Not many people think of the Game Boy as a home for horror titles, so leave it to a user by the name of -IZMA- to bring us Deadeus, “an authentic horror Gameboy [sic] game” which you can download for free from -IZMA-‘s itch.io page. Developed using Chris Maltby’s GB Studio engine, and featuring music by Stuart Busby, the game really is an authentic Game Boy game in the fact that it’s a Game Boy rom.

For those not in the know, a rom is a data file that contains a copy of the read-only memory (ROM) chip from a cartridge such as the Game Boy or NES. You can use what’s called an emulator to play these roms on your PC. There are some legal issues regarding this when it comes to roms for games that were actually sold in store, but that’s another story.

Anyways, the story for Deadeus centers around a small boy who has a prophetic nightmare telling him everyone will die in 3 days, and that he has to investigate his village to see how he can save them, if at all. The game has 11 endings and no direct path leaving it up to the player to decide which is the best course of action.

As this is an actual rom, you’ll need to download an emulator to play it, which -IZMA- has been kind enough to suggest their emulator of choice. As an added bonus, -IZMA- has a Special Edition of the game which comes with a folder full of concept art, process work and desktop wallpapers, as well as a map to help you get around the world. On top of that, there are some “sneaky peeks at what is to come in the future of Deadeus“.