Masochisia

About Masochisia

Masochisia is a narrative horror game by Oldblood, released on Steam in October 2015 for Windows, Mac and Linux after an alpha demo on Game Jolt and a prototype on itch.io. The developer calls it an experimental take on psychological horror as a narrative, and warns that people struggling with depression, abuse or mental illness may be uncomfortable with its themes. It is meant for mature audiences.

You follow a young man whose family is described in his own clinical file: extensive psychological abnormalities and a predisposition to sadomasochistic tendencies. Visual hallucinations, aural terrors and sensory overloads are part of his daily routine. Through a series of these hallucinations he learns that he will one day become a violent psychopath, and the question the game puts to him, and to you, is whether he can change that fate or will embrace it.

It plays as a point-and-click story in hand-drawn 2D, with exaggerated, gaunt faces and dim rooms seen through a flickering, scan-lined filter, as if on an old television. The horror is in what the boy sees and hears and in where his story seems to be going, not in chases or fights.

The store warns of blood, death and violence, and of sensitive topics including abuse. It suits players who liked The Cat Lady, Sanitarium or Fran Bow and want an uncomfortable story about a mind coming apart.

How to play Masochisia

1. Buy Masochisia on Steam, or try the free prototype on itch.io or alpha demo on Game Jolt.
2. Click to move through each scene in point-and-click fashion.
3. Click on people and objects to look and talk, and follow the story through his hallucinations.
4. Follow the story to its end to learn whether he can change his fate.

Tips

• Play with headphones: much of the dread is in the sound.
• Look at everything in a room; small details carry the story.
• Expect disturbing themes of abuse and mental illness, as the developer warns.

Questions