Spytihněv, the developer behind the excellent 2023 boomer shooter HROT, has finally unveiled his next project: Brno Transit, a gnarly-looking horror game set in a surreal subway system. Specifically that of Brno, a major city in the southeast of Czechia which does not actually have a subway system in real life, only getting a single underground rail line between two stations in 2022.
Brno Transit definitely fits into the indie trend of mundane/workplace-oriented horror games—Five Nights, Threshold, Iron Lung, fellow subway experience The Exit 8, and the like. But Spytihněv's unique style and wry sense of humor already set Brno Transit apart in its first trailer.
You've got this grating, pulsing, synthy industrial track propelling a montage of scenes from the titular subway. Some are mundane, while others are disquieting. Normal, if oppressive shots of work and life on the tracks? Checks out. A freakish goblin guy thrashing about behind a ticket counter? You have my attention.
A nude man standing downcast in a stark communal shower, the vibe somewhere between the end of The Blair Witch Project and the end of the Simpsons episode Bart of Darkness? Now that's got game of the year potential in my book.
"Brno Transit is a narrative-driven psychological horror game about a trainee metro driver trapped in the dampest subway east of anything that matters," reads the game's description on Steam. "Employee benefits include: crisp uniform, unlimited travel pass, meal vouchers, an annual trip to Bulgaria—and, if you prove yourself, an invitation to the Bunker."
I had a big, dirty guffaw when I saw the game's mature content description on the Steam page: "Not suitable for youth under the age of 30 by decision of the committee."
Spytihněv's previous game, HROT, is one of my favorites of the new boomer shooters—I gave it an 87% in my review back in 2023. Its only real blemish to my eye was an ending that got a little too zany. Spytihněv balanced a pitch black, yet somehow whimsical sense of humor with sheer terror throughout HROT, and for the most part, the balance was perfect. A straight-up horror game strikes me as a great fit for the developer. Brno Transit is set to release toward the end of this year, and you can wishlist it now on Steam.
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