A short psychological horror experience from the creators of Kaamos.
Vartio (Finnish for “Patrol”) drops you into the boots of a medieval guardsman assigned to a solitary night watch. Your duty: patrol the shadowy forests surrounding a remote watchtower and report back to your commander. But something is wrong out there. And it’s getting closer.
Step out into the cold woods under cover of night. As a lone sentry on the empire’s edge, your torch is dim, and your instincts are all you can trust.
Rely on your ears more than your eyes. Every rustle in the brush, every creak of a branch may spell danger. Are those footsteps? Or just the wind?
The deeper into the forest you go, the more uncertain reality becomes. Blood trails. Whispers. Was that a raider—or something worse?
A compact, focused psychological horror experience (~20 minutes).
Immersive 3D pixel art with a dark retro aesthetic.
Rich atmospheric sound design crafted to heighten tension.
Standalone story set in the same unsettling world as Kaamos.
You’re not the only one walking these woods tonight.
It's a very short game. A walking simulator with good atmosphere, essentially. Takes about half an hour to complete. It's an alright experience, keeps you entertained for a bit and is only worth some pocket change.
A lot of build up for next to no payoff. Nice graphics and atmosphere but zero scares and an extremely disappointing ending. Not worth the half hour it takes to complete.
I really like the atmosphere of the game. I just wish there was more to it. Like seeing a something in the distance that disappears as it gets closer. Or maybe the path gets harder to follow in later loops. By the third loop I did't feel any sense of danger, and knew I could ignore everything and just follow the path. But I see a lot of potential if the original concept is expanded on.
Raise your knee. Raise your other knee. Raise your foot. Raise your other foot. Walk in a circle. Not much of anything, I was so very excited for this release. Whole drive home I could not stop thinking about it. And then utter disappointment.
I'm not here to blow smoke up anyone's bum. I think this was a great little project and well worth two bucks, even if some people were disappointed. Seeing a small project like this get "mixed reviews" makes me sad because there are so many other small games that get plenty of love. I think anyone that downvotes this game just didn't have headphones in, or were expecting something more than a short cool experience. My only complaint about the game is that the audio for the "MORTIS style" voice lines was too high in a game that's best experienced with volume turned up. Good job devs. I don't know what it is that creates a specific atmosphere, but it 1000% reminded me of wanding in the woods alone at night lol.
Immaculate horror vibes created from mostly audio. Definitely a fun little experience despite the lackluster ending. Worth the price of admission and 20 minutes of your time IMO. My full game playthrough (containing spoilers) can be found here: https://youtu.be/aGrxMMu1WrI?si=kUBtoIYHpEMkH91q
A thoroughly enjoyable experience! Sets a great atmosphere, and builds tension in an exceptional way. Left me with just the right amount of questions and a looming sense of dread in my spirit. It would be incredible to see a sequel that's more of a proper game!
For how much money and time it's asking it's good enough. Liked the ambient sound work and atmosphere. If this is developer's test try before building something bigger around the idea, then I'd love to see and play that too.
a short horror game I liked it
I enjoyed the simplicity, the atmosphere and the brevity.
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Vartio costs $1.99.
Minimum: Minimum: OS: Windows 10 Recommended: Recommended: OS: Windows 11
Vartio is available on Windows PC.
Vartio has 74% positive reviews from 19 players.
Vartio was released on Aug 12, 2025.
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