News
‘Silent Hill’ and Roguelikes Come Together in ‘Phantasmal’
If you’re in the market for something spooky and scary with the unforgiving nature of a roguelike, the pool of games you have to choose from has been steadily growing thanks to games like Bloodborne, Darkwood and Our Darker Purpose, among others.
The latest to try and scratch that particular itch is Phantasmal: City of Darkness, and unlike the other titles I just mentioned, this one fits much more snugly in the genre of survival horror.
Set in the early 90s, back when Kowloon was still a walled city, the goal is to scavenge for precious resources that can aid in your survival against the legion of nightmarish creatures that populates the enclosed city. With procedurally generated environments and a sanity system inspired by Amnesia, Phantasmal is a unique blend of classic mechanics and modern ideas.
Phantasmal is available now on Steam Early Access for $14.99.
Movies
McDonald’s No-Clips Out of Reality with Unexpected ‘Backrooms’ Short Movie
The best part about engaging with collaborative genre fiction on the internet is that anyone can get in on the action, with worldwide accessibility often resulting in absurd story beats that wouldn’t be possible if any single person was responsible for the entire narrative. And while Kane Parsons’ Backrooms film is definitely the young filmmaker’s own unique take on the infamous creepypasta, it’s fun to see other creators join the Backrooms sandbox now that the big screen adaptation is getting ready for a record-shattering opening weekend.
As if cleverly timed releases like Puppet Combo’s The Backrooms game weren’t enough (not to mention that Scary Movie poster poking fun at Parsons’ flick), McDonald’s official social media accounts have now released an analog horror video of their own celebrating the liminal terrors of the McRooms – complete with a familiar purple surprise at the end of the footage.
While it’s funny enough to see the world’s most recognizable Fast Food giant engage with internet-borne Found Footage thrills seemingly out of the blue, the video is actually referencing a long-running gag among the Backrooms fandom where creators jokingly talk about there being a fully functional McDonald’s restaurant hidden somewhere in level 0 of the infamous liminal labyrinth.
Now, would it be too much to hope for a moist-carpet-flavored McShake to tie in with the film?
Backrooms is now playing only in theaters from A24.


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