A new indie horror game on Steam provides one of the most terrifying moments in years – and it’s only $5.
Everything in the horror segment on Steam seems to be the same these days: always the same clichés, always the same cheap jump scares, always abandoned houses, dark corridors, and flickering flashlights. When there’s an innovative hit like Exit 8 or the Backrooms games, the gameplay is copied dozens of times within a very short time.
As someone who regularly wades through the flood of indie horror games, my expectations are correspondingly low. But then came Dread Flats. And suddenly there was that feeling again that I had been missing since my time with Voices of the Void: genuine unease, genuine tension.
And a moment that burned itself deeply into my memory. No loud jump scares, no fountains of blood, just quiet psychological terror that gets right under your skin. And all that for just 5 euros.
A scene I will never forget
What’s it about? Dread Flats puts you in the role of a video blogger who is investigating a mysterious skyscraper in China on behalf of a fan. The reason: someone close to him has disappeared there and the police seem powerless. So the only option is to enter the concrete nightmare, armed with a camera and a flashlight.
What follows is a mixture of exploration, puzzle elements, and story snippets that slowly piece together into a disturbing picture. The game largely avoids the usual jump scare antics. The horror in Dread Flats creeps up on you. And that’s exactly what makes it so effective.
Spoiler alert! Detailed descriptions of a particularly effective key scene from Dread Flats follow.
If you want to experience the game for yourself without any spoilers, you should stop reading now.
Spoiler alert! The following contains detailed descriptions of a key scene from Dread Flats that is particularly effective.
At first, everything remains quiet. Only the soft hum of the camera can be heard. But then it happens: the wardrobe creaks open. A gaunt, old woman steps out and throws the camera to the floor. The view is now restricted, the image is crooked – but it keeps running.
What follows is pure psychological horror. The old woman just stands there. Right next to the bed. For minutes, she stares down at the sleeping protagonist without moving. No music, no effects, just this eerie waiting. And finally, she slowly crawls under the bed—and stays there.
The idea that something is lurking directly beneath the player character while you regain control is as disturbing as it is ingenious.
The whole thing reminded me of a movie: Lost Highway by David Lynch. It starts with a married couple receiving mysterious videotapes. They contain footage of their own house, filmed from a first-person perspective. First from the outside, then inside, and finally even of the sleeping couple in their bedroom. No one knows who took the footage or how the stranger got into the house.
However, I must also say that the rest of the game doesn’t quite maintain this level. After the grandiose camera scene, it continues in a much more classic vein. You hide from the creepy old lady, sneak through the building, and look for a way out.
It’s all solidly done, but there’s nothing you haven’t seen in dozens of other indie horror games. The pace picks up, but unfortunately the psychological horror has to give way to a tangible enemy.
But even if the second half can’t quite keep up, the game picks up again at the end. The finale has one last clever shock moment that left me feeling satisfied and creeped out. Of course, I won’t reveal exactly what happens.
And since Dread Flats can be played through in just over an hour, you’re left with the feeling of having experienced a compact but very effective horror experience. For just five euros, you get one of the most intense scares of recent years.
