Heartworm

The old school survival horror vibe appears to be going stronger than ever, with a portfolio of exciting titles released and still to come. One such game this year, which has grabbed the attention of many, is a PS1-inspired title where a young woman ventures to a strange house and uses a camera to fight back evil spirits. Sounds incredibly familiar, doesn’t it? No, it’s not the return of Fatal Frame, but rather an indie horror called Heartworm, which focuses on themes of death, loss, all those glorious, fixed camera angles, and lo-fi, pixelated presentation that brings us right back into 1996.


A broken heart, a rotten heart

It’s the 1990s, the era of innovation, great music, the rise of the internet, and the boom of horror. We play as Sam, a young woman facing a traumatic heartbreak, unable to come to terms with the death of her beloved grandfather. Like all who face death, she tries everything to come to grips with the loss, but manages to plunge herself into an internet rabbit hole that speaks of an old house that allows people to contact the other side.

Sam sets off to the remote and mysterious house, finding nothing more than a shell of humanity, a fragment of a past long gone, and much more sinister elements that wish nothing more than great harm.

The general setup of Heartworm is nothing new; the idea and thematic elements behind Heartworm are endearing and powerful, allowing us to easily connect with Sam on an emotional level. We’ve all lost someone, and often think if we could bring them back, or even speak to them one last time. Sam herself is an engaging protagonist, one I rooted for throughout the campaign, and found myself respecting and highly admiring her for going through what is a rather traumatising journey to see her grandfather once again.

This is a rather personal narrative, one that does not confine itself to typical story conventions, and it didn’t need to. Heartworm about death, and how we face it, or try to defeat it. I tend to find in gaming that rarely do the aesthetics elevate the nature of the plot, and the story itself, but Heartworm’s immense presentation, including the visual and sound design, makes a heartfelt journey even more heartbreaking.

The beautiful and melancholic piano soundtrack just gripped me from the very first cutscene and pushed the mood and tension further than it had any right to do. I adored the soundtrack, and started to listen to it in the background when I write and do work now. The visual presentation plays the part perfectly, simulating something ripped right from the late 1990s gaming scene. The lo-fi, jagged textures, wonky bits, and blurry yet clearly defined details are all here, matching that of classic survival horror games such as Resident Evil 2.

You do have the option to tweak and alter the intensity of the pixelation, which is nice, as I can understand some people might not adjust to it so well.

And of course, you have fixed camera angles, which, honestly, is a blessing and a bit of a curse. I adore fixed camera angles, I have since a young boy playing on my PS1. They are highly cinematic, a great way to add tension, and a stable way to present the game world. And I won’t deny there are some stunning shots in this game, truly breathtaking at times. Heartworm also tends to have very zoomed-out angles, which make it very hard to register where you are or what direction you’re in. It’s not so bad until you throw enemies into the mix. For a tight and atmospheric horror game, I always felt that loss and personal was the best option, saving wider shots for a clear-cut path. Heartworm has a fair share of angles which were disorientating, and even with tank controls, it felt a little uncomfortable to manoeuvre.

But as I said, Heartworm is a truly remarkable looking and sounding game, with an immeasurable sense of gravitas with its story and soundtrack.


Some people point guns, other cameras …

And as you might expect, Heartworm goes all in with the classic survival horror gameplay, with resource management, tense, clunky combat, and looping level design with various lateral elements. It’s all here, and done as perfectly as you could hope for, if not a little safe to be honest at times.

Heartworm does a fantastic job at crafting a compelling world, filled with danger, secrets, and those all-important save rooms with the beautiful, calming music. The overall world is broken up into interconnected areas, with various locked rooms requiring keys and important items found scattered across. It sort of works similarly to that of Metroid Prime, rather than Resident Evil as a whole map. I liked this approach, as it gave more distinct areas of a game world and made item hunting a little more interesting. There were a couple of times when I had forgotten about a key location or door in one area, while in another, when finding that all critical items. But with games like these, you should be taking notes on a first run.

Still, the core exploration is quite terrific, with that rewarding sense of discovery, and there is nothing quite like an emotional high caused by finding a key item, meaning you can progress further. Puzzles also offer quite an enriching lateral experience, with most of them not being too difficult, but still fun to figure out, with a handful requiring more brain power. Overall, a nice balance to problem solving that never staggered me for too long. 

As for combat, it’s serviceable as a mechanic for defence and pushing forward, but the lack of depth in combat, even though the concept of a camera is neat, is not that vast. I do recall the Fatal Frame games advancing the use of the camera in some meaningful ways, but even so, it was very limited. And this is the same issue for Heartworm. And it’s a shame as the enemy variety is bloody awesome, with some very creepy and creative enemy types, that deserve a little more when it comes to combat, I feel.

It's a point-and-shoot deal, with nothing much else, even with some additions added later. There is an over-the-shoulder aim, which is a nice optional touch, even if the return to fixed camera is a bit clunky. And sadly, the modern controls are awful and just feel completely off. I am used to and prefer tank controls, so best stick with tank even if you’ve never played with them before. However, these small issues aside, Heartworm still captivates and executes in gritty elegance its survival horror gameplay.




Overall?

It can be argued that not much more could be brought from the survival horror genre in modern gaming. Fix cameras, clunky controls, and underground labs have been done to death, and resurrected a fair few times over the last couple of decades. And while that could be true in some regards, much of the indie survival horror scene has given us fresh ideas, brilliant takes on tried-and-tested mechanics, and fascinating themes and narratives that can move and horrify us to the core.

While there are a couple of missteps, Heartworm is an enthralling horror venture with timeless charm, creepy presentation, and a heart that brings about immense emotional weight. This is a certified recommendation for any horror fan, and for those on the fence, I say it’s worth checking out. Not entirely scary and nerve-wrecking, very spooky, and eerie, but the story, enjoyable resource management and world building make Heartworm one of the best horror games this year.


++ Great narrative with deep and meaningful themes and beats
+ Fantastic presentation and soundtrack
+ Great world building and variety in enemies and environments
+ Solid survival horror gameplay

-- Doesn’t offer anything truly new or exciting
- Some elements of presentation and modern controls need fine-tuning
- More combat or defence options would’ve been nice


The publisher kindly provided a PC review key of Heartworm