Horror visual novels Short horror PS1 horror

Mothmen 1966

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A roadside gas station, a meteor shower and something with wings on the roof.

Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (91% of 330 reviews)
Length: about two hours (ThisGenGaming review)
Players: 1
Controls: Mouse or keyboard to read and choose; controller on consoles
Made by: LCB Game Studio
Released: 2022

Get it on Steam GOG PlayStation Store (PS4 and PS5)Xbox (Xbox One and Series X|S)Nintendo eShop (Switch)Publisher's page

What frightens In November 1966, during the Leonid meteor shower, a young couple, a gas station owner and a paranormal investigator are caught in a conspiracy at the edge of reality, with winged nightmare creatures gathering over a lonely gas station and the men in black waiting; one wrong choice gets a character killed.
Content: violence, blood, drug use, domestic violence (discussed), strong language.

Mothmen 1966 is a short horror visual novel by LCB Game Studio, the first of its Pixel Pulps, drawn in the style of 80s home computers. Over one night of the 1966 Leonid meteor shower, a gas station owner, a young couple and a paranormal investigator face winged creatures and the men in black, and your choices decide who survives.

About Mothmen 1966

Mothmen 1966 is the first of the Pixel Pulps, a series by the Argentine studio LCB Game Studio of novelist Nico Saraintaris and artist Fernando Martinez Ruppel, inspired by mid-20th century pulp fiction and 80s home computer graphics. Chorus Worldwide published it in July 2022 on PC and consoles, and it was followed by Varney Lake and Bahnsen Knights.

It is November 1966, the night of the Leonid meteor shower. Holt runs a gas station on a quiet road. A college student, Lee, and his girlfriend Victoria pull in, and a paranormal investigator is not far behind. Strange things are happening at the edge of their reality: nightmare creatures with wings, and mysterious men in black who seem to know more than they say.

You read the story in three chapters, each from a different character's view, choosing what they say and do in a choose-your-own-adventure style. Some moments are short puzzles played through the dialogue, such as moving objects or a simple card game, and a wrong choice can get someone killed, sending you back to try the scene again.

The horror is pulp horror: a lonely night, dread building at the gas station, a dead bat in the headlights and shapes on the roof, told in sharp writing and stark pixel illustrations. It suits readers who want a short, atmospheric story in one evening, and fans of cryptid and UFO folklore.

How to play Mothmen 1966

Start the first chapter and read the text under each illustration.
Choose lines of dialogue and actions when the story offers them.
Solve the short puzzles played through the dialogue, such as moving objects or guessing cards.
If a choice gets a character killed, retry the scene and choose differently.

Screenshots

Mothmen 1966 screenshot: green and cyan pixel art of a gas station at night with winged creatures perched on its roof and Victoria saying Listen

Mothmen 1966 screenshot: three men in black hats and suits loom over the viewer in pixel art, above a line of Holt's dialogue

Mothmen 1966 screenshot: a bloodied dead bat lies on the road, and the text says you find it in front of the headlights

Tips

Read carefully; small details in the text often point to the right choice.
Expect some trial and error in the puzzles and dangerous scenes.
Play it in one sitting at night for the full mood.
If you like it, Varney Lake and Bahnsen Knights continue the Pixel Pulps series.