Horror Story: Hallowseed is a first-person psychological horror adventure developed by Jeff Winner and released on PC in 2021. The game follows Michael, a man who regains consciousness in the strange, forgotten settlement of Hallowseed after an unexplained event separates him from two friends during a camping trip. Exploring the environment means searching mysterious locations for clues, evading dark spirits, and piecing together the history of a village whose inhabitants fell under the influence of a malevolent demonic force — a past that turns out to be connected to Michael himself. Puzzle-solving is woven throughout the experience, while an adaptive AI monitors player behavior and triggers randomized scare events in response to choices and actions made during exploration. This system, described as a micro-scares mechanic, means successive playthroughs can surface different frightening encounters. The game draws inspiration from horror films including Insidious and The Conjuring, and serves as the first installment in Winner's planned Horror Story series.
The game
Horror Story: Hallowseed is a single-player story-driven psychological horror adventure game that takes place in the fictional location, Hallowseed. Viewed from a first-person perspective, the beautifully rendered environment not only contains various puzzles but is also controlled by an advanced AI that reacts to the player’s choices and actions, activating random scare events.
The story
You were camping in the woods with two friends when an obscure event caused you to lose consciousness and wake up alone in an unknown, strange place. Explore your surroundings, look for clues in mysterious locations, run and hide from the dark spirits awakened by your presence. Do your best to survive, find your friends and uncover the mysteries hidden deep within Hallowseed – a place forgotten by time, damned and gripped by mysterious demonic terror!
Key Features:
Rich story - The player is driven by the story of a village whose inhabitants were seduced by an obscure power and condemned to darkness. While seeking to save his friends, the protagonist, Michael, will uncover what role he plays in all this tragedy.
Tense atmosphere - Immersive sound design and stunning visuals that will always keep you on your toes.
Micro-scares system - A system of random scary events that activate based on how you interact with the environment and will make you jump from your chair (or couch). Try different playthroughs with different choices to experience different scares!
Inspired by Horror Movie Classics - Insidious, The Conjuring and The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
Hallowseed is the first chapter in the Horror Story series by Jeff Winner, stay tuned for more!
You were camping in the woods with two friends when an obscure event caused you to lose consciousness and wake up alone in an unknown, strange place. Explore your surroundings, look for clues in mysterious locations, run and hide from the dark spirits awakened by your presence. Do your best to survive, find your friends and uncover the mysteries hidden deep within Hallowseed – a place forgotten by time, damned and gripped by mysterious demonic terror!
