For those who have a thing for Japanese folklore, you’ll want to keep tabs on True Ronin Games and their upcoming title, Eternal Haunt. Inspired by Amnesia: The Dark Descent, the first-person survival horror title also takes cues from the Masaki Kobayashi horror anthology film Kwaidan, specifically the folklore tale, “The Woman of the Snow”.
Set in old Japan, instead of managing your sanity as in Amnesia, Eternal Haunt instead has you striving to survive freezing to death. In a bamboo forest during a winter night, old man Kiyoshi awakens to a snowstorm and is distraught to discover his grandson Mosaku is missing.
While searching for Mosaku, Kiyoshi stumbles upon an abandoned hut. What he thought was a place of respite from the cold turns out to be his worst nightmare. Now haunted by the resident demon spirit, Yuki-Onna, and her ten ghost children, Koyoshi now must navigate a cold labyrinth. As he does, the icy temperatures slowly cause his movements to slow. The colder he becomes, the more vulnerable to Yuki-Onna’s icy grasp. His only hope for survival is to find warmth.
As if navigating a maze while battling the cold weren’t enough, you’ll also need to deal with the various puzzles you’ll encounter, which are randomized each playthrough. Puzzle solutions are unique, offering a fresh challenge on every playthrough.
You’ll also be collecting various items crucial for survival, which are also used for solving puzzles or aiding in navigation. Some items also hold deeper significance, with descriptions that reveal fragments of Yuki-Onna’s tragic story, slowly unraveling the mystery of her past.
Currently, you can check out the demo for Eternal Haunt on Steam. The demo has about 50 minutes of gameplay showcasing one level out of the seven in the final game. Eternal Haunt is currently aiming for an October 2027 release.