Jonathan Lorenz

A terrible fate for Halloween

The curse has been passed on to you. The only way to break it is to go back in time through some horror movies VHS.

Wishlist REWIND and RECLAIM on Steam now

Memories from the prototyping phases

Is there a link between all of the horror movies in the game?

It's not an accident, it's me having a hard time accepting it's gonna be late ^^'

A lot of things have changed since the making of this trailer (gameplay and assets wise), but it still manages to capture the mood of our game REWIND and RECLAIM

All those games I posted in the last few days influenced, one way or another, the game I’m currently working on. A lot of things have changed since I started working on it two years ago. Haven't shared about it for a while, but hey, it's Halloween!
#SteamScreamFest

What shaped my game

Beyond Dark Castle (1987) by Silicon Beach Software

Explore the castle, dungeons, forests, a clocktower, and defeat rats, snakes, executioners, and weird monsters. I loved the variety in scenery and challenges. Before that, the best looking game I had was a version of Chess!

Another World (1991) by @ericchahi.bsky.social

First screen of the game a tentacle drowns you. If you make it to the next screen you get killed by a leech's bite, or eaten by a dog. It’s survival platformer adventure were you use a limited set of tools and your creativity to progress.

Alone In The Dark (1992) by Infogrames

It was such a unique game at the time it launched. Needless to say my young self didn’t understand what I was supposed to do, but I loved the simplicity and the mood of the game. Spend hours exploring the manor and dying.

Forgot to add that it is developed by Electronic Arts

Haunting Starring Polterguy (1993)

You play as a ghost who interact with its environment to haunt objects and scare a family. I loved trying out different objects in the environment to figure out how to puzzle them together to achieve your goals. Spooky!

Dark Seed 2 (1995) by Cyberdreams

Another weird FMV point and click. You explore a world full of nightmarish (and pixelated) sceneries to get your memory back and investigate your girlfriend’s murder. It’s like a proto Harvester but with some H.R. Giger’s artworks!

Harvester (1996) by DigiFX Interactive

Back then, we thought the future of video game graphics was digitalized pictures. In the golden age of FMVs, Harvester was one of my favorites with its awesome B movie vibes. You could attack every NPCs. Pretty unique for a point and click.

Blood (1997) by @monolithdev.bsky.social

During the post Doom era, this game stood out with its theme, multiple nods to horror movies, and genuinely interesting gameplay. Some levels were quite revolutionary at the time. “OMG you play in a TRAIN!”

Sanitarium (1998) by Dreamforge Intertainment :

We’re in 98, I told a friend I like point and clicks, he gave me a CDRom with a dismal eye on it. I was expecting a Lucas Art-like game. Boy was I wrong. Dark, weird, moody, unsettling. I was shocked, and in love with it.

Shadow Man (1999) by Acclaim Studios Teeside

An action/ puzzle/ exploration/ platformer (like most games around 2000). I remember an industrial style cathedral, metroidvania mechanics, voodoo stuffs, the fight against Jack The Ripper... The game made a great impression on me at the time.

Oh nice! I haven't heard about this before. Thanks for sharing!

American McGee’s Alice (2000) from Rogue Entertainment

The BEST adaptation of Alice in Wonderland (sequel is also great). The level design is mind blowing : rooms are warping, floors become ceilings, walls become platforms … Never find anything quite like it, and it’s 25 yo.

Max Payne (2001) by @remedygames.com

Not a horror game but some elements of it are, imho, reminiscent of the horror mood. The flash back sequence showing what happened to your family sets the tone for the rest of the game. Loved the B movie vibes.

Doom 3 (2004) by @id-software.bsky.social

A decade after the OG, ID came back with a different proposition. The game took me by surprise for being more of a horror game than an action game (you have to choose between holding a light torch or a weapon). Also, great depictions of hell!

Dead Rising (2006) by @capcomusa.com

You play a journalist on a zombie outbreak. You get xp by taking pictures, and you can rescue people, and there is a sea of zombies, and your character progression carries when you die, and the quests are time based... Revolutionary!

Left 4 Dead 2 (2009) by @valvesoftware.com

Never felt this overwhelmed by waves of zombies before. It does capture the panic being chased by an unstoppable army of undying monsters pretty well. I will always remember the first time we encounter a witch and the entire team disolved in panic.

I think the game didn't sold very well, and the reception was mixed ... so it is unlikely that we see more of this franchise in the future unfortunately. They didn't even re-released the game on Steam for some quick bucks.

Splatterhouse (2010) by BottleRocket

A brutal and uninhibited game, with satisfying kills, a great soundtrack, and a simple but effective story. The game includes some nods to the previous installments. It's more on the pop side of horror, but it still counts.

Dead Space 2 (2011) by Visceral Games

A great sequel that perfected the formula of the first one. Exploring the ship full of different sceneries and grotesque creatures felt dangerous and rewarding. Again, the overall mood is what makes the game stick to me.

The Darkness 2 (2012) by Digital Extremes

Loved the visions of your dead girlfriend and how they blend in with the game. The mood of the psychiatric hospital serving as a hub was both creepy and comforting. The good and bad ending choice left me genuinely asking myself what was the best option.

Bloodborne (2015) by FromSoftware

The horror doesn't just come from the desolate atmosphere of Yharnam, the nightmarish monster designs, or the haunting soundtrack. It also comes from the terror of losing your progress after making significant headway in hostile territory.

Ecstasy & Agony Artbook

That's it, my very first artbook is now available for pre-order!
themansionpress.com/collections/...
Deliveries scheduled before Christmas, worldwide, the perfect gift for the people you love and those you don't.
🎁💀

Inside (2016) by @playdeadgames.bsky.social

I absolutely love the mood of this game. Little to no UI, dialogues, nor texts, but the game manages to tell its story very efficiently. The sobriety is present in each aspect of the game and makes for a more focused and immersive experience.