A Wolf in Autumn

About A Wolf in Autumn

A Wolf in Autumn is a short psychological horror game by David Szymanski, released on Steam in October 2015, a year after his The Moon Sliver and before DUSK and Iron Lung.

A one-armed young girl gets out of a locked shed and finds herself in the middle of an idyllic autumn forest. At first it seems peaceful, and she is comforted by her mother's voice coming through a strange tin device. Gradually things turn disturbing and sinister, and the distant howling of wolves begins to move closer. The voice acting is by Julie Hoverson.

The maker describes it as dark and surreal, built to frighten through narrative, pacing, context and atmosphere rather than jump scares. Its puzzles can be solved with real-world logic, often in more than one way, and the store names The Sound and the Fury, Silent Hill 2 and Mulholland Drive among its influences. It deals with potentially disturbing themes.

It is meant to be played in one sitting of around an hour, and there is no save system. It suits players who want a strange, story-heavy hour of horror and who liked the slow dread of Szymanski's other short games.

How to play A Wolf in Autumn

1. Buy it on Steam for Windows.
2. Set aside about an hour: there is no save system.
3. Find a way out of the locked shed and into the forest.
4. Listen to the voice from the tin device and explore.
5. Solve the puzzles with real-world logic; most have more than one solution.

Tips

• If a puzzle stalls you, think about what would work in real life; the store says there is often more than one way.
• Play with headphones so you hear the voice and the howling clearly.
• Expect slow dread rather than jump scares.

Questions