THE INSIDER SAYS: “ If the phrase “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn” speaks to you, this Lovecraftian take on Papers, Please could light up a dreary night.”

The fact that Static Dread: The Lighthouse borrows gameplay sensibilities from Papers, Please is worn on its sleeve – and literally the game’s description. In the most obvious cases, it has you serve as lighthouse keeper with an awesome responsibility: To light the way and keep the wrong forces from visiting the town. 

It’s a post-Eldrich apocalyptic world, where you’re sequestered in the local lighthouse. You can explore the rooms and move around…and you can certainly answer the door. You just can’t go outside. Other games that tackle this gameplay mechanic range from the cutesy (Li’l Guardsman) to the straight-up odd (Lucas Pope’s game after Papers, Please; Mars After Midnight for the Playdate).

The big twist here – besides the multiple ending states – is that in true Cthulhu fashion, there’s a sense of dread as you move about your locked space. Lights flicker, you might lose power, radio signals get scrambled…strange visions start appearing inside the house. You definitely DO NOT feel like you’re in control all while you’re supposed to be in control of what’s happening around the periphery of town. 

If being mired with a sense of discomfort while gaming sounds good to you, then check out Static Dread: The Lighthouse.

INSIDE LOOKS:

• Mesmerizing tales of the sea. Each night, his duties grow more perilous. Mariners report encounters with creatures beyond the reach of science. Ships drift back from distant waters – empty, their crews vanished without a trace.
• Strange characters. Understatement of the day, in a bulletpoint.
• An atmosphere of unknowable horror.  In the island’s fishing village, the locals whisper prayers to sea gods and perform rituals to raise the dead.

• Multiple endings. 

Static Dread: The Lighthouse is currently available on Steam for PC.