Caput Mortum

This is one of the more higher quality horror games out there with an older mechanics from the Penumbra series. I appreciate its design... The puzzles are good enough for a simpleton like myself to solve them without my hand being held through every step of the way. I can conclude that my brain does function 10 points higher than previous.

A brilliant example of how restrictions and unfamiliar control schemes can elevate a relatively short horror game about alchemy and the follies of man into a memorable experience. Now that you've mastered video game controllers and first person controls, it's easy to forget that when you had your first brush with interactive horror, you were probably still coming to grips with things like analog sticks and strafing. Caput Mortum transports you back to a place where fumbling with keys and torches can be as stressful as wondering what's around the next corner. We're so adaptable, for both good and ill. Go out on a limb and embrace the choices that force you to grow as a player and lover of games. Kill the homunculus in your head that demands comfort and familiarity in play! At the end of the day, ludic friction is the only thing preventing all of gaming from fusing into one giant virtual blob of IP content you think at and receive dopamine from in between shifts. Oh, and the capsule ar...

The French do get a little quirky in alchemical concoctions

I played the demo back then, and was immediately intrigued. It definitely has the right horror vibes without being too over the board.

it's pretty spooky! (rather than truly scary) Not usually a horror game player, but I do enjoy mystery and puzzle games, so this was still a good time! If you're like me and are a bit reticent of the horror tag, I do think you can still enjoy this short spooky experience!

Imagine the look of an early 2000s horror themed FPS mixed with elements of King’s Field and Penumbra, all wrapped in influences of Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, with a pinch of mood of Arx Fatalis and Clive Barker’s Undying. This is a lot of references, but the idea here is that Caput Mortum is a freshly released horror themed action adventure game, but it feels like it could come out back in 2003 and feel right at home there. I mean it in the best sense. And while the game is quite short, it uses its runtime exceptionally well. The idea of Caput Mortum is quite simple – it’s a first person perspective game, with some combat and even more puzzle solving, where the main “gimmick” is that your main interaction element and also visual indicator is your right hand. It’s always on the screen, you can move it freely around the screen, it holds items that you pick up (you can only hold one key item at once), shows weapon equipped or healing herbs, depending on wh...

It's always satisfying to discover these rare hidden Steam gems out of nowhere ♥ Caput Mortum is a short horror game, mainly focused on puzzle solving and survival rather than fighting everything back. It has a unique control system that might be difficult to adapt to at first, but once you get the hang of it, it feels satisfying and well-balanced. I highly recommend playing it as intended: with a controller and the default control scheme. However, it also offers alternative settings for those who prefer a more modern control experience. Highly recommended for any horror fan — the biggest surprise of the year so far, and totally worth the time and money.

Pretty much what i would call a perfect game, one that achieves everything it sets out to do on both a technical standpoint and a "spiritual" standpoint. Original, beatiful, terrifying.

Usually when horror games have bad controls, someone fucked up. This game's controls are a deliberate vision, used in novel (and sometimes fun!) ways to create a feeling of helplessness. If you play a lot of games, you'll be fighting against muscle memory every step of the way. In combat, your body will mysteriously forget everything as you fumble and try to reorient yourself. In truth, thats part of the fun, almost as fun as mastering the games unique controls. The triggers control your direction, your left stick movement, and your right stick manipulates your hand. Your character is unique as he is an amputee, and this disability is surprisingly well communicated through the wonky controls. This would normally be a problem, but every single facet of the game is built with these controls in mind. Every concept is conveyed in clever ways, and you'll never feel like you're stumbling in the dark trying to understand things. (Figuratively, at least). The atmosphere is possibly t...

An interesting title, albeit a bit short for the current price (finished, though not 100%, in 2.2 hours, but I'm relatively good at these types of games). Biggest complaint I have is the low-resolution for the texts written on surfaces, makes reading them really difficult (there is a button you can press to have the game read those for you, but it doesn't seem to work everywhere, and I would have rather wanted to be able to read them, since I speak French).