Run a cursed zoo in The Eldritch Zookeeper

Inspired by the Bullfrog era management games of yesteryear—such as Dungeon Keeper, Theme Park World and Theme Hospital—indie dev Matt Luard brings us The Eldritch Zookeeper. Here, the rules are simple: manage a cursed zoo full of monsters, and try your utmost to prevent zoo visitors/yourself from being eaten. Hmm, perhaps it's not that simple after all.

Luard's previous game came in the form of The Cat Machine, and has since led him into full-time game development. His latest creation is a little more sophisticated and sees players erecting fences, building shops and amenities for park guests, and feeding monsters around the clock.

"But rather than a floating camera high above, you're controlling the actual zookeeper," explains Luard. "Because if there's going to be a Jurassic Park-type situation involving Lovecraftian monsters, you want to be in the action!"

Here's how some of that action looks in practice:

And here's a blurb, as found on the game's newly launched Steam page:

"Deceived by a particularly well-dressed skeleton, a cursed zookeeper is forced to manage a zoo full of eldritch abominations, ideally with as little bloodshed as possible. Can our unfortunate zookeeper break his curse? Every day a new terrifying creature that must be cared for arrives through the interdimensional portal—construct enclosures and keep the monsters fed and reasonably content, and build amenities for the zoo visitors!

"A Happy Monster Zoo™ is when a creature's teeth/claws/exploding-tendencies are far, far away from the guest's vital organs. They need those! Monster rampages are discouraged."

Fancy that? The Eldritch Zookeeper is coming soon to Windows and Mac—more information can be found on the game's official site.