Terminus is a word that originates from Latin in the 1500s, meaning end. It is this origin of the word we channel as a thesis for the endpoint of horror itself, seeing its ultimate evolution as a ruthless embrace of the natural elements of life and death.

Horror must be one of the cheapest genres now. It’s been a very, very long time since any horror developer chose to tread anywhere near this path.

This is a path of chaos, ruin, and doom. You are not safe here. You are not regarded as a customer we must keep. You choose to be a client.

Horror has, for decades, been by and large constrained within the same thematic limits and experiential designs: valiant heroes defying more or less well-defined evils in linear scripted campaigns, with streamlined inventories, convenient item placements, and monsters more akin to play puppets than raw forces of death.

Such games inevitably become the playthings of speedrunners, who map their entire courses start to finish and swiftly dispatch preempted threats with ease. Other features like save scumming, fast travel, and the like further lessen the impact of horror. This is one game that is not so easy to beat.

Our theory is that the future of horror lies in a path of raw realism, lifelike death, and unpredictable variation. It is not a single linear storyline with set pathings and cutscenes. It is not a “for fun” game.

It is open-ended, brutal, and unguided.

It is a game like Terminus.