Simulacrum: Free Horror Game Homage to Silent Hill

If you have access to an original PlayStation or one of its emulators, there are two franchises you absolutely need to play: Silent Hill and Resident Evil. They represent survival horror at its best, with dense atmospheres, deep stories, and death waiting around every corner and dark hallway. Some PC games have successfully recreated that style, and we even have very popular remakes, but if you are looking for a new, independent, and also free horror title, all arrows point to Simulacrum.

Horror games on PC. I guarantee you have your hands full. From a retro point of view, it would be a serious mistake to forget Alone in the Dark (the original, not the remake). Undying is a good horror FPS that is very enjoyable. The Amnesia saga rewrote several rules, the universe of H.P. Lovecraft received one or two decent adaptations, and there are even more disturbing adventures on the way, among which World of Horror, inspired by the work of Junji Ito, stands out.

However, two titans always appear on the horizon: Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The Resident Evil remake for PC was very well received, while we still demand Konami’s blood for cancelling Silent Hills (as well as forcing the withdrawal of all P.T. rebuilds). There are plenty of reasons to be inspired by these two franchises, and luckily, there are some indie projects that plan to follow in their footsteps. I still remember Them & Us, which is still fighting to reach Steam, but today it is Simulacrum’s turn.

A Story of Puzzles and Dread

The story of Simulacrum tells us about a young woman named Abigail, who ends up trapped in a twisted and disturbing world, with signs of neglect and the presence of... things waiting in the dark. Abigail’s main challenge comes in the form of puzzles and riddles, which she needs to solve by gathering information from newspapers, lost notes, and other elements. In short, Abigail must use her brain (technically, yours) to escape that horrendous plane where she is isolated.

Retro Charm and Modest Requirements

Simulacrum is developed by Prymordium and is available on the GameJolt portal for free. Apparently, this is just the first episode, with a download of only 162 megabytes. In terms of graphics, it’s clear that the game respects the essence of PS1 and PS2 classics, and beyond its limitations (let’s say Abigail walks like a robot), I think they end up playing in its favor. As if that weren’t enough, the requirements are very reasonable. A basic Core i3 (or equivalent) and integrated video should be enough to run it at 30 FPS.

Download and Support

Official site and download: Click here