Carnival Massacre

About Carnival Massacre

Carnival Massacre is made by Norbert Baranyi and published under the BEDTIMESTORIES name, who had made smaller free games on itch.io before. It came out on Steam for Windows on 29 December 2025.

You play Harley, who after countless nightmares about her missing little sister takes her dad's car and drives to an abandoned carnival to bring her home. Inside the park the stalls and rides are lit but empty of people, and what waits there is worse than her dreams: killer dolls, clowns, a jack-in-the-box with a gun, and four ringleaders she has to kill to get out.

It plays the way survival horror did in the late 1990s. The camera sits at fixed angles that cut as you move, menus are framed in red carnival curtains, the inventory is small and the rest goes in a storage box. Enemies drop coins that you spend on supplies or on saving, much like ink ribbons. Weapons come in time, but ammunition is short, and a camera flash that stuns enemies lets you slip past instead of fighting. An unkillable stalker roams the park and keeps you moving. Some puzzles open an in-game notepad so you can scribble clues right on the screen.

SurvivalHorrors.com called it a short but well made survival horror game inspired by Silent Hill, Alisa and Heartworm, and a good first game for anyone new to the genre; it is on the easy side for veterans. It suits players who liked Alisa, Tormented Souls or Heartworm.

How to play Carnival Massacre

1. Buy and install Carnival Massacre from Steam and start a new game.
2. Move Harley through the carnival as the fixed camera cuts from shot to shot, examining stalls, notes and items.
3. Manage your small inventory and leave what you do not need in the storage box.
4. Use the camera flash to stun enemies and slip past them, and save your ammunition for fights you cannot avoid.
5. Collect coins from enemies to buy supplies and to save, solve the park's puzzles, and face the four ringleaders.

Tips

• Use the in-game notepad on puzzles that bring it up: clues are easy to forget between rooms.
• Do not try to kill the stalker: it cannot die, so break its line of sight and move on.
• Some camera angles hide enemies at the edge of the shot, so listen before you walk in.

Questions