Genie Boy Games’ T.W.I.R.L., a horror game about growing up with a deep secret that must be protected for life, will be heading to Steam next month on August 10. The game will also see releases on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and the Nintendo Switch at a later date.

Creep through the throes of youth as a nine-year-old boy in 2006, awakening at 3:00 a.m. while his family is asleep. Slink around his childhood home as some unknown force coaxes him out of bed, pulling him to roam the halls in the dead of night. Feel every pace with the weight of a spectral overseer behind him, compelling him to “T.W.I.R.L.” — whatever that means — with one caveat: Don’t tell anybody.

Protect a secret for life in a story told through P.T.-inspired loops that change both child and home. Bear the untold weight of navigating adolescence as he grows up to make a massive, life-changing revelation. Open the door to self-reflection in an exploratory walk through the haunted nostalgia of 2006, where anyone noticing you – even yourself – means death.

“Our movements, habits, and secrets shape our identities, especially as children,” said Ben Escobar, founder of Genie Boy Games. “Secretive turned-subconscious rituals can define us without us even knowing. While most walking simulators are often preoccupied with an end destination, T.W.I.R.L. is meant to ask: who are we in between, through each step towards something we actively keep secret?”

Ahead of the game’s release, you can also check out the demo on Steam.