With any horror game, being scared is kind of the point, but the upcoming indie title Don’t Scream challenges players to do exactly what its name would suggest - play through the entire thing without screaming, gasping, or squeaking at all. Letting a fearful noise escape your mouth will only make things scarier because anyone who does so will be forced to restart from the beginning. Ouch.
Developed by a team of two developers, Joure & Joe, Don’t Scream requires players to enable their microphone and calibrate it so that it can detect any fright. You’ll still be able to talk softly, and the devs have admitted that it’s possible to shout through scares without being made to restart, but as they put it, “it'd spoil the thrill”.
If you’re someone who gets scared easily, one small mercy is that the game is only 18 minutes long, although based on the trailer (which you can watch below, but beware of the jump scare), those might be the longest 18 minutes of your life. Players must explore the mysterious Pineview Forest and uncover its secrets, with time only counting as you actually move, so you can’t just hide in a corner and hope for the best.
That’s pretty much the only mercy there is, though, as the scares are totally unpredictable, so you’ll never know when they’re coming. It certainly doesn’t sound like a game for the faint-hearted.
While there isn’t a set story, the developers promise “deep lore hidden within”, with future plans for Steam objectives tied to certain special objectives which will ultimately unveil what’s going on in the forest. Of course, you can just force your way through the 18 minutes looking at as little spooky stuff as possible, if you’d prefer.
Don’t Scream doesn’t currently have a full release date, but early access will begin on Steam on October 27, just in time for Halloween.
If you’re looking for even more spine-chilling games to play, be sure to take a look at our recommendations for the best horror games and best indie horror games.
