occult Archives

AppWizard

April 9, 2026

Forget Stardew Valley’s cozy vibes. New farming sim Crop keeps you “on edge,” and I can’t get enough of it

Players in the game Crop start their journey in an abandoned car, with the nearby farmhouse representing hope amidst a washed-out bridge to the outside world. The first task is to dig a grave for the previous owner, setting a grim tone for the farming experience. Gameplay involves traditional farming mechanics but with a slow, deliberate pace that emphasizes effort and intention. Players can earn money to invest in equipment and expand their farms, while the narrative hints at darker themes, including an abduction and the mysterious death of the former owner. The game features occult symbols and unsettling notes, suggesting a connection between sacrifice and abundance. Influences include the eerie atmosphere of Twin Peaks and the storytelling of Tarkovsky, alongside elements from Outer Wilds and Dredge. Relationships with characters are tracked through 'minimaps,' and the game has an estimated playtime of around 15 hours, focusing on exploration and uncovering mysteries rather than fitting into the horror genre.

AppWizard

March 25, 2026

Pacific Drive is an excellent driving sim with horror vibes, and you can get the full experience cheaper than ever

Pacific Drive is a game that combines eerie atmospheres reminiscent of Stalker or Chernobylite with survival mechanics in a driving simulator format. Set in the Olympic Exclusion Zone, players use vehicles to navigate supernatural events while gathering resources and upgrading their cars. The environment poses challenges such as radiation damage, requiring repairs for safe returns. The recent expansion, Whispers in the Woods, focuses on the occult practices of the zone's former inhabitants. Critics have praised the game, with a notable 9/10 review highlighting its sound design and narrative. Pacific Drive is currently available for .94 / £9.12, a 64% discount, and the Whispers Edition bundle, including the DLC, is priced at £17.99.

AppWizard

March 23, 2026

This week in PC games: a new Hooded Horse city-builder, some PS2-style horror, a school-day RPG and an absolutely tremendous catfish

The atmosphere in gaming is currently lacking excitement due to a lull with no major releases. Notable upcoming games include: - Journey of the Garden Rose: An adventure game featuring a princess battling insects in a low-poly palace. - Frog Holm: A bar-running game that combines cocktail mixing with Tetris mechanics. - No Vacation for an Executioner: An action-horror game with a PS2 style and intricately designed monsters. - Come Again, Chachii?: A game where players help quirky aliens find jobs by deciphering their speech. - Roombattle: A top-down multiplayer game featuring competing vacuums. - Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy: A dungeon-crawling RPG with cheerful characters and perilous elements. - Beast Breaker: A tactical pinball game where players launch a mouse at kaiju. - Nova Roma: An early access city-builder focusing on water management. - Damon and Baby: An action-adventure game featuring a baby and a demon king. - Screamer: A cyberpunk racing game known for its colorful mechanics. - Project Songbird: A game about overcoming writer's block while battling tree monsters. - EverSiege: Untold Ages: An action-strategy game from the creators of Aliens: Dark Descent. Additional activities include capturing images of mushrooms in Rova, constructing a mycelial web in ChloroLink, battling vintage supervillains in Marvel Maximum Collection, searching for a sister in Too Well Hidden, harvesting fuel in Venus in Transit, and transforming clouds into sea creatures in The Wide Open Sky is Running out of Catfish. The Treehouse is working on guides for Crimson Desert, evaluating Slay The Spire 2, assessing hardware, and participating in a preview event.

AppWizard

February 16, 2026

This week’s new PC games are a treasure trove of the scary, eerie and occult, plus a charming Star Trek game

A diverse array of new PC game releases includes: - Book Smugglers: A point-and-click adventure set in 19th century Tsarist Lithuania focused on forbidden literature. - Stormbridge: A combination of tower defense and city-building elements. - Dobbel Dungeon: A turn-based tactics game using dice rolls in an ogre-battling setting. - Astrobotanica: An early access puzzle and survival game featuring an extraterrestrial botanist on prehistoric Earth. - Alien Morgue: A game where players conduct autopsies on extraterrestrial beings. - Under The Island: A top-down dungeon puzzler with six distinct biomes. - Ritual Party: A multiplayer experience blending humor and horror. - Placid Plastic Deck: A Quiet Quest: A card-battler with a suspicious premise. - Beyond The Doors: A surveillance simulation involving mysterious requests. - Roach Post: A roguelite puzzler using cockroaches to assemble postage stamps. - Forgotlings: An action-adventure game set in a world of sentient objects. - Blank: A platforming experience in a cavernous origami world. - Kill The Witch: An early access 2D action platformer featuring a witch with a baseball bat. - The Killing Stone: A cursed board game set in the Arctic. - Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown: A strategy management game based on the TV series. - FUR Squadron Phoenix: A space simulation game with vibrant gameplay mechanics. - PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse: A mystery horror novel about ghastly fishwomen. - Demon Tides: A platformer inspired by the N64-to-Gamecube era. - Styx: Blades Of Greed: An open-world goblin stealth game. - Love Eternal: An introspective horror platformer. - Key Fairy: A hand-drawn, pacifist bullet-hell game. - Nightsoil: A game exploring turd collection in an emotive context. - Ys X: Proud Nordics: An updated entry in the Ys series with bumpslash combat mechanics. - Horripilant: An incremental dungeon clicker with grotesque creatures.

AppWizard

February 13, 2026

Russian Orthodox Priest Urges People to Pray for End to Telegram Messenger App Ban

A priest from the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexander Mikushin, has urged believers to pray for the restoration of access to Telegram after Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced stricter limitations on the platform. He emphasized Telegram's importance as a space for prayer and conversation and composed a prayer for the officials involved in the decision-making process. On February 10, Roskomnadzor planned to escalate measures against Telegram due to its non-compliance with Russian law, leading to access issues reported in 64 regions by February 13. Telegram's user base surged from 91 million in October to 105 million in November, coinciding with the blockage of WhatsApp in Russia. The platform has been crucial for Russian forces in the Ukraine conflict, but outages have raised concerns about communication vulnerabilities. Mikushin has previously advocated for a free internet and participated in a rally against online restrictions. A senior church official advised clergy not to frame the blocking of Telegram in religious terms. Bishop Pitirim of the Skopin Diocese linked the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to "unclean forces" from occult practices and abortions.

AppWizard

December 5, 2025

Critical Reflex Reveals Occult Detective Game ‘Inkblood’ at PC Gaming Show

Inkblood is a new game that blends horror and cozy puzzle-solving, published by CRITICAL REFLEX and developed by Hey Bird!. Players take on the role of the Inquisitor, solving ten distinct cases filled with escape room-style puzzles. The game features exploration of a carriage that serves as a base, non-linear narratives, and connections to a larger conspiracy. It includes unique gameplay elements such as a magnifying glass that reveals glimpses of the past. Inkblood is set to be released in 2026 and is available for wishlisting on Steam.

AppWizard

November 9, 2025

New co-op FPS combines the open-world hordes of Dying Light and the style of Borderlands, with a demo you can try first

Skopje '83 is a first-person shooter developed by the indie studio Dark-1 over six years, inspired by cel shading and concept art. The game is set in Skopje, North Macedonia, where players navigate a hostile environment using a mobile base called DOM, an armored bus for storing gear, crafting weapons, and recuperating. It features an open-world design, encouraging exploration and experimentation, with a dynamic world where death alters the landscape. Players can team up to combat mutated creatures and gather blueprints. A demo update has been released, and the full version is available on Steam for .99, with a 10% discount until November 14.

AppWizard

November 2, 2025

Here’s the FF14 7.4 release date and everything shown during Live Letter 89, and the MMO is answering my wildest hopes

The FF14 7.4 update, announced by game director Naoki Yoshida and community producer Toshio Murouchi, will be released on December 16. It will include a new raid tier, updates to Occult Crescent, Cosmic Exploration, duty support, and the return of Hildibrand, along with a new Variant Dungeon. Patch 7.38 will launch on November 11, removing the weekly limit on savage rewards and allowing players to exchange certain coins for Evercharged Ester. The new main scenario quest will introduce a plot line transition, and the dungeon 'Mistwake' will be inspired by Final Fantasy IX. Occult Crescent will feature three new phantom jobs and upgraded phantom weapons. The Cosmic Exploration segment will introduce a new appraisal system, while the Variant Dungeon 'The Merchant's Tale' will allow for exploration with one to four players. An Advanced Variant Dungeon will enable players to tackle bosses in any order, and the Criterion Dungeon will present a challenging trial. Quality of life improvements will include new UI color schemes and a revamped glamour system, allowing unrestricted gear customization for glamour, excluding weapons.

AppWizard

October 27, 2025

This week in PC games: Outer Worlds 2, Arc Raiders, occult detectives and some chunky strategy games

James has returned from his travels in India, having enjoyed a holiday rather than focusing on the Indian game development scene. Noteworthy PC game releases include: - Terra Firma 2: A sandbox god simulation. - The Séance of Blake Manor: A first-person supernatural detective mystery set in 1897 Ireland. - Master of Command: A historical strategy game set during the Seven Years' War. - Simon the Sorcerer Origins: A prequel to the 1993 point-and-click adventure game. - Death By Scrolling: An RPG promising endless upward mobility. - Wreckreation: A game featuring 400 square kilometers of landscapes for vehicular chaos. - Silly Polly Beast: A third-person survival horror game with a skateboarding orphan. - As Long As You're Here: A semi-autobiographical experience about a woman with Alzheimer's disease. - DSS 2: War Industry: A medieval wargame simulating real-time activities of workers and soldiers. - Dark Moon: A real-time survival strategy game with a mecha-base. - The Outer Worlds 2: A sequel focusing on leveling up companions and corporate satire. - Orbyss: A game navigating a metal labyrinth filled with logic puzzles. - Resonance Solstice: A blend of train simulations, trading mechanics, and deckbuilder combat. - Majogami: A hack-and-slash platformer in a paper-crafted world. - Arc Raiders: An extraction shooter from the creators of The Finals. The Treehouse team is engaged in various projects, with James preparing for another press trip, Mark discussing Hong Kong dollars, Ollie finalizing Silksong guides, Jeremy working on The Outer Worlds 2, and Callum exploring Umamusume: Pretty Derby.

AppWizard

September 24, 2025

“Ambitious as f**k” Warhammer 40k RPG is the first real Baldur’s Gate 3 challenger I’ve seen

The author began exploring the occult through the book "A Very Short Introduction to The Devil" and has since engaged with various tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) that examine morality and power, such as "Vampire: The Masquerade," "Call of Cthulhu," and "Candela Obscura." The universe of "Warhammer 40k" presents a complex moral landscape where heroism and villainy are blurred, and players are encouraged to embrace darker impulses. The upcoming game "Warhammer 40k: Dark Heresy" focuses on the role of an Inquisitor executing the Emperor's will, emphasizing a binary moral framework. Executive producer Anatoly Shestov explains that the narrative challenges players to define good and evil for themselves. "Dark Heresy" distinguishes itself with an emphasis on detective work, allowing players to gather clues and compile reports while also incorporating combat mechanics similar to its predecessor, "Rogue Trader." The game features a turn-based combat system with a Fallout-esque targeting system and dynamic combat scenarios that encourage strategic thinking. Shestov describes "Dark Heresy" as a culmination of Owlcat's creativity, offering a larger and more intricate experience than "Rogue Trader."