Hi Spooks,
I hope you’re all keeping safe and warm given the current climate. It often feels like the world’s going crazy, and turning on the news can feel less like staying informed and more like watching a real-life horror story unfold.
If you’re anything like me and prone to existential dread, having something to escape into helps. I go through phases with focus. Sometimes all I want to do is read, other times I just want to disappear into a game or stick a film on and let my brain switch off.
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of gaming. Horror games, obviously, especially lesser-known titles from small indie developers. I’m planning to talk about a few of them on the blog over the coming weeks, so let’s kick things off with Teleforum.
Developed by Monumental Collab and published by Critical Reflex, Teleforum is a free-to-play, found-footage-style horror game. You play as a cameraman visiting the widow of journalist Walter Martins, who ended his life during a live broadcast of the now-cancelled TELEFORUM. Alongside your colleague Juliana, you try to uncover the mystery behind the tape Walter became obsessed with and the truth behind why he took his own life.
The game leans hard into a gritty, analogue VHS aesthetic, and as you uncover clues you’re rewarded with grainy found-footage clips that sell the atmosphere. Mechanics are simple: WASD movement and basic clicking to select dialogue options, which keeps the focus on the story rather than fiddly controls.
Like Fears to Fathom, it’s a short experience, though you’ll need a couple of hours if you want to unlock all the achievements (for the achievement hounds out there). If you’re looking for neat answers, you might be disappointed as there’s no definitive explanation here, and plenty of room for interpretation. That said, it’s easy to become just as obsessed with the mystery as Walter himself, which feels very intentional.
I wouldn’t call it outright scary, but it’s creative, and you can tell the devs have a real love for both horror and the found-footage genre. The found footage moments are particularly well produced, and the music and sound design do a lot of heavy lifting.
For a free-to-play game, it’s definitely worth a try, especially if you’re looking to kill a bit of time. You won’t get closure, but maybe that’s the point. Chasing answers where none exist can be its own kind of horror.
The developers are currently working on another game, Drowned Lake, which looks more involved. I’ve got access to the playtest and will be giving it a go at some point. But for now, give Teleforum a try, it’s free and absolutely worth half an hour of your time.
If you check it out, let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Stay Spooky!
👻SG👻
☽ SpookyGee ☾ 