In Heartworm you play as Sam a woman haunted by the death of her grandfather. In her search for closure she discovers an online forum talking about a haunted house in remote mountains that allegedly lets people contact the dead. Driven by her obsession she travels to that house only to find silence replaced by whispers shadows and a lingering presence that seems to watch every move. The journey becomes not just about finding what lies beyond death but facing the memories she has refused to forget.
Heartworm is a survival horror game developed by Vincent Adinolfi and published by DreadXP. It released on July 31 2025 for Windows via Steam. The game combines retro inspired fixed camera survival horror with modern conveniences like over the shoulder aiming and optional tank controls. The narrative is tightly emotional focusing on grief memory and haunting what we leave behind. The house in the game acts both as setting and antagonist slowly revealing its disturbing truths as Sam moves through its rooms.
Gameplay
Players explore various environments including the haunted house its surrounding grounds and adjoining forest paths. Sam can use a camera both as tool and defense to repel supernatural threats. Puzzle solving is central with keys notes environmental clues and hidden passages unlocking progression. Combat is rare costly and limited giving each facing of threat real weight. Players can toggle between classic control schemes and more modern ones to suit comfort. Multiple endings depend on exploration choices how much one delves into lore and how Sam confronts or denies the past. The Players gets to choose from a Over The shoulder, Fixed Cameras, Tank Controls or Modern controls expanding the genre to a broader audience.
Visuals and Style
The visual design aims for late 90s survival horror nostalgia. The graphics are low resolution with pixelation filters optional giving that blocky console appearance. Pre rendered backgrounds blend with realtime 3D surfaces in some areas. Lighting is used to create tension shadows stretch long hallways and corners hide details. Sound design includes an original eerie soundtrack ambient environmental noise and sudden stingers that startle rather than shock. The aesthetic balances between uncanny calm and heightened dread with every piece crafted to unsettle rather than overwhelm.
Importance in Survival Horror History
Heartworm matters because it carries forward what made classics compelling without merely copying them. It respects limitations of older hardware in atmosphere and presentation while using modern tools to enhance mood. Its approach to horror through memory grief and loss places emotional weight behind scares. Also, its blending of old control schemes with newer options makes it accessible yet nostalgic. This design bridges generations of survival horror fans showing how emotive storytelling and minimal mechanics can still terrify. The Game achieved creating a beautiful soothing song for the Save Room that resonated with a lot of fans of the genre.
Reception and Historical Value
Reviewers and players have praised Heartworm for its haunting atmosphere storytelling and successful evocation of nostalgia. Many cite the clever use of the camera as weapon and light source as effective in creating tension. Some criticism goes toward pacing with moments of quiet that may drag and occasional frustration with limited visibility or navigation in darker areas, but for fans of survival Horror it’s actually a plus. Historical value may lie in how Heartworm shows indie horror can still make meaningful emotional narratives while paying tribute to the past. It likely will be remembered as one of the more thoughtful indie horror releases of its year. Heartworm is an instant Classic that will leave a mark in Survival Horror History
Availability and Collectibility
Heartworm is available digitally on PC via Steam. There are no confirmed physical editions as of yet. Because of its emotional focus memorable visuals and retro style it may develop a cult following and become a title referenced often in discussions of modern classic survival horror revival.
Get it on:
Steam: Heartworm on Steam
Trailer: