Stealth horror game Ergastulum takes players to a world of unsettling monsters inspired by Western and Chinese folklore, having them constantly hide from frightening creatures that will erode their body and mind.
Players will bounce between a light and dark world, dealing with the various monsters that inhabit the darkness as they work through a journey about rediscovering lost faith. These journeys through the darkness will be different each time, taking players through procedurally-generated labyrinths with little more than a candle and crucifix to keep them safe.
Many monsters will endanger the player while in this place. Skeletons, spiders, and armored guardians will make survival difficult, dogging and attacking the player if they catch sight of them. Other creatures, such as the Smiling Creeper, will freeze in place if seen by the player, but as soon as they break eye contact, the player will be in danger again. Jiangshi-like vampires can be kept at bay with the crucifix, but may present surprising dangers when the player feels they are safe. These, and many more sickening creatures, lurk in the Dark World, and may show up at surprising times due to the procedural generation.
Players will be able to find a variety of different crucifixes on their journey that all have their own properties, giving players a variety of tools to scare off undead. They can also light candles on their path to give themselves more light, which will make them safer (although easier to detect). However, many things in the game will weaken the player’s sanity, and as that gets lower, enemies will react differently to the player, and their surroundings will shift in bizarre ways.
Ergastulum is currently raising development funding on Kickstarter.
