A Horror Game That Haunts Your Phone When You’re Not Playing

Because why only be creeped out some of the time when you can be horrified all the time?

1214 is a PC horror game that might, at first glance, look pretty familiar. You roam forlorn hallways positively dripping with dread, acutely aware that something terrible is gonna happen at some point. You just don’t know when, or how, or from where, or if You Were The Monster All Along, but still. There are things lurking about, and they are probably not amiable baby hedgehogs or kindly grandmothers with an insatiable need to feed you cookies.

The twist is, 1214 will also exist on your real-life phone, and it will make your indispensable rectangular companion do all kinds of freaky stuff, both while you’re playing and when you’ve fled into the comforting arms of Real Life. Developer Vyretrux Games explained:

“1214 is a psychological horror video game where your own mobile phone is your worst enemy. With your phone being the indispensable requirement to enjoy this adventure, we can offer new forms of gaming never before seen thanks to the numerous possibilities that smartphones can offer. So that, the development of new puzzles using the vibration of the phone, strange calls… the possibilities are almost endless. Plus, although you aren’t playing on your PC, that doesn’t mean the game can’t keep playing with you.”

I would recommend calling the Ghostbusters, but well, I’m not sure if calling anyone is a good idea here.

It’s a really neat concept, but it’s tough to say how it will turn out at this point. I mean, even if we assume the game itself turns out solid, many of these phone ideas seem like they will require quite a bit of control over your device. How will that work, especially between different types of phone? And will people be cool with it, given that such a system could easily start slinging ads and other obnoxious crap your way? Beats me.

I’m hopeful, though. After all, a sudden ring or buzz from my phone sometimes makes me leap multiple feet in the air even when I’m (mostly) positive it’s not haunted by a video game. That kind of thing feels like the tip of the iceberg, or tip of the icy cold skeletal zombie ghost hand, as it were. Icy cold skeletal zombie ghost fingers crossed.