This week, I was lucky enough to get an early look into the upcoming title from solo developer and publisher Walter Woods, ‘Dark and Deep’. I’ve been left feeling a little bit like Alice making her way deeper into the rabbit hole, only to discover my worst nightmares.

A conspiracy podcast drags you into a hauntingly illustrated world of mystery and terror. Revealing the secrets and horrors that lurk within, with the help of mystical frames given to you by a strange observer. My time with this demo has left me feeling I’ve been travelling a multiverse, as if I’ve been placed in a world within a world, within a nightmare.

Play as Samuel Judge, a loyal fan of the mysterious conspiracy podcast “Dark and Deep”. Samuel is plunged into a dark and dangerous landscape that you will need to help him survive, and you’re not alone. Unravel the mystery of the campaign’s story by listening to the podcast episodes and getting to the bottom of the conspiracy.

I’m not one to get caught up in conspiracy theories, but I couldn’t help developing my theory about what was happening. The fact that this was happening made me feel very connected to Samuel and his struggle to find out the truth. Getting caught up like this in such a short time makes me very excited and anxious to find out the whole truth.

Traversing the game world and searching for the truth is not going to be easy. A variety of horrors await in the shadows and will stop at nothing to steal away your light.

A mysterious observer watching out for you on your journey aids you in the form of giving you mystical frames that help you reveal hidden elements and fight back against the horrors that lurk in the shadows. Using the first mystical frame you can locate hidden elements that will aid you in traversing the environment.

Hidden pools of light will grant you an orb of light that can used to light your way and interact with mysterious machines that reveal your path forward. The second frame that I was able to use in the demo finally revealed the crawler that had been tormenting me with its shallow breathing, along with being treated to my first expertly timed jump scare, I finally had a way to fight back against my tormentor.

The environments are brought to life in such a unique way, and offer the perfect blend of past and present. For the most part, you’ll be stepping straight into the artworks of 19th-century artist Gustave Doré, which have been used as the textures for the game world.

The way this blends into the more modern sections sells the idea that there is perhaps a story within a story going on here and I love it. The horror and fear that I felt encountering crawlers and drowners for the first time is a testament to the enemy’s design, I can’t wait to see what other horrors are lurking in the shadows.

The soundtrack immediately sets the tone for the horrors that await you in the shadows. The dripping and trickling of water from the caves, mixed with the shallow breath of the crawlers had me constantly on the edge of my seat. My only issue is that the audio and text displayed during a podcast episode were out of sync and could use some tweaking.

The cosmic horror that is, ‘Dark and Deep’ will surely keep you on the edge of your seat or jumping clean out of your skin with its expertly timed jump scares. I am in love with the idea that there is a story within a story going on here and I can’t wait to be able to finally piece it all together. My mind is fluttering trying to come to terms with whether it’s art within art or just an incredible conspiracy theory that has been brought to life. Special thanks to Walter Woods for this early look into your game and I look forward to its full release. Wishlist now on Steam.

Written by: Gary Nielsen