Survival horror Psychological horror PS1 horror Horror Fixed camera horror Surreal horror

Heartworm

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Cross into a world of memories with only your grandfather's camera to fight back.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Stores: Steam
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (86% of 505 reviews); 4.7 of 5 on the PlayStation Store (25 ratings); 7/10 from GameSpew.
Length: 4 to 6 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Over-the-shoulder aiming with modern controls, or optional classic tank controls. Full controller support on PC.
Made by: Vincent Adinolfi
Released: 2025

No. 26 of the suburban horror games · No. 21 of the spider horror games · No. 22 of the internet horror games

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What frightens Unable to move on from her grandfather's death, Sam follows an internet forum to a house in the mountains said to reach the other side. Beyond it is a foggy world born of memories, with ghostly figures and giant spiders. Her only weapon is his old 35mm camera. A reviewer found it tense rather than frightening; the dread is as much about loss as about what waits in the mist.
Content: depictions of death, themes of grief, violence, strong language, alcohol and tobacco references, spiders.

Heartworm is a survival horror game in the style of late-1990s Silent Hill and Resident Evil, by solo developer Vincent Adinolfi. Sam, unable to move on after her grandfather's death, finds a house said to reach the other side and enters a world born of memories, armed only with a camera. Expect fixed camera angles, classic puzzles and four to six hours of play with multiple endings. It came out on PC in July 2025 and on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch in October 2026.

About Heartworm

Heartworm is the work of the solo developer Vincent Adinolfi, who also wrote its music, and is published by DreadXP. It came out on Steam on 31 July 2025, and on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, Switch and Switch 2 on 1 October 2026. It is openly a love letter to the survival horror of the late 1990s, with fixed camera angles, pre-rendered and in-game cutscenes, puzzles and an inventory screen in the old style.

Sam has lost her grandfather and cannot let go. An internet forum leads her to a house in the mountains that is meant to make contact with the dead possible. Past its threshold lies a world born of memories: a foggy suburb, an empty purple city, a vast library, a space of floating gears around a grandfather clock.

Combat is limited. Your weapon is your grandfather's 35mm camera, which you raise over the shoulder to photograph the ghostly figures that come for you. Each shot uses film, though the flash can light up dark rooms for free. Some enemies cannot be put down at all and are better avoided. The rest is exploring, reading notes that hold puzzle clues, and puzzles that range from switches to a sliding-block puzzle.

GameSpew found it tense rather than scary, with weak boss fights and fixed angles that sit awkwardly with the modern controls, but called its story intriguing and its puzzles rewarding. It suits players who miss PS1-era Silent Hill and want a sad horror story of four to six hours with several endings.

How to play Heartworm

Arrive at the house in the mountains and explore it.
Cross the threshold into the world of memories.
Collect items and combine them in the inventory to solve puzzles.
Raise your camera and take photos to drive off the ghostly figures; each shot uses film.
Read notes for puzzle clues and use the map to find the way forward.
Reach one of the multiple endings; play again to see the others.

Screenshots

Heartworm screenshot: a fixed-camera view from above of Sam in a study with a desk, rug, bookshelves and a fire

Heartworm screenshot: Sam alone at a foggy purple city crossroads with a giant spider on a rooftop

Heartworm screenshot: the inventory screen with her grandfather's 35mm camera, film, a lighter, cigarettes and a candle

Heartworm screenshot: rusted gears float in the dark around a tall grandfather clock glowing red

Heartworm screenshot: Sam stands small in a vast dark library hall lined with tall bookshelves

Tips

Film is limited, and some enemies take many shots: avoid fights you do not need.
The camera flash lights up dark places without using film.
Notes often hold the clue to the next puzzle, so read them.
Check the map often; areas can feel labyrinthine.
Try the optional tank controls and pixelation for the classic feel.