Heartworm

About Heartworm

Heartworm is the work of the solo developer Vincent Adinolfi, published by DreadXP and released on Steam in July 2025. It is openly a love letter to the survival horror of the late 1990s, with fixed camera angles, pre-rendered and in-game cutscenes, puzzles and an inventory screen in the old style.

Sam has lost her beloved grandfather and cannot let go. A mysterious online forum leads her to a house in the mountains that is meant to make contact with the dead possible. Past its threshold lies a world built from memories: foggy streets, a library, a strange clockwork space, all of it decaying and quiet.

Combat is limited. Your weapon is your grandfather's 35mm camera, which you aim over the shoulder to drive back the ghostly figures that appear. The rest is exploring, solving classic puzzles and piecing together a story about grief. Optional pixelation and tank controls make it look and feel even more like a game from the first 3D console era.

It suits players who miss PS1-era Silent Hill and want a thoughtful, sad horror story of four to six hours with several endings.

How to play Heartworm

1. Arrive at the house in the mountains and explore it.
2. Cross the threshold into the world of memories.
3. Collect items and combine them in the inventory to solve puzzles.
4. Aim your camera over the shoulder and take photos to fend off the ghostly figures.
5. Read files and use the map to find the way forward.
6. Reach one of the multiple endings; play again to see the others.

Tips

• Film is limited: avoid fights you do not need.
• Examine items in the inventory; many hold clues.
• Try the optional tank controls and pixelation for the classic feel.
• Check the map often; areas loop back on each other.

Questions