Horror puzzle Psychological horror Short horror

Underground Blossom

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Ride a metro through one woman's memories, station by uneasy station.

Platforms: PC, Mac, iPhone, Android
Stores: Steam
Price: Paid
Rated: Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam (98% of 7,087 reviews); rated 4.9 of 5 from 4,434 ratings on the App Store
Length: about 2 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Point and click with the mouse; touch on iPhone, iPad and Android.
Made by: Rusty Lake
Released: 2023

Not on VR. Underground Blossom is on Steam, PC, Mac, iPhone and Android. It is not in the VR part of the site you came from.

Get it on Steam App Store (iPhone and iPad)Google Play

What frightens A metro line runs through the life of Laura Vanderboom, each station a memory from her cradle onward, and you solve puzzles in quiet hand-drawn rooms while her mind slides towards the black corruption that haunts the Rusty Lake series, with its uneasy faces, rituals and family secrets.
Content: disturbing imagery.

Underground Blossom is a short point-and-click puzzle adventure from Rusty Lake. You ride a metro through seven stations, each one a memory from the life of Laura Vanderboom, and solve puzzles to find the train to the next while her mind is pulled towards corruption.

About Underground Blossom

Underground Blossom was released in September 2023 by Rusty Lake, the Dutch studio behind the Cube Escape series, Rusty Lake Hotel, Roots and Paradise. It returns to the Vanderboom family at the heart of that series, this time following Laura from childhood onwards.

The game is built around a metro line. Every stop is a station that stands for a piece of Laura's past or a possible future: a crib station, a school, a theatre, and more. At each one you look around a single hand-drawn platform, collect objects, solve puzzles and work out which train to board. The store gives the travel time as about two hours across seven stations.

Its horror is the quiet, creeping kind Rusty Lake is known for. The rooms look calm and almost cheerful, with tidy tiles and a jazz trumpeter on the platform, but the people in them stare blankly, memories twist, and the dark corruption of the series waits underneath Laura's life. It is gentler than Roots or Paradise, with fewer gruesome moments, which makes it an easy start for players new to the series.

It suits players who enjoy logic and item puzzles with a strange story, and fans of the Cube Escape games who want to see more of the Vanderboom family. It is sold on Steam for Windows and Mac and as a paid app on iPhone, iPad and Android.

How to play Underground Blossom

Buy it on Steam, the App Store or Google Play and start a new journey.
Look around each station by clicking the arrows at the edges of the screen.
Click on people and objects to pick up items and open close-up views.
Combine and use items from your inventory to solve each station's puzzles.
Find the right metro and board it to travel to the next memory.

Screenshots

Underground Blossom screenshot: Laura in a black Victorian dress beside a pram and suitcase on the tiled Crib Station platform

Underground Blossom screenshot: a pale blonde woman with a blank stare peers past a man's shoulder against red tiles

Underground Blossom screenshot: a metro carriage waits at the platform with a conductor in the window and a station clock in front

Underground Blossom screenshot: a grey-haired woman behind the bars of a ticket booth holds out her hand

Tips

Check the people on each platform more than once; what they need changes as you solve puzzles.
Write down symbols and numbers you see; codes are often spread across a station.
There are hidden achievements in several stations, so look closely before you leave one.
Play with headphones for the soundtrack and sound cues.

Questions

How long is Underground Blossom?

Rusty Lake gives the travel time as about two hours across seven metro stations.

Is Underground Blossom scary?

It is unsettling rather than full of scares. There are no jumpscares or monsters to flee; the unease comes from strange people, dark memories and the corruption that runs through the Rusty Lake series.

Do I need to play the other Rusty Lake games first?

No. It tells its own story, though fans of the series will recognise the Vanderboom family and its secrets.