Feet In The Snow

About Feet In The Snow

Feet In The Snow is a short point-and-click horror game by Abstract Machine, released free on itch.io for Windows in January 2023. Its maker says it draws on snippets of real dreams, and that they like mystery, surreal games and 90s-style point and clicks.

You keep having a strange dream, and the game asks why you do not talk about it. Telling it means walking back into it: a snowy road at night, a path through pine woods under a single lamp, a lonely house, a door standing on the ice of a frozen lake.

Play is classic point and click. You click to look and move, items you pick up appear at the top of the screen, and you click an item and then where to use it to open the way on. The pictures have a posterised, reduced-colour look that players compare to old Flash horror and stop-motion.

Nothing chases you. The fear is in the dream logic and the details: a pale man grinning behind a shop counter full of old tins, a grimy tiled bathroom with a clawfoot tub, a heart suspended in a jar. Players note it leans on atmosphere more than jumpscares.

It takes a few minutes, which makes it a good choice for a short, strange evening game for fans of quiet, surreal horror.

How to play Feet In The Snow

1. Download it from its itch.io page for Windows; it is free.
2. Click on the scene to look around and move between places in the dream.
3. Pick up items; they appear at the top of the screen.
4. Click an item, then click where to use it, to get further into the dream.
5. Press Esc to pause.

Tips

• Click everything in each scene; small objects are easy to miss.
• Keep track of where you have been, as some items are needed in earlier places.
• Play with sound on in a dark room; it relies on mood rather than scares.

Questions