Peek

Developer: Loyal Mussy

Publisher: Loyal Mussy

Platforms: PC (Steam)

Release Date: Out Now

This horror game from Loyal Mussy, aka San Diego solo dev Andy, takes place in just one room. You are Father Herman Goldie, summoned by a desperate family to cleanse their house of an evil spirit, a lodger who died under mysterious circumstances. Their room contains a variety of furniture and idiosyncrasies, plus a loft hatch. From this, the ghost emerges, taunting the Father as he attempts to vanquish it from our world.

The path to exorcising the ghost is not easy. First, the Father closes his eyes, kneeling beside his holy items and relics. Then the ghost appears and walks around the room, leaving clues as to its movements. A clinking tea set, an old gramophone, squelchy patches of blood, hollow floorboards and more; all of these indicate the ghost’s path. Each particular location requires a relic, laid down once the ghost has returned above. But there are four types of relic, and which one the Father should use depends on the reaction of the ghost at that point. For example, if it whispers, that means you must lay down a cross at that location. A stomp, or loud crash, means rosary beads, and so on.

Peek is quite different in the way it generates its chills. You never see the ghost (unless you mess up), but you’d have to be a hardened horror gamer not to feel a lance of ice down your spine as it travels the room, a hair’s breadth away from your place in the centre, whispering taunts into your ear. Headphones are essential, and paying close attention to the listening round is vital; a mistake in placement could be fatal if the spirit takes umbrage with your meddling. Progressing through the game unlocks ranks and oddities, but also escalates the spirit’s hostility.

It builds nicely, and the list of reactions and locations to remember soon becomes quite convoluted. Coupled with the fact that it only takes place in one room, some might be put off. But if you’re prepared to put the work in, learn the sounds of the room and how to react to the spirit, you’ll get a good chunk of spooky fun from Peek.

Conclusion

An original and compelling horror that takes a little getting into, but delivers some genuinely spine-chilling moments.