Psychological horror Horror Mystery and detective horror

The Healing - Horror Story

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A plague doctor joins your group chat of strangers.

Platforms: Android, iPhone
Price: Free with ads
Rated: 4.5 out of 5 on Google Play (about 24,500 reviews, 100K+ downloads); 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store (2,405 ratings)
Players: 1
Controls: Touch: read the chats, tap one of the offered replies, and open voice messages, pictures and video calls.
Made by: Reality Games (SponsorAds GmbH & Co. KG)
Released: 2022

What frightens Added to a group chat of seven strangers, you watch Dr. Crow, a man in a plague doctor mask, appear among them; strange symbols show up at your house, creepy video calls arrive, and you have to work out who in the group is not who they claim to be.
Content: violence, blood.

The Healing is a horror thriller played in a phone messenger. You are added to a group chat called Healing with seven strangers, a man in a plague doctor mask who calls himself Dr. Crow starts to watch you all, and your replies decide whom you trust and how the story ends.

About The Healing - Horror Story

The Healing is a chat-based horror story by Reality Games, the German studio behind Seven and The Sign, published under SponsorAds GmbH & Co. KG. It came out in 2022. The store says all of its content is in English and that it can be played for free.

For no reason you can see, you are added to a private group chat called Healing with seven people you have never met. While you try to work out what the group is for, Dr. Crow appears: a stranger in a plague doctor's beaked mask. At first it seems like a bad joke, until symbols start appearing at your house and you get video calls you did not ask for. Something connects the people in the group, and not all of them are who they say they are.

You play by choosing what to write in private chats and in the group. The makers say your decisions shape the story, your relationships with the characters and the ending. You set up a profile with your name, gender and orientation, and the story comes with voice messages, photos and video calls recorded with a cast of actors. Between chats you follow clues and solve small puzzles.

It is free with ads and optional purchases. It suits players who like Simulacra or the studio's other chat thrillers and want a mystery about trust, with a masked figure watching from the edge of the screen.

How to play The Healing - Horror Story

Accept the invitation to the Healing group chat and read who is in it.
Choose your replies in the group and in private chats; each choice changes how people see you.
Listen to voice messages and watch the video calls for clues.
Follow the leads and solve the small puzzles that come up between chats.
Decide whom to trust before Dr. Crow's game reaches its end.

Screenshots

The Healing store art: a finger taps YES in a chat with Anna, beside a young woman's face and a dark figure behind her

The Healing store art: the Healing group chat over a creepy collage of an eye and hands, beside an old TV showing a plague doctor and the words Who is Dr. Crow

Tips

Look through each member's profile gallery; the photos say more than their messages.
Do not trust anyone just because they are friendly in the group.
Set up your profile carefully at the start; the story uses your name, gender and orientation.

Questions

Is The Healing free?

Yes. It is free on Android and iPhone, with ads and optional in-app purchases.

Who is Dr. Crow?

A stranger in a plague doctor mask who appears in the group chat at the start; finding out who is behind the mask is the heart of the story.

Does The Healing have multiple endings?

Yes. Its makers say your decisions affect the course and the ending of the story.

Is The Healing scary?

It is a slow-building thriller of messages, video calls and a masked stranger rather than action. Google Play rates it Teen for violence and blood, and the App Store 17+.