Worse Than Death
A scary, action-adventure horror game about a high school reunion that goes horribly wrong!
Run for your life, hide in the shadows, and use your wits to avoid shadowy creatures and uncover the terrible truths of your wretched home town. Solve devious puzzles to reveal the emotionally-charged story of Holly and her friends that will have you hooked until the very end!
MAIN FEATURES:
●Action-adventure gameplay that sees you crawling under objects, vaulting over obstacles, and racing for the nearest hiding spot to stay safe
●Beautifully-drawn, challenging puzzles
●Horrible monsters that you can’t see — but that you can track using lights, sound, and even Holly’s own heartbeat
●Rich, 3D positional audio that will get under your skin
●Three difficulty modes (Normal, Hard and Nightmare) to test your mettle
Game Discussion
Steam User 0
This game is a well-crafted labor of love. The tone of the story and town was established perfectly, and I often found myself constantly asking, “what am I walking into next?” The ending left me scratching my head a bit because there wasn’t as much explained as I had hoped (I still have so many questions), but the twists and turns to get there were a lot of fun. Overall a nice slice of side-scrolling horror, and I look forward to checking out this studio’s other games.
Steam User 1
Worse Than Death is a sharp, emotionally charged horror adventure that combines tense storytelling with minimalist design. Developed by Benjamin Rivers, the creator of Home, it feels like a spiritual successor - intimate, personal and quietly unsettling rather than traditionally frightening.
You play as Holly, a woman returning to her small hometown for a high school reunion that quickly turns nightmarish. What begins as a personal homecoming unravels into a haunting mystery about guilt, loss and buried trauma. The game’s horror doesn’t rely on gore or jump scares but on implication, atmosphere and the unseen. You’re constantly aware of something stalking you, but it’s what you don’t see that’s most terrifying.
Visually, the pixel art style carries surprising emotional weight. The lighting, animation and environmental detail evoke a strong sense of place, while the sound design - heavy breathing, distant creaks and soft piano cues - amplifies the dread beautifully. Each screen feels hand crafted to build tension without overwhelming the player.
The gameplay itself mixes puzzle solving, exploration and stealth, with Holly hiding from unseen horrors that react to noise and movement. While the mechanics are simple, they serve the story effectively, though occasional repetition and awkward pacing slightly blunt the tension.
Still, Worse Than Death succeeds in delivering a horror experience rooted in emotion rather than spectacle. It’s a short, smartly written story about grief and guilt, wrapped in an indie horror shell that feels both classic and modern. It won’t make you scream, but it might just make you think and that’s far more unsettling.
Steam User 0
Good, solid horror game with a nice pixel art style and interesting story that had me hooked till the end. Good atmosphere and the puzzles were difficult but not ridiculous, generally. Only criticism would be that the title screen music is a bit strangely out of place, and the ending felt a bit rushed. But those are minor things really, overall enjoyed it.
Steam User 0
This game has a lot going for it. Game mechanics are solid, pixel art is masterfully done and the puzzles are a good way to break up the game albeit a little contrived. However, the story and the game's pacing feels off to me and the fear factor just isn't present. The bold claim "Top Ten Best Horror Games Of All Time" probably made me going in expecting a lot more. Worth a play and it may stick for some more than others.