Terror at Oakheart emerges as a fresh addition to the horror RPG genre, drawing explicit inspiration from the classic slashers of the ’80s and ’90s, and subtly nodding to NES and SNES horror games such as Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Clock Tower.
Despite its recent release this week, the game has already garnered an impressive 96% positive rating on Steam, alongside a compelling free demo that beckons any aficionado of horror.
For those who grew up immersed in the realms of classic slashers like Scream, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street, coupled with early encounters with games like Clock Tower and Resident Evil, Terror at Oakheart feels like a dark yet nostalgic homecoming.
From the moment one delves into the trailer or embarks on Chapter 1 via the demo, it’s akin to traversing a haunted house, each corner teeming with echoes of iconic horror tropes.
Hints of Art the Clown from Terrifier manifest in the form of the masked killer haunting the quaint town of Oakheart. The option to embody various survivors harks back to the gameplay dynamics of Friday the 13th on NES.
Meanwhile, the tense side-scrolling gameplay reminiscent of evading Scissorman in Clock Tower adds an extra layer of chilling nostalgia. Not to mention, the monstrous entity feasting on victims bears a striking resemblance to something out of Stranger Things.
“The side-scrolling, pixel-based game Terror At Oakheart aims to replicate the experience of watching an 80s horror movie,” reads the compelling description on Steam.
Venturing through Terror at Oakheart, players navigate dimly lit environments, from police stations to ranger outposts, campgrounds, and even the chilling abode of Teddy the serial killer.
Armed with nothing but hiding spots to prolong survival, players face the grim certainty that all characters will meet a gruesome demise at Teddy’s hands. Whether this implies a futile struggle from the outset or leaves a glimmer of hope remains uncertain, but the odds certainly skew against the player.
