Demo for The Monkey's Paw now within our grasp

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Macabre choice-driven horror debut unveiled by solo developer from Stuck In Attic

It's a good time for fans of Stuck In Attic, the creators of Gibbous and Near-Mage. While we don't yet know what the next major game from the indie Transylvanian developer will be, in the meantime we have not one but TWO smaller solo projects from its individual developers to look forward to. Not only was the prologue for Cami Cuibus's Hell Is Other People just released on Steam, so too was a playable slice from Liviu Boar's own upcoming choice-driven horror game, The Monkey's Paw, under his new publishing label Ninja Paw.

Players control a mid-30s "nobody" named Jerame Sessafous, who needs a lucky break. Your girlfriend left you for a phony AI rock star, and you're "stuck in a shabby apartment with a roommate who plays video games all day and can't make rent." Just to make ends meet, you're forced to sell off some of your valuable collector's items to Loa, the antique dealer across the street. Times are tough, but it seems that perhaps your fortunes have turned when Loa gives you a "strange gift: a severed monkey’s paw." It's gross, but it's FREE, and apparently you just need to "hold it in your hand and make a wish." Sure, it comes with a warning that "What you wish may not be undone," and that "A peasant sleeps better than a king," but it's all just a bunch of superstitious nonsense anyway, right? (Hint: Wrong.) 

The Monkey's Paw is presented in a painterly, wonderfully macabre art style accompanied by a "hair-raising soundtrack blending cinematic haunting themes with gritty 80s synths and industrial beats." In terms of gameplay, it's described by Boar as a "choice-based visual novel" but it lets you click to move around and explore hotspots in between making said fateful decisions. The tone will be very different from Stuck In Attic's games, however, leaning more into a "grittier, adult vibe" than its cuter, more light-hearted predecessors, though there will still be a dark "comedic twist" in this "gritty tale of urban dread." It should go without saying that it comes with a cat, and it's imperative that Momo the "chubby, happy tomcat king of your apartment" gets fed, with "no exceptions," and he's always receptive to some purr-eliciting pats. 

Despite some classic adventure trappings, the real heart of the game is indeed its player choices. What you wish for is up to you, but always remember that "everything comes at a price." Your desires may well come true, but never as you expect, and often in the most painful of ways. As you progress (or your circumstances regress), you'll be forced to pick whether to look out for number one or consider the well-being of those around you, but even with the best of intentions towards others, just "how much will you sacrifice for them" when the cost of doing so comes due? The entire experience is meant to be completed in "one intense sitting" but replayability is baked in, with a chapter menu allowing you to revisit key choices to "see if you can make things better. Or worse." 

There is no firm target release date for The Monkey's Paw, but whatever you do, don't wish for it to arrive early! There's no need anyway, as the full game is due to arrive sometime early in 2027 on Steam for Windows PC, with a playable demo available now to show you what you'll be getting yourself into. 

• Advertisement
• Help support AGH by advertising with us