Psychological horror Short horror Horror PS1 horror Surreal horror

M.Stain

Rate it

A job interview with a tycoon who is not what he seems.

Platforms: PC
Stores: itch.io
Price: Pay what you want
Rated: 4.7 of 5 from 291 ratings on itch.io
Length: about 20 minutes (maker's estimate)
Players: 1
Controls: WASD to walk, mouse to look, Shift to run, Space or left click to interact
Made by: Impostersyndrome

What frightens A job interview with the eccentric business tycoon M. Stain leads into a nightmarish world of bizarre people and twisted places as you uncover what he really is. The maker warns of gore, low-poly nudity and suggestive situations, and asks whether you can even survive.
Content: gore, nudity (low-poly), suggestive situations.

M.Stain is a free, short first-person horror game by Impostersyndrome for Windows, made to look like a late 1990s low-poly game. You arrive for a job interview with the eccentric business tycoon M. Stain and are drawn into a nightmarish world of bizarre people and twisted places. It takes about 20 minutes and has three endings.

About M.Stain

M.Stain is the first released game of the solo developer Impostersyndrome, made in Unity in six weeks as a break from a larger project. It is free to download for Windows on itch.io, in 64-bit and 32-bit builds, with the option to pay what you want; the maker posted bug-fix and spelling updates in July 2020.

You have always wanted a great job in the big city, and M. Stain has a position with your name on it. The interview begins with a green-faced man in a pinstriped suit welcoming you to sit down, and it does not stay an interview for long. Red-walled corridors stretch away, other hopefuls in the waiting room greet you, and a barman offers you a glass with the single question: consume?

Play is first person. You walk, talk to the people you meet, pick up items such as room keys and make choices when the game offers them. The story branches, and the maker states three different endings, so who you trust and what you agree to matter.

The horror is strange more than loud: blocky faces with fixed grins, rooms that do not lead back the way you came, and a growing sense that the job is not what it seems. The maker warns of gore, low-poly nudity and suggestive situations. It suits players who like short, odd PS1-style horror with a reason to play it more than once.

How to play M.Stain

Download M.Stain from its itch.io page (free, or pay what you want) and unzip the 64-bit or 32-bit Windows build.
Walk with WASD, look with the mouse and hold Shift to run.
Press Space or left click to talk to people and pick things up.
Answer the choices you are given; they decide which of the three endings you reach.
Play again and choose differently to see the other endings.

Screenshots

M.Stain title art: a green-faced man in a pinstriped suit in an armchair beside a gramophone, under the name in dripping red letters

M.Stain screenshot: a green-faced man in a pinstriped suit behind a desk saying good morning and asking you to take a seat

M.Stain screenshot: a grinning man in a cowboy hat in a waiting room asking if you are here looking for work too

M.Stain screenshot: a pale barman in front of shelves of bottles holding out a glass of red drink, with the choice Consume? Yes or No

M.Stain screenshot: an item screen showing a brass key with a tag, You got a key, it's the key for room 3A

Tips

Talk to everyone you meet; the other people in the building shape the path you take.
Keep track of the keys you pick up and which room each one opens.
Think before you accept what you are offered.