Veinless Property

About Veinless Property

Veinless Property was made by the artist Tenkaiyo in a three-week challenge run by Triality Games, whose three members each made a horror game; it went up on itch.io in December 2020 and was later pressed onto Super Rare Games' Mixtape Volume 4, a physical collection of indie games, together with early screenshots and concept art.

The maker describes it simply: a cel-shaded horror game based on a home invasion, in the style of Junji Ito. Everything in the house is drawn as if inked for a manga page, in red, black and white, with diagonal hatching across the walls and sound effects shown as drawn shapes when you touch things. Many rooms stay dark until you find the light switch.

You play in first person, going from room to room through an ordinary home, a living room with a television, a kitchen with a fridge covered in magnets, a bedroom with a window onto the night. The tension comes from what the dark might hide and from glimpses of the intruder, whose voice was recorded by BalissaArt. Players mention a scare at the bedroom window and a few jump scares on the way to the end.

It is short, which is the most common wish in its comments: that it went on longer. It suits players who want a striking manga look over a long story, and anyone who likes Junji Ito and wants a few minutes of dread in his style.

How to play Veinless Property

1. Download Veinless Property from its itch.io page for Windows, Mac or Linux; it is free, or name your own price.
2. On a Mac, the maker advises downloading it through the itch.io app.
3. Unzip it and start the game.
4. Walk through the house in first person and turn on the lights as you go.
5. Look at and interact with what you find until the night plays out.

Tips

• If the mouse feels too fast or slow, press Escape and change the sensitivity in the pause menu.
• Play in the dark with headphones; the sound and the intruder's voice do much of the work.
• Take your time in each room: the hand-drawn details are a large part of the game.

Questions