If PC players head to itch.io before April 7, they’ll be able to capitalize on some Easter sales that completely remove the price tags from horror titles BigSmile: The Message and Sleep Demon. Both of these PC games are DRM-free, meaning that there are no clients needed to run them, so once they’re downloaded they can be kept forever.
While these two horror games weren’t overly expensive to begin with, costing $2.50 and $2 respectively, going free-to-play for a limited time should get more eyes on both of these games. They tackle two common genres for indie horror developers, those being walking simulators and visual novels. Accessing both games is simple, as players just need to head over to itch.io, create an account, and click the “download or claim” button. From there, the game is theirs to enjoy as they please, downloading directly to their PC.
Users can send a tip directly to the indie game developers on itch.io, but this is entirely optional.
What Are BigSmile and Sleep Demon About?
Starting with BigSmile: The Message, the game is developed by RamoseTsimbina and serves as a sequel to a game called KryptoUwU from the same developer. Naturally, horror fans will want to play that game before this one, but fortunately, it too can be downloaded for free on itch.io. BigSmile: The Message tells the story of a livestream viewer who witnesses a terrible crime and hires a hacker to help track down the person responsible. The search leads them to a disturbing part of the Shadow Web where more cruelty ensues, with the disturbingly realistic setup for this 1-bit pixel art visual novel sure to deliver some scares. BigSmile boasts an original soundtrack and original art, tons of dialogue, a customizable protagonist name, randomly generated chat names, and two different endings that encourage replayability.
Trigger warnings for BigSmile include partial nudity, gore, torture, disturbing subject matter, and flashing lights.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
As for Sleep Demon, this game has a similarly realistic premise, which adds to the fear factor. The game asks the simple question of what it would be like to have sleep paralysis, and while many unfortunately have to deal with this disorder in real life, those who have never had it are in for plenty of scares. Developer Ravenhome based the game on their own personal experiences with sleep paralysis, ensuring it’s as interesting as it is accurate. Through the walking simulator gameplay, players are tasked with enduring multiple stages of a nightmare before finally escaping on the other side. Sleep Demon boasts the following features:
- Light puzzles and escape sequences
- Memorize the map layout and spot changes (think games like Exit 8)
- An NPC stranger that provides hints when found
- Jumpscares
- Level Select
- And original soundtrack and original artwork
- A 40-minute playtime
While these games won’t keep horror fans occupied for hours on end like the hugely successful Resident Evil Requiem, for no cost, these bite-sized stories could provide a memorable night of scares. Players do need to act fast, though, as April 7 and the end of the sale is quickly approaching.
