“Katabasis” – Psychological Horror in the Russian Hills

Just a few days ago, I came across an interesting-looking psychological horror in Indie DB called Katabasis, released back in 2012 as a senior thesis by a graphic designer. While the graphics were decent for a game essentially made by one man, what really drew my attention was the strange setting and its interesting delivery.

The game centers around a father who has taken his estranged son on a camping trip somewhere in the Russian hills in an effort to open up to and get to know him better. One night, the son vanishes, and it is up to the father, controlled by the player, to explore the countryside, visit interesting and odd local architecture, and begin to unravel details about something…Or someone…Not meant to be fully understood.

According to the game’s creator, the plot was inspired by an event back in 1959 where nine hikers died under mysterious circumstances in a place locally known as the Mountain of the Dead. The game draws on inspiration from an old god called the World Surveyor Man.

All in all, the game is very experiential, and each person may take a different meaning away from it. The video is relatively short, and I think you will really enjoy it!