Psychological horror PS1 horror Horror puzzle

Decarnation

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A cabaret dancer's life and nightmares, in surreal pixel art.

Platforms: PC, Switch
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (87% of about 1,100 reviews)
Players: 1
Made by: Atelier QDB
Released: 2023

What frightens Gloria, a cabaret dancer at the end of her rope, accepts an offer from a mysterious patron and slides into nightmares where monsters and body horror weave into her everyday life, and the struggles of her dreams and her waking days feed each other.
Content: body horror, violence, drowning, captivity, manipulation, nudity.

Decarnation is a pixel-art psychological horror adventure by Atelier QDB. You follow Gloria, a Paris cabaret dancer whose life is falling apart, as a mysterious patron's offer pulls her into nightmares where she must solve riddles, play through challenges and face monsters born of her own mind.

About Decarnation

Decarnation is a psychological horror adventure from the French studio Atelier QDB, published by Shiro Unlimited and released on PC and Nintendo Switch in May 2023. It is set in Paris in 1990 and drawn in detailed retro pixel art. Its makers name Silent Hill, the original Alice in Wonderland, and the films of David Lynch and Satoshi Kon among their inspirations, and the soundtrack includes music by Akira Yamaoka, the composer of Silent Hill.

Gloria is a cabaret dancer at the end of her rope. Her career, her relationships and her self-esteem are slipping away when a mysterious patron makes her an offer she cannot refuse. What follows moves between her waking days and her dreams, and between dreams and nightmares, as monsters work their way into the fabric of her ordinary life.

It plays as an adventure built around a wide variety of mini-games. Some ask for thought, some for quick reactions and coordination: you solve cryptic riddles, confront ominous enemies and explore a bewildering dream world. Winning in her dreams helps Gloria cope with her real life, and her real-life troubles shape the challenges in her dreams.

The store warns of physical and moral violence, suffering, captivity, drowning, manipulation, body horror and soft nudity, though there are no weapons and no blood. It suits players who want a story-led horror game about a person in crisis, closer to Silent Hill 2 or OMORI than to a monster chase.

How to play Decarnation

Buy it on Steam for Windows or on the Nintendo eShop for Switch.
Follow Gloria through her days in Paris and talk to the people in her life.
When she slips into her dreams, explore them and solve the riddles you find.
Play through each mini-game challenge, some of which ask for quick reactions.
Confront the enemies of her nightmares to move the story on.

Screenshots

Pixel art: Gloria runs across a wooden bridge between severed heads toward a giant horned one-eyed demon face on red

Pixel art: Gloria dances on a cabaret stage before an audience as arrow prompts float around her

Pixel art: Gloria screams in her apartment as purple bubbles full of eyes engulf the walls

Pixel art: Gloria talks with an older woman at a cafe terrace in an autumn park

Tips

Read the riddles carefully; the store calls them cryptic.
Expect each challenge to play differently: some need thought, others timing.
Look out for references to cult horror films and games; the makers invite you to spot them.