The Glass Staircase is a grim homage to classic PlayStation horror games

News
By published

Drive a tank through an orphanage.

There are few things as terrifying as a polygonal nightmare that you can only escape by controlling a frail, human-shaped tank. Capcom is remaking the classics with flashy graphics and modern control schemes, and who knows what's happened to Silent Hill, but some are still carrying the torch for the old methods of scaring the crap out of people. 

The Glass Staircase is an homage to PS2 survival horror like Haunting Grounds and Italian zombie films, says its creator, but the result seems just as evocative of PS1-era horror, from the fixed camera and tank controls to the '90s 3D art. Check out the trailer below. 

There are no floppy-haired cops or panicking parents here, just a tiny orphan who can handle a rifle. She's trapped in an orphanage, along with some hungry monsters and presumably guns and ammunition (like all orphanages). In lieu of a synopsis, developer Puppet Combo has opted for an ominous message.

It's been a long time since you've seen your parents, hasn't it? Not to worry, girls. Just listen to the voice on the intercom. Do what they say. They've provided you a home. They've provided you food. They will make you into good girls.

This old house has never treated you wrong, now has it? Now be good girls, all of you. The Master will need you to be strong during these troubling times.

Remember: Good girls take their medicine. Good girls do their chores. Good girls go home.

The Glass Staircase is out now on Itch.io for $5 or more. 

Fraser Brown
Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.