The Black Iris is a PS1-styled cosmic horror game that’s available now from its website, with all proceeds donated to West Dunbartonshire Community Foodbank.
As far as we can tell, there is literally nothing not to like about The Black Iris or the team behind it. The gameplay, on a basic level, involves navigating a research lab in Scotland.
You are presented with a uniquely horrifying world without the need to shove gore in your face or hide jump scares around every corner. The Black Iris is an unnerving experience that feels like a Lovecraft short story.
Content to let you explore at your own pace, The Black Iris plays out like like a less violent version of The Thing, from which you can see clear inspiration being drawn. Warping perspective and reality around you, I felt instant immersion into the plight of the unnamed main character.
Drawn into a psychedelic wash of purples, reds, and oranges, the deliberate throwback in style is nostalgic and haunting. The lack of clear detail requires you to meet the game halfway with the terror it’s trying to inflict upon you.
Soundtracked by a freakish world of pulsating, submerged synths and your own breathing sound through a helmet necessary for entry, the sounds of this world are off-putting and spine tingling. Without focusing on action-packed gameplay, there are a multitude of other ways that The Black Iris gets your heart racing.
It’s easy to say a lot about The Black Iris, but it’d be better for you to explore it yourself. Have a gander at the developer’s website for a download, or at their teaser trailer below to give you a taste.
