Lurking

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Sound is the only way you see, and they can hear you.

Platforms: PC, Mac, VR
Price: Free
Rated: 2,969 followers and 719 likes on Game Jolt
Players: 1
Controls: WASD to move, mouse to look around
Made by: DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore student team
Released: 2014

Not on Linux. Lurking is on PC, Mac and VR. It is not in the Linux part of the site you came from.

What frightens In absolute darkness you only 'see' by making sound, walking or throwing objects, and the enemies track you through the same sounds; with a microphone, your real-world noises become in-game sound pulses, so they can 'hear your fear'.
Content: uses your microphone.

Lurking is a free first-person horror game played in total darkness. You see only by making sound, footsteps or thrown objects that briefly outline the room, but the creatures in the dark hunt you by those same sounds. With a microphone, your own real-world noises give you away too.

About Lurking

Lurking was made over two semesters by a team of four students at DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore and released free on Game Jolt in 2014, for Windows and Mac, with a separate Oculus VR build. The team later worked on a spiritual successor, Stifled, on Steam.

The makers call it a sound-based survival thriller. You are engulfed in absolute darkness, and the only way to see is to make a sound: walking or throwing an object sends out a pulse that draws the edges of the room in white lines for a moment. The enemies track you by the same sounds, so every step that shows you the way can also bring them to you. The question is always how to see enough to escape without getting caught.

Lurking also supports microphone input. Real-world sounds you make are turned into in-game pulses, which means a gasp or a shout when something appears can light the room and give you away. The makers strongly recommend a microphone headset.

What frightens is the moment a pulse outlines a figure that was not there before, standing at the end of a corridor or crouched between lab benches. It suits players who liked Perception or want a free game that turns their own nerves against them.

How to play Lurking

Download Lurking free from Game Jolt (Windows, Mac, or the Oculus VR build for Windows).
Plug in a microphone headset if you can, as the makers recommend.
Move with WASD and look with the mouse; your footsteps and thrown objects send out sound pulses that outline the room.
Use those pulses to find your way, and stay quiet when the enemies are close, since they hunt by sound.
Find your way out without getting caught.

Screenshots

Lurking screenshot: a white-outlined figure watching from behind glass in a dark operating room drawn in lines

Lurking screenshot: a red-outlined figure crouched between lab benches in total darkness

Lurking screenshot: a grimy hospital room with a gurney and an IV stand, fully lit

Lurking title card: A Sound-Based Survival Thriller

Tips

Throw objects away from you to see the room without walking into it.
Stand still and keep quiet when a figure is near; any sound you make helps it find you.
With a microphone on, keep your own breathing and reactions under control.

Questions

Is Lurking free?

Yes. It is free on Game Jolt.

Does Lurking use the microphone?

Yes. With a microphone, real-world sounds you make become in-game sound pulses that the enemies can hear. The makers strongly recommend a microphone headset.

Can I play Lurking in VR?

Game Jolt has a separate Oculus VR build for Windows alongside the normal Windows and Mac versions.

Is there a sequel to Lurking?

Its makers point to Stifled on Steam as its spiritual successor.