With Bloober Team's brilliant Silent Hill 2 Remake finally out, I've basically been playing nothing else. As hopelessly bleak as it is, the vibes are simply immaculate in the runup to Halloween, and unlike the original, the gameplay and combat are actually satisfying instead of frustrating. However, there's a new survival horror game in town giving Silent Hill 2 Remake a serious run for its money: Heartworm, an indie game I've had my eyes (and hands) on for more than four years.
I first played Heartworm when its first demo launched as part of the retro-styled Haunted PS1 Demo Disc 2020, and I remember feeling really good about the atmosphere and overall direction, but also apprehensive about whether it could do justice to the late 90s/early 2000s classics it's so clearly inspired by. I no longer have those concerns after playing the brand new Heartworm demo as part of Steam Next Fest. Not even a little bit.
