Facing Madness: Eclipsium

A walk through a cosmic horror fever dream.

‣ Eclipsium
From: Housefire
Platforms: PC
Release: To be announced
Steam Page • Demo Video • Developer Site

Cosmic horror is about existential dread. It's not enough that something powerful and unknown is threatening the protagonist. You need a sense that the main character is just a piece on the board with no real control over their destiny. The horror they face is vast and uncertain—whatever happens, our hero will only avoid a terrible fate through luck or the horror's nonchalance.

What if you don't know what's out there behind the shadows? What if the world you're in is the thing unnerving you? That's real existential dread, packaged in the bizarre experience called Eclipsium.

Shaken by a crazy nightmare, you wake up in a hut, a single room with a bed, television, some appliances and counters. The world is rendered in retro Nineties-era 3D, and two photorealistic sprites for your arms complete the throwback feeling. Except, these graphics are rawer than anything from thirty years ago. Nothing about this scene feels inviting. Leaving the cabin may make things better.

It doesn't. The background soundtrack of tinny classical music distorts into silence, and the world becomes eerily quiet except for a strange, slow beat in the distance. I'm in a dark forest, the silhouettes of trees towering in an imposing dusk sky. Turning around, the cabin is now a twisted and tortured empty husk with no resemblance to the previous space. It's as if I stepped through a portal. It's not a comfortable situation. But there's no choice but to press on.

Eclipsium is a first-person walking sim through a twisted world with an unsettling atmosphere. The demo takes you through a dark forest, murky mines, and a haunting abandoned storage facility. Your goal is to reach a lighthouse with a giant beating heart at the top, with you wandering the game and poking at things to figure out puzzles. Those puzzles are a little underwhelming, but they're not the priority. There are also no monsters, and death is not final (although you don't feel like you're alone). 

Good gaming experiences must challenge the player; this game is about enduring assaults on your senses. This idea sounds unpleasant, but Eclipsium makes it worthwhile. It starts with the visuals: garish low-polygon graphics that intentionally distort things with visual noise, making the experience feel like a fever dream. 

But that's the point. In other games, the visuals would seem poorly done. Here, the intent shines through. You're meant to feel unsettled, disorientated, and more concerned than entertained. It's ugly in a beautiful way.

📽 Demo Snapshot: Found a pier…

As you walk through Eclipsium, the rest of the game adds to this sensory challenge. Sounds, decor choices, and cutscenes selectively conspire to mess with you. At one point, the entire level design turns against the player. But it doesn't get overwhelming and uses the concept smartly. You're always curious to see what lies around the next corner. 

Eclipsium isn't for everyone. Some will consider it ugly and disorientating. There is no plot, at least not in the demo. But these choices feel intentional, especially when shone through a prism of cosmic horror. This game refuses to give you answers. It won't provide visuals that you can appreciate and trust. It won't allow you to feel comforted and anchored in its reality. The final game may reveal something that starts to make sense. But right now, this demo is pure existential dread, which makes it brilliant.

PS: Thanks to Exploring The Games for bringing this game to my attention!

Eclipsium hasn’t announced a release date.

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Explore The Game with Youtube Chapters:

• 📽 00:43 A nightmare?

• 📽 01:20 A strange room

• 📽 07:34 Are those eyes?

• 📽 13:51 Dig your way out

• 📽 14:55 Found a pier

• 📽 16:35 That's just creepy

• 📽 21:36 The abattoir

• 📽 26:38 Reality is distorted here

• 📽 29:50 A spaceship?

• 📽 32:35 What lies beneath

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