The Haunted PS1 demo disc is neither a real disc nor a collection of actual PS1 games, but it sure will make you feel like you’re sitting in front of an old CRT on a stormy night in the 90s. This is the second demo disc collection presented by Haunted PS1, this time with a whopping 25 games included. The disc drops today tomorrow (as announced moments after I hit publish) in the form of a launcher you can download for access to the whole quarter of horror.
Once again, there are some seriously spooky looking games on offer. Chasing Static up top there, whose demo is also on Steam, is an adventure set in rural Wales. It’s got some solid voice acting to go with its lo-fi visuals as you use your anomaly detector to hunt down the mystery of the missing villagers of Hearth.
The disc is practically a variety pack, with all sorts of different spooks. Ghastly Goodies (on Itch), for instance, looks a bit more cute than creepy with its little candy-collecting kiddos in costumes. Risu (on Steam) is a survival horror game where you’ll solve puzzles while hiding from monsters. It definitely gives of early Resident Evil vibes. Golly it’s even got a cell phone from the era. Takes me back. Then there’s Lorn’s Lure (on Steam) with its unsettling first-person platforming.
This year’s trailer isn’t out just yet, but here’s last year’s to give you an idea what type of things you’re in store for.
Despite the title, Haunted PS1’s creators say that you can expect games in the demo collecion to push the definition a bit. “HPS1 is a community where we try to accept all low-fi and retro art directions,” they say. “As such not every game has to be 3D or have the particular visual quirks of any specific hardware. In a similar way we do not require the games to have a strict horror theme, instead they can be atmospheric, have a slight unnerving twist or even just feel so of the era that we can’t resist loving them and wanting them in the collection.” Basically, rule number one is rad demos.
The demo disc has gotten pushed to tomorrow, March 25th. When it does launch, you’ll find it over here on Itch. In the meantime, you can still try out the 2020 demo disc which was also swell.
