I’ve lost count by now of all the bright and sunny endless runner games that appear on the App Store each and every day. So when I find one that trades in the cute cartoony visuals for unsettling shadows and terrifying monsters, you can bet your sweet scary corridors that you’ve captured my interest.
I’ve lost count by now of all the bright and sunny endless runner games that appear on the App Store each and every day. So when I find one that trades in the cute cartoony visuals for unsettling shadows and terrifying monsters, you can bet your sweet scary corridors that you’ve captured my interest.
Maze of Darkness is an upcoming horror-themed endless runner, that looks to be just scary enough to make players want to start running themselves to find someplace safe to sit while they play. The game comes from developer doopop, the same studio that brought us the well-received endless runner Ninja Slash, although their latest creation couldn’t be anything farther than the colorful world of ninjas and zombies; which makes me grateful that it’s still light outside while I’m writing this.
The first thing you’ll notice about the debut gameplay trailer is that Maze of Darkness absolutely nails the atmosphere of a true horror game: with black, shadowy corridors that cast your own character completely in darkness, grimy environments, and a spooky minimalist soundtrack comprised of the most unnerving sound effects that you can possibly imagine. The game is played by utilizing simple touchscreen swipe controls, as you turn corners and prepare to evade whatever creature is waiting around the next bend. And of course, in true horror fashion, you’ll also have an in-game almanac to keep track of all your creepy encounters for research purposes; you know, if you have a spare moment to jot something down while you’re running for your life.
The 20+ enemies you’ll encounter down the dark and despairing hallways look like they could have been taken straight from a Silent Hill game, with lanky, herky-jerky monsters, giant pale faces with gaping mouths, and spike-covered spider creatures that hang down from the ceiling. Seriously, it’s some pretty spooky stuff here; not to mention the fact that it doesn’t even look like you can attack these monsters in the game. Nope, armed with just a flashlight and perhaps a dose of fleeting courage, the idea of Maze of Darkness is to avoid every demon that lurks in the shadows, making the endless runner seem all the more scary to me.
We don’t know much else about Maze of Darkness right now, but what kind of horror game would it be if we went in fully prepared of everything this spooky runner has in store? You can expect to find the game on the iOS App Store sometime in August.
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