The Backrooms is one of my favorite internet phenomena, a series of creepypasta blogs, short films, and stories detailing a spooky, liminal space between realities haunted by Lovecraftian demons. Inspired by Slenderman and SCP, Backrooms now has a new survival horror game, available to download on Itch.
The Backrooms in 1998 is a found-footage-style psychological horror in which you must navigate the eponymous sub-reality by finding clues, using spray paint to mark your path, and naturally avoiding the various New Weird creatures trying to hunt you down. With high-end visuals and decent voice acting, it’s remarkably well-rounded for an indie project. “Things you can see in shadows are sometimes not shadows,” the game’s description says. “Something or someone may be lurking with you. Use your stamina only when necessary and tread carefully.” As if I needed to be told…
Created by Steelkrill Studio, a one-man developer who sells the game for whatever price you decide to pay, The Backrooms in 1998 looks incredibly professional, capturing the grainy VHS and lens flare lighting effects of the best movies in the world. found footage. It’s also naturally very scary, a creepy slow build where ghosts, mannequins and flickering shadow monsters lurk around you and you’ll miss them.
The current version is just a preview, but if you’re into good horror, and especially if you’re looking for something as we head into Halloween, The Backrooms in 1998 is a must. Just don’t forget that spray paint. The Backrooms are alive and will do anything to trap you inside.
As October approaches, be sure to check out some of the other best Halloween games around. You might also want to try out some of the best indie games on PC, or if first-person scares are your thing (meaning you’re braver than me), some of the best VR horror games available now.