The Swine

About The Swine

The Swine is a short horror experience by Vincent Lade, released on Steam in June 2020. Its maker calls it a psychological horror walking simulator with puzzles, items and story elements, set over a week in which you are tormented in your own house, and says it takes under an hour.

You live on a rural homestead in the backwoods of America. Each day the house and the property around it change. You can leave the lights on or off, open every door and drawer, and search the dusty rooms and the overgrown backyard, finding clues that hint at what is coming or what happened the night before.

The store asks whether you are being watched, and tells you to stay alert for suspicious activity on your land. Corrupted tarot cards turn up, and you live through their esoteric meanings. Then come the people who crash into your quiet life: an occult group called The Swine, with twisted beliefs and dark methods, and a strange breed of magick with dark abilities. The characters are voiced, and the maker warns that some scenes may be graphic or disturbing.

It suits players who like slow, quiet dread in an ordinary home, finished in one sitting.

How to play The Swine

1. Explore your house and property in first person each day.
2. Turn lights on or off and open doors and drawers to search the rooms and the backyard.
3. Look for clues about the night before and the days to come.
4. Collect the corrupted tarot cards and live through what they bring.
5. Use the items you find to solve puzzles and see the week through.

Tips

• Search thoroughly each day; the house changes, and new clues appear.
• Pay attention to the yard and windows, the store hints that you are being watched.
• Play it in one sitting with sound up; it lasts under an hour.
• Read every note and card, they foreshadow what comes next.

Questions