Haunted house Psychological horror Stealth horror

Infliction

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A family home, a tragedy, and the thing that still walks its halls.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Stores: Steam
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (80% of 973 reviews). The PS4 Extended Cut has a Metascore of 64 from 11 critic reviews, and 4.18 of 5 from 875 ratings on the PlayStation Store.
Length: about 3 to 4 hours
Players: 1
Made by: Caustic Reality
Released: 2018

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What frightens You search a family home frozen by tragedy, piecing together its story from letters, diaries and mementos, while a restless female spirit stalks you through rooms that grow more twisted and broken the deeper you go. Doors open on their own, your phone rings with cryptic messages, and being caught sends you somewhere else in the house.
Content: jumpscares, violence, blood and gore, domestic abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, self-harm, strong language.

Infliction is a first-person horror game set in a once-happy suburban house. You explore its rooms to piece together the tragedy that broke the family, using an instant camera to reveal what the eye cannot see and to solve puzzles, while an angry spirit hunts you; you can only hide from it or stun it for a moment with the camera's flash.

About Infliction

Infliction is by Caustic Reality, an Australian studio, and was largely made by one developer. It came out on Steam in October 2018, and Infliction: Extended Cut followed on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in February 2020, published there by Blowfish Studios. It was inspired by P.T. and is built in Unreal Engine with a photorealistic house that changes as you play.

You come back to a house that was once full of family life. Letters, diaries and mementos tell what happened here, piece by piece, and the story is grounded in domestic tragedy: broken hearts, betrayed trust, grief and loss, with addiction, depression and abuse among its themes. Each discovery and puzzle opens new rooms, and the deeper you go, the more the house fractures. At times you are taken away from the house to other places, with other things hunting you.

Your instant camera is the main tool. Photos show what the eye cannot, which is how many puzzles are solved, and spare film lies near the clues. Its flash also stuns the spirit that roams the house. She cannot be fought; you hide under tables or beds, wait and listen. If she catches you, you wake up elsewhere in the house. Doors open by themselves and your phone rings with cryptic messages.

A New Game Plus brings new scares, new content, a harder difficulty and remixed puzzles, and there is a museum of art and bonus material to unlock. It deals with abuse and self-harm and is not meant for players under 15.

How to play Infliction

Explore the house in first person, opening drawers and doors and reading letters, diaries and notes.
Take photos with the instant camera to reveal things the eye cannot see and solve puzzles.
Find and use items to open new paths and rooms.
Listen for the spirit; when it comes, hide under a table or bed or get out of its sight.
Use the camera flash to stun it briefly and escape.
Piece the family's story together to reach the end, then try the New Game Plus.

Screenshots

Infliction screenshot: a teenage girl's dim bedroom with a unicorn poster, a pink teddy bear on the bed and a heart-shaped lamp

Infliction screenshot: a dark hallway with a black and white checkered floor, a sideboard and a painting, leading to double doors

Infliction screenshot: a long tiled corridor with pipes and cracked floor tiles lit by caged lamps

Infliction screenshot: an easel holding a painting of a bloodied, white-eyed woman beside a paint table in a dim corner

Infliction screenshot: a dark brick basement with a pentagram drawn on the stained floor, candles at its points and a white mask in the centre

Infliction screenshot: a child's bedroom with two cots under dozens of hanging inverted crosses, a pentagram scrawled on the wall

Infliction screenshot: a dim room with rose wallpaper torn open, a hole in the wall, paint buckets and work lights by a dark arched doorway

Tips

Search every room; letters and mementos carry both story and clues.
Photograph anything that looks like a clue, and pick up the spare film left nearby.
Keep the flash for when you are cornered.
Away from the house, the other hunters cannot be fought either; expect some trial and error to avoid or trap them.

Questions

Is Infliction like P.T.?

It was inspired by P.T.: a realistic house that becomes more twisted as you explore, plus a ghost that hunts you.

Can you fight the ghost in Infliction?

No. You can hide from it and stun it briefly with your camera's flash, but not defeat it. If it catches you, you wake up elsewhere in the house.

How long is Infliction?

A first play takes about three to four hours. A New Game Plus adds new scares, content, a harder difficulty and remixed puzzles.

Is Infliction on consoles?

Yes, as Infliction: Extended Cut on PS4 (also playable on PS5), Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, released in February 2020 and published by Blowfish Studios.

Is Infliction suitable for younger players?

No. Its makers say it is not for players under 15, and it deals with violence, physical abuse, drug and alcohol abuse and self-harm. It is rated M by the ESRB, PEGI 16 and MA15+ in Australia.