Turkish developer PiqFocus Interactive, previously known for relaxing titles like the caterpillar-watching game Lepidarium and the aquarium simulator Easy Bubbles, is set to release a starkly different game tomorrow: The Carcass. This text-based roguelike tasks players with establishing and growing a colony within the decaying body of a colossal, deceased cosmic entity.
The game presents a world described as "a continent of rotting organs, bone corridors, and forgotten chambers," rendered in ASCII art with an authentic CRT glow effect. Players will be tasked with harvesting resources such as biomass, calcium, bile, and neurons to transform this macabre environment into a "tumorous sunken city."
Cultivating a Divine Cadaver
Within The Carcass, players will manage factions of citizens, each possessing distinct traits and skills. Research will span various disciplines, including combat, production, diplomacy, and "forbidden arts," allowing for the unlocking of occult mutations. These abilities will be crucial as players dispatch permadeath-enabled warriors to contend with other parasitic entities vying for control of the divine cadaver.
The game's progression is intrinsically linked to the player's actions, with the carcass itself becoming more aware of the colony's presence over time. The Carcass features five primary endings – "Dominion," "Symbiosis," "Awakening," "Escape," and "Transcendence" – along with four secret endings.
PiqFocus Interactive suggests that The Carcass will appeal to fans of titles such as Caves of Qud, Dwarf Fortress, Cultist Simulator, and Sunless Sea. The game's descriptions evoke a tone similar to Anoxia Station, noted for its "fraught, delphic, and emotionally crushing" insectoid horror.
The Steam page for The Carcass does not indicate the use of AI in its development. A demo is currently available for players eager to explore this unique premise before its official launch.