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Press release:
Osterholz, Germany – 16th December 2024.
The Osterholz-based (Germany) indie games developer Retrofiction Games today announced with great joy and thrill that their 2D-survival horror game “Dead of Darkness“, is coming to PC via Steam on January 23rd, 2025.

The date was first revealed during The Horror Game Awards on Saturday, in which a brand new trailer for the game was premiered.

Set in England in 1985, Dead of Darkness is a 2D survival-horror action-adventure with cosmic horror influences. It features an expertly crafted narrative, rich and foreboding atmosphere, deep lore and devious puzzles. Players will step into the well-worn boots of private investigator Miles Windham, who, following the tragic passing of his daughter, heads to the mysterious Velvet Island to investigate a lead on her death.

Shortly after arriving, Miles discovers the residents to be increasingly hostile, and soon finds himself in a desperate struggle for his own survival. Only by facing grotesque creatures, surmounting deadly traps and managing his sanity, does he have a hope of unraveling the disturbing secret that lies at the dark heart of the island.

Narrative is the core of the Dead of Darkness experience, and as such is equally inspired by classic tales of terror, contemporary weird fiction and the survival horror classics of yesteryear. It effortlessly brings these influences together and plays with genre tropes to create a fresh and surprising gameplay experience.

Rendered with pixel-perfect, sprite-based two-dimensional art, the game’s dark story and locales are further brought to life with eye catching – and often unsettling – high-definition illustrations, atmospheric lighting and sound; all is which is backed-up by professional voice acting from a talented international cast including Bradley Gareth (My Time at Portia), Abigail Turner (Remothered: Broken Porcelain) and Paul Moran (Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader).

Dead of Darkness Features:

Complex, multi-layered narrative. Meet more than 15 memorable characters over the course of the game – each with their own story that revolves around the terrible secrets of Velvet Island.

Challenging survival-horror. Resources are scarce, your inventory is limited, and danger lurks around every corner. Plan your routes carefully if you want to survive.

Intense hallucinations. Each enemy encounter takes a toll on your mental state. The lower your mental state, the stronger the hallucinations you will experience – some will even blur the distinction between reality and fiction.

Relentless enemies. 13 different enemies are hungry for your flesh, and some of them will stalk you relentlessly. Fight them, run from them, or use your wits to outsmart them.

Become a detective. Search your environment, inspect items and read documents in order to unlock clues. Use these clues to reveal hidden troves or unlock secret passageways.

Dead of Darkness is scheduled to launch for PC on Thursday, 23rd January 2025. A demo is now available via Steam, where you can also wishlist the game.

Eastasiasoft will be bringing the game to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles at a later date; details on which will be announced in due course.

For more information on Dead of Darkness, please visit the official website, or follow on Bluesky and Twitter.

About Retrofiction Games
Retrofiction Games is a solo developer based in Osterholz, Germany which aims to create narratively-driven experiences that combine the best of both retro and contemporary styles of gaming, with a focus on horror themes and adventure elements. It is currently developing its first commercial release, Dead of Darkness, a 2D survival-horror action-adventure.