Grab your face paint and red noses it is time to visit the circus, if that circus was in the form of a clown having a horrific mental breakdown in a creepy mansion. I know right, sounds like fun. From the twisted minds of Indiesruption and produced by Blowfish, this Pixel-art, survival horror delivers a unique and disturbing tale of a former circus troupe. Even in its pixel form this game still delivers emotion and the horror factor to create a compelling and horrifying story.

This tale begins in 1921, when we hear news that the once renowned Vlad Circus has been burnt down with the survivors all going their separate ways. A year later, one of the brothers, Josef who ran the circus was charged and sent to the electric chair for starting the fire.

Our story begins eight years later though, and you play as the protagonist, Oliver the Clown, reuniting with his past colleagues and still carrying the trauma of the fire. With the past heavy on his shoulders, he begins to hallucinate sinister visions, but are they visions, or signs of scarier things to come? The story is intriguing and the 1 and a half hour demo has me gagging to see what else I can uncover narratively.

The game recommends that you play with a controller. I did both and while the keyboard is doable the controller was better. In my short hands-on with the demo, you are required to navigate a spooky house and its surroundings, looking for clues to solve puzzles and unlock objectives strewn about.

These puzzles could be situations such as fixing a blown fuse, opening unlocked doors, or using music to shatter glass. Solving these situations often has a roll-on effect, opening up more locations and problems to solve. I do admit I did get stuck on one puzzle for a little while because I didn’t put the medicine and hallucinating together as they say.

The gameplay is generally side-scrolling but sometimes cuts away to small cinematics. With very simple controls, items can be interacted with and picked up or combined to create a new item altogether. Items are stored in an inventory menu at the bottom of the screen, however, you are given limited spots, so choose wisely where you leave objects and what you need in the current situation.

Do not fear as you can extend your item storage as you gather bags hidden across the map, freeing up more greatly needed carry slots. There is also a journal that logs key events and the inner thoughts of Oliver, driving the narrative to points and feelings you may not get from the gameplay.

The audio is atmospheric throughout, painting bleak environments for Oliver to creep through room after room. With lighting and piano strikes to add a few more shock factors at dramatic moments. The graphics are very 16-bit pixelated in style, but you’d be surprised at how much detail this game punches into its characters, surrounding environments, and cutscenes. The scenes are dark and gloomy, and you just can’t wait to pump a bit of sunshine back into Oliver’s life.

Overall, ‘Vlad Circus: Descend into Madness’ is so far a typical click-and-collect adventure title with a gripping horror-esque narrative. I cannot wait till Indieruption delivers the full goods in 2023 (dates still not disclosed) as the DEMO sure left me wanting more. So, if this sounds like a game you would want to sink your teeth into, make sure to add it to your Wishlist.

Written by: Adam Brasher