The Empty Desk fulfilled on Steam

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Demo also available for first-person 3D paranormal thriller on Windows PC

There have been plenty of great paranormal mystery protagonists in the adventure genre over the years, and soon a certain Thomas H. Bennett hopes to join their ranks in CheesecakeGames' newly released The Empty Desk. 

Bennett is a veteran, grizzled homicide detective who's just a week from retirement when he's reluctantly dragged into "one last puzzling case that could change him forever." Not only has a wealthy business tycoon named Arthur Blackthorn been killed, but his daughter Emily has been kidnapped and her fiancé plummeted to his death after allegedly leaping from a building. Something most unusual is behind these related tragedies, and it all leads back to the headquarters of Blackthorn & Co Insurances, a company "hiding far more than simple contracts behind its polished walls." Aided only by your cyber support whiz Sarah via walkie-talkie, you must explore the deserted building for clues. However, not long after arriving, you will find yourself trapped inside a "hostile, ever-shifting limbo where every corner hides disturbing secrets, and each door you open may bring you closer to the truth... or take you further from your own salvation." 

Presented in free-roaming, first-person 3D, The Empty Desk is described as a "psychological thriller with puzzle-solving and horror elements that immerses the player in a true crime narrative," though it includes an option to turn off most of the predetermined jump scares if you wish. The game's title and choice of office setting are no accident, as they're meant to symbolize the "invisible prison" of daily routine and the "sense of emptiness felt by those, like Arthur Blackthorn, trapped in a life of monotony and despair – a mirror of Bennett’s own weariness after years on the force." Successfully finding the missing Emily Blackthorn and escaping with your sanity intact will require not only using your "detective instincts to solve puzzles, uncover hidden clues, and piece together the dark secrets of the company," but also dealing with a malevolent entity and working through themes of "mental health, emotional burnout, and workplace alienation" experienced throughout.

The complete version of The Empty Desk is available now on Steam, along with a playable demo of the game for Windows PC. If you like what you see, there could be much more where that came from, as this is intended to be just the debut of a planned "Detective Bennett: Solved Cases series, with more missions and mysteries to unravel in future installments."