicated to fearsome freakery and the opposite dedicated to cute nostalgia. You’ll be able to obtain the demo disc on Itch.
