Nightmare of Decay

About Nightmare of Decay

Nightmare of Decay is a small, low-priced game by the solo studio Checkmaty, released on Steam in 2022. It plays like a first-person take on the early Resident Evil games: one big building, locked doors, keys and weapons, and never quite enough ammunition.

After going to bed one night, you wake in a manor that should not exist. Its halls, cellars, library and grounds are full of shambling zombies, cultists with guns, dogs with red eyes and worse, including a laughing psycho with a chainsaw. You explore floor by floor, picking up pistols, shotguns, a magnum and a knife, and finding the keys and items that open the way out.

It is an action game at heart, with plenty of shooting and gore, but limited ammunition and healing push you to aim carefully and avoid fights you can't afford. Its rough, low-poly look is deliberately old-fashioned, which suits the nightmare it is going for.

It is cheap, and suits players who like Resident Evil-style horror in first person.

How to play Nightmare of Decay

1. Explore the manor room by room, finding keys, weapons, ammunition and healing.
2. Fight zombies and cultists with pistols, shotguns, a magnum and a knife.
3. Aim for the head and count your bullets; ammunition is limited.
4. Use the knife on weaker enemies to save ammunition for the dangerous ones.
5. Find the way out of the manor to escape the nightmare.

Tips

• Check every room for supplies before moving on.
• Keep shotgun shells for the bigger threats like the chainsaw psycho.
• Watch your health state in the corner and heal before big fights.

Questions