Raffaele Picca, developer of Engraving, has released a demo for their upcoming horror game Moldrise, which casts players as a protagonist battling a rapidly spreading fungal infection in their foot. The game, featuring a soundtrack by Mike Klubnika, creator of Buckshot Roulette, centers on a desperate ascent to the roof of an apartment block to escape the infection before it consumes the player. The demo highlights a particularly gruesome and atmospheric approach to horror, with the developer emphasizing the game's unsettling audio design and evolving visual cues.
A Descent into Fungal Decay
The core gameplay loop of Moldrise involves navigating a grimy, mold-covered apartment building while managing the progression of a parasitic fungal growth. As the infection worsens, indicated by a 'deathshead bar', the environment visually degrades, becoming wet and translucent, revealing disturbing organic matter. The audio design complements this with squelching footsteps and groaning avatar sounds that intensify with the infestation.
Navigating an Unwelcoming Community
Reaching the roof before the infection becomes fatal requires more than just speed; players must interact with the building's unsettling inhabitants. These characters, depicted with distorted photographic faces, often make demands or refuse assistance unless their specific needs are met. For instance, the janitor will not fix the elevator without his flashlight, and another resident requires a snack from a ground-level vending machine. The game's Steam page notes that these characters possess hidden knowledge, though they may not realize they are sharing information about the same overarching mystery.
Moldrise is slated for a full release on July 16. The game's setting, described as a 'grainy and godless' apartment block, provides a harrowing backdrop that the developer believes is sufficiently disturbing even without overt monster threats, with the player character potentially becoming the primary source of horror.
The demo is available now on Steam.