Rotten Flesh: Everything We Know

It appears Blair Witch is about to receive a well-overdue spiritual successor on PC, and with its own runaway dog, to boot. This time, however, the so-called Rotten Flesh won’t be taking man’s best friend through the darkest depths of the woods, but deep into the bog-trodden waters of an underground sewage facility. Think of that, and then throw in the trope-imbued creature that just so happens to wallow between the ripples and feces, and you’ll have an idea. That’s Rotten Flesh, in a nutshell, and it’ll be gearing up to release on PC in Q1 2024.

If you’re interested in seeing a bit more of the upcoming “cosmic horror” in the virtual flesh, then be sure to read on for a few more details. Here’s everything we can currently tell you about Steelkrill Studio’s Rotten Flesh.

What Is Rotten Flesh?

Rotten Flesh is a first-person survival-horror game in which players must traverse the gloomiest corridors of a monster-infested sewer to find their dog, Roy. But there’s a catch: you will need to use your microphone to call out the name, which will be something of a double-edged sword, as the more you call it, the more likely you are to attract an unwanted pair of eyes. The question, really, is this: how far are you willing to go to rescue man’s best friend? If you’d go as far as to confront your deepest, darkest fears, then you’d be right to sign up for the Rotten Flesh treatment.

According to Steelkrill Studio, “Rotten Flesh is a cosmic horror survival game where you have just lost your dog named Roy and you have to find him by shouting for “ROY” on your microphone.” In other words, you will need to venture “deep into the sewers where your dog was lost – however, something else can also hear your screams in the tunnels.” Amnesia: The Bunker, anyone? No?

Story

It goes like this: your dog, Roy, has fled into the underwater passages of a seemingly vacant sewer, and has left you to scoot around in the dark searching for his whereabouts. It’s as simple as that, really. However, rather than granting you the freedom to search every nook and cranny without the added hassle of having to bypass puzzles and other obstacles and what have you, you will also need to evade the creature that’s hot on your tracks. So, expect a lot more than your average walking simulation game with a few basic horror elements, basically.

Gameplay

If you’ve taken the opportunity to absorb worlds such as Amnesia: The Bunker, Layers or Fear, or Blair Witch, then you’ll no doubt have a pretty solid idea of how it all works. Simply put, you will be invited to explore a vast open network of tunnels, few of which will likely feature the odd environmental puzzle and progression wall. Sure enough, there’ll be jump scares, and a lot of them, from the looks of it. So, not one for the faint of heart, then.

“You as the loving owner that you are have to find your dog by shouting for “ROY” on your microphone,” the game’s description explains. “If your dog is near, Roy will bark back to you – however something else can also hear your screams…and it's not Roy. Go into a terrifying journey to find a man's best friend in this PSX-Style horror game. Solve puzzles, find weapons to survive and fight your way through to get back your beloved dog Roy, only if you dare. That's what good owners do.”

Development

Twitter/X! Help me find my dog by a retweet? 🐶

I am currently creating a cosmic horror game where you have to find your good boy named Roy, by shouting his name on your microphone! 🗣️ 🎙️

STEAM Link ➡️ https://t.co/qGibWNcKkX#horror #horrorgames #gaming #Halloween #gamedev pic.twitter.com/CsXOdJEQS4

— Steelkrill Studio – Solo Game Dev 🔪🦐 (@steelkrill) November 1, 2023

Steelkrill Studio first announced its plans to deliver the cosmic horror game to the PC market back on October 31, 2023, at which point the solo developer stated that the title would be preparing for a Q1 2024 launch.

“Rotten Flesh is a horror survival game made by one developer at Steelkrill Studio,” the press release reads in part. “This is [an] objective-finding game with puzzles to solve, and terrifying encounters, inventory system, stamina, pistols, shooting mechanics, microphone input and a lot more features.”

Since lifting the veil on the project back in 2023, Steelkrill Studio has teased a slew of in-game screenshots and, more importantly, a sneak preview of the game itself over on its social handles. And, on that note…

Trailer

Yes, there is a trailer of the upcoming cosmic horror, and one that just so happens to shed light on a lot of the gameplay mechanics and settings, too. You can check it out for yourself in the latest announcement trailer embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Rotten Flesh will be heading to PC via Steam on January 22, 2024. Does this mean we’ll be without a console release, then? Apparently so, yes. With that said, if the cosmic horror title does go on to harness enough of a fan base in the aftermath of its debut, then it could, with any luck, arrive on Xbox and PlayStation at some point in the distant future.

At present, there is only the one standard version available to wishlist. You can go ahead and add that to your library over on Steam. If there happens to be any special editions of the game in the pipeline, then news is sure to funnel into Steelkrill Studio’s social feed at some point in the near future.

Interested in staying up to date with Rotten Flesh? If so, then be sure to check in with the team over at Steelkrill Studio for all the latest updates via their official social handle here. If anything changes ahead of its January launch, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Rotten Flesh when it arrives on PC later this year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.