They Looked Like Us

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Lights off, curtains shut, and do not let them see you.

Platforms: PC
Stores: itch.io
Price: Pay what you want
Rated: 4.4 of 5 from 154 ratings on itch.io; over 6,000 downloads by January 2025, by its maker's count
Length: about 6 minutes
Players: 1
Controls: WASD to move, left click to interact, click and drag to work curtains (sideways) and doors (up and down), F for the flashlight, hold right click to zoom while using it
Made by: JamJarIsDumb

What frightens An emergency broadcast tells you to stay inside, turn off every light and close every curtain so that they do not find you: skinwalkers, things that look human but are not. You go room by room through a dark house in grainy 480p, working the doors and curtains by hand, with only a flashlight.
Content: dark scenes.

They Looked Like Us is a free, very short first-person horror game by JamJarIsDumb about skinwalkers. An emergency broadcast orders you to turn off the lights and close the curtains in your house before they find you, and you do it by hand in the dark, in a grainy 480p style. It takes about six minutes.

About They Looked Like Us

They Looked Like Us was made by JamJarIsDumb as a college assignment with a tight deadline, and was the maker's first finished horror game. It is a free Windows download on itch.io, where you can pay what you want, and it has since been updated to release 1.3. The maker has said it is meant as an introduction to a larger story they hope to continue one day.

It opens with a quote about the uncanny valley: that there was once a reason to fear something that looked human but was not. Then the television in your living room switches to a red Emergency Broadcast. People are told to stay inside and follow its instructions carefully: turn the lights off, close the curtains, do not let them find you.

You play in first person, going through the rooms of the house while a counter in the corner tracks how many lights are off and curtains are shut. Nothing is done with a single key press: you click and drag to pull each curtain across and to swing each door, and once the lights are out you work by flashlight, zooming in on what you think you saw.

The fear is in the waiting and the windows. The game draws on the skinwalker legend and the dread of an emergency alert, with a dark, low-resolution look that keeps you unsure of what is outside. It suits players who like analog horror and short found-footage pieces, and anyone wanting a complete scare in the time it takes to make a cup of tea.

How to play They Looked Like Us

Download They Looked Like Us from its itch.io page for Windows (free, or pay what you want) and unzip it.
Watch the emergency broadcast on the television and note what it tells you to do.
Walk through the house with WASD and turn off each light with left click.
Click and drag sideways to close each curtain, and up and down to work the doors.
Press F for the flashlight once it is dark, and hold right click to look closer.

Screenshots

They Looked Like Us screenshot: an old television showing a red screen with the words Emergency Broadcast

They Looked Like Us cover art: the title in white over a dark red figure of a person

Tips

Play with headphones and the lights in your own room off.
Keep an eye on the counter in the corner so you know which rooms are left.
Drag the curtains all the way closed before moving on.

Questions

How long is They Looked Like Us?

About six minutes, by its maker's count.

Is They Looked Like Us free?

Yes. It is a free download on itch.io, and you can pay what you want to support the maker.

Can I play They Looked Like Us in the browser?

No. It is a Windows download.

What is They Looked Like Us about?

An emergency broadcast warns of skinwalkers, things that look human but are not, and tells you to darken your house and shut every curtain so they do not find you.