Blackout Hospital

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A janitor, a power cut, and a hospital that turns strange in the dark.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Stores: itch.io
Price: Pay what you want
Rated: Rated 4.8 of 5 by 190 players on itch.io
Length: 6 to 8 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard
Made by: arcadekitten
Released: 2023

What frightens In the maker's words, the power goes out on the night shift at Altobuck Hospital, the emergency lights bathe the halls in an eerie, ghostly glow, and bizarre happenings start as Vasilis looks for a way out, fighting mysterious enemies on the way. The maker's warnings include medical malpractice, blood, mild gore, body horror, death and suicide; the enemies are things like a deer with scalpel legs
Content: flashing lights, loud noises, strong language, medical malpractice, blood, mild gore, body horror, death.

Blackout Hospital is a horror RPG made in RPG Maker. Vasilis, a janitor on the night shift, is caught inside Altobuck Hospital when the power fails and the halls fill with bizarre happenings and hostile things. It takes six to eight hours and has three endings.

About Blackout Hospital

Blackout Hospital is a horror role-playing game by arcadekitten, released on itch.io in January 2023 for Windows, macOS and Linux. You play Vasilis, a nonbinary janitor at Altobuck Hospital. The power goes out during the night shift, the emergency lights come on, and the place changes. Vasilis wants no part of it and only wants a way out.

It plays as an RPG Maker adventure: you explore the hospital's corridors and wards from above, talk to strange characters, pick up allies, solve problems and fight enemies in turn-based battles with HP and skill points. The maker notes there is no random encounter system. The art is bold and neon, pink and green on black, and the enemies look like medical things gone wrong, such as a deer with scalpels for legs and a winged syringe.

The unease comes from the hospital itself and what was done there. The maker's content warnings name medical malpractice, body horror, blood, mild gore, death, mentions of child death and suicide, as well as flashing lights and loud noises. It is a story-heavy horror RPG more than a game of jumpscares.

A full run is six to eight hours, and there are three endings: bad, secret and true, with the credits after the true one. The download is name your own price.

How to play Blackout Hospital

Download the build for your system from the itch.io page (name your own price) and unzip it.
On a Mac, open the nwjs file inside Game.app as the maker describes, or menus may not close.
Explore the hospital with the keyboard, talking to everyone and checking rooms.
Fight enemies in turn-based battles, using skills and items between Vasilis and allies.
Follow the story toward the bad, secret or true ending.

Screenshots

Blackout Hospital cover art: Vasilis, a blue-haired janitor in a purple uniform holding a mop, beside the neon title with a smiley face

Blackout Hospital screenshot: a turn-based battle against a deer with scalpel legs, a winged syringe and a bandaged apple

Blackout Hospital screenshot: a small figure in a green flooded corridor among jellyfish shapes and seaweed

Blackout Hospital screenshot: a skull-hatted character holding up a card and asking what the expression on it is

Tips

Stock up on healing items before big fights; players mention a hard boss late in the true route.
There are no random encounters, so you can explore at your own pace.
The gambling mini-game is optional and only uses in-game money.
The maker posted an official walkthrough in the devlog if you want all three endings.