A Place, Forbidden
A DARK AND EMPTY PLACE
A Place, Forbidden is a first-person lo-fi horror-puzzle game that takes place in a cursed Library. It is and shall remain completely free, and features a variety of puzzles and no small amount of reading. Though the notes and books are not always imperative to gameplay, skipping them will detract from the experience.
AN UNPLANNED STAY
The Library of Ouroboros. You awaken here with no memory of how you’ve arrived – though faint recollections of searching, of the Library’s name, stick in your mind like scraps of torn paper.
The reek of dust, of old wood, and of something… more difficult to place hang in the air. Is that a distant ringing you hear, or merely your imagination? And why do you feel so strange? So hot? Like a pair of eyes – no, much more than a single pair – are watching your every movement, reading your every thought, like words on the yellowed pages of an ancient book…
A Place, Forbidden was initially released as a demo on the 2020 Haunted PS1 Demo DIsc.
CREDITS:
Conor Walsh, Writing and Design
Dennis Müller, Scripting and Design
Gábor Papp, 3D Modeling and Materials
Aidan Cushing, Scripting
Game Discussion
Steam User 4
That was a good game. Short, sweet, couple moments of dread. What more can you ask out of a free horror game? I would absolutely recommend, and don't feel bad about checking a guide if you get stuck. There is a good guide that hides spoilers if you just don't know how to progress.
Steam User 1
I like it alot. a puzzle game with aspects of horror in it. I do like these kinda games games that reward you a bit for being more observant and looking for secrets. I got the 2nd ending which i'm not going to say much but sounds it good enough to me.
Steam User 0
Great game, especially for being free to play. The setting is eerie and I'm a sucker for the analog horror graphics style. The puzzles--while not particularly difficult--still usually pose enough of a challenge to keep things interesting. Story-wise you can uncover the perfect amount of information: enough that you aren't completely divorced from what's going, but not so much as to remove that feeling of dread found in Horror that draws from the fear of the unknown and unexplainable.
Steam User 0
I've only had one playthrough so far. This is a very good game, I dont usually like puzzle games, but this had fun puzzles that felt rewarding to figure out, good story telling and was a very cohesive package. The psx-esque graphics due a wonderful job of environmental story telling showing you just enough that you know what everything is, but your brain fills in the rest of the nitty gritty details. It really takes full advantage of every tool at its disposal. Frankly I was a little disappointed to see that Poison The Inkwell doesnt have more games on here! Looking forward to future work and future playthroughs to check out endings
Steam User 0
Really good for a free game—definitely better, more fun, and more challenging than I expected. A couple of the puzzles and riddles were a little more challenging than the ones I've usually come across in other games, but most were quite easy. Even though the graphics aren't spectacular, I feel like their aesthetic fit the vibe of the game.
There is a little bit of story that can be gleaned from the scattered books and papers—nothing super concrete, but just an added bit of detail to inject some lore into the game. The documents mostly talked about the strange origins of the library, as well as about a man's obsession with a woman.
I enjoyed playing this. There are multiple endings so I'll probably replay this to get the other ending (I think there are only 2, but I'm not sure). Normally, if a game has multiple endings, there's a 50/50 chance that I'll replay it to get all the endings. The fact that I'm willing to replay this is my way of saying that it's worth it to play.
If you like riddles and puzzles and walking around eerie places, this game is right up your alley and I definitely recommend you play it.
Steam User 0
Not bad, but its really long, and some parts are hard af, 7/10
Steam User 0
Took me a while to finish and did go to a guide only once. The game is very subtly scary. The scariness is in a more atmospheric way, as the vibe is chilling but the gameplay is not that scary. The story revolves around the protagonist being stuck in another dimension and they must find their way out. This dimension consists of many different rooms starting with a basic library that begins to morph into something darker throughout the story. I do recommend reading every book and note you find as they are very important to the story. The game doesn't include any jumpscares but it does have one moment in the age book room (people who played know what I'm talking about) that scared me to my core. I was terrified as it happened. But the rest of the game is just puzzles, which are fun, don't get me wrong. Anyway, this is a really good game that I enjoyed. I would highly recommend it.