New Steam Horror Game Has Serious Silent Hill Vibes

A number of modern horror games have taken heavy inspiration from 90s juggernauts of the survival genre, and Carnival Massacre proudly wears its inspirations on its sleeve with a nostalgic visual experience combined with an exciting new journey through a creepy abandoned theme park. Carnival Massacre launched exclusively for PC via Steam and Itch.io on December 29, 2025, and fans of old-school horror gaming can relive one of the best eras of the genre while diving into a brand-new story of facing nightmares brought to life.

Heavily inspired by a variety of classic survival horror games, one look at Carnival Massacre immediately conjures memories of playing as Heather Mason in Silent Hill 3. The amusement park, unsettling mascots, and overall sense of dread being faced by a teenage girl trying to find someone she loves all combine to create a familiar retro-inspired experience that simultaneously leads longtime horror aficionados on a fresh journey.

Carnival Massacre Trailer Evokes Memories of Silent Hill 3 and Other Horror Classics

In Carnival Massacre, players take on the role of 17-year-old Harley, who has been declared missing just two weeks after her younger sister, Chloe, also vanished. Harley takes it upon herself to search for her missing sister, whom she has been having nightmares about each night since Chloe’s disappearance. Despite setting off on what she expected to be a simple yet heroic journey, Harley is quickly confronted with horrors beyond anything she could have imagined, and the hunt to find her missing sister becomes much more dangerous than expected. While exploring the Pebble’s Wonderland theme park, Harley must fight off disturbing carnival creatures, solve head-scratching puzzles, and manage a limited inventory of items to help her on her quest to find her sister.

Similar to other retro-inspired survival horror games, Harley will need to utilize guns to combat the enemies opposing her while also putting her wits to the test to solve various riddles before finding out what happened to Chloe. The gunplay is reminiscent of both early Silent Hill and the original Resident Evil games, while puzzles involving pianos and shadows are more obvious in showcasing an appreciation for their spiritual predecessors. Carnival Massacre also features a storage box mechanic, similar to the item crates available throughout the Resident Evil franchise, while a moment of inspecting Harley’s dad’s car is directly comparable to the opening of Silent Hill 2 with James Sunderland’s car.

Image via BEDTIMESTORIES

These similarities to legendary survival horror games are proudly touted by Carnival Massacre, along with their subsequent genre tropes, to help draw in both veteran and first-time horror fans. Players who have enjoyed other recent indie entries into the world of survival horror like Heartworm, Crow Country, and Fear the Spotlight can expect a like-minded story and gameplay experience with Carnival Massacre. Despite a shorter runtime, clocking in for many Steam users around 2-3 hours total, players have praised the game for its engaging story, fully voice-acted cutscenes, PS1 aesthetics, and rock track that seems perfectly suited to a late-90s or early-2000s launch.

Carnival Massacre offers a free demo for those looking to test it out before making a full purchase, though the game itself only costs $4.99 regular price and has a 15% discount running until January 12, making this new survival horror journey just $4.24 at the time of writing. With its similarities to well-rated games like Silent Hill 3 and the current “Very Positive” review score on Steam, players who are looking for a fresh dose of nostalgia while unraveling a unique mystery surrounding a disappearance may want to take advantage of the ongoing sale and grab Carnival Massacre for a short-but-sweet survival horror adventure.

Released

August 6, 2003

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Violence

Engine

unreal engine

•