DaRmaZat Necrophosis released on April 25 and was developed by Dragonis Ares and Adonis Brosteanu, with publishing handled by Dragonis Games. This first-person horror adventure offers an atmospheric descent into a surreal and haunting universe where decay, suffering, and cosmic horror intertwine. Crafted with clear inspirations from the works of Zdzisław Beksiński, H.R. Giger, and H.P. Lovecraft, the game sets out to create an unforgettable and unsettling journey through a macabre dreamscape.
A Realm of Death and Decay
In Necrophosis, you awaken as Consciousness itself, drawn into a cursed dimension where death is not an ending but a relentless, ongoing existence. Billions of years after the collapse of the universe, a barren, desolate desert world awaits, its scorched sands echoing with the last whispers of the living and the dead. Necrophosis, the eponymous curse, rots everything it touches, and the wretched souls you encounter suffer in grotesque and tortured forms. Yet, amidst the anguish, you are their salvation, bringing an end to their misery in small but meaningful acts.
The world design masterfully blends Lovecraftian and celestial horror elements with nightmarish surrealism, offering environments that are more than skeletal ruins and gory remains. Grotesque sights such as torn-out eyes, brain swaps, and impaled limbs challenge the senses, weaving in thought-provoking questions about suffering, empathy, existence, and creation. The atmosphere is dense and oppressive, yet also breathtaking in its artistry, frequently evoking the sense of wandering through a living, breathing painting.
A journey through intuitive mechanics
Gameplay in Necrophosis leans heavily into walking simulator territory, with occasional puzzle-solving and item management segments that feel logical and intuitive. Interaction is streamlined: a single keypress allows you to pick up or place objects, while mouse clicks enable rotation during examination sequences. You’ll find yourself fetching coins, carrying skeletons, placing brains in matching skulls, and engaging in small memory games.
While the puzzles are thoughtfully designed and often accompanied by written hints upon interaction, exploration can occasionally frustrate. Visual cues for interactive objects are subtle, sometimes requiring players to spam the interact key out of uncertainty. Certain sections also feature hidden dangers where death is possible, though the game’s excellent autosave system ensures you’re never set back far. The invisible walls throughout the outdoor areas are cleverly implemented, keeping exploration sandboxed enough to prevent aimless wandering without feeling overly restrictive.
Aesthetic triumphs and atmospheric excellence
Necrophosis is a visual and auditory triumph. Its art style, reminiscent of Scorn but even more focused and cohesive, crafts a world that feels authentically macabre and alien. Every surface creaks, squelches, or cracks under your touch, thanks to detailed sound design that greatly amplifies the atmosphere. Subtle ambient tracks, combined with chilling throat-singing interludes, drive home the cosmic horror and loneliness that pervade the world.
The dialogue is a standout feature, often weaving clever metaphors and rhymes that provoke reflection. Every line feels carefully written to reinforce the world’s tragic beauty and existential themes. All interactions are voiced, adding an extra layer of immersion, even if the lip-syncing isn’t always perfect. Character animations occasionally appear stiff, with walking cycles sometimes giving the impression of sliding rather than stepping, but these minor imperfections are easy to forgive given the overwhelming strength of the overall artistic direction.
Great performance, some technical issues
Performance throughout Necrophosis is stable, with smooth loading and no major framerate dips even in its most detailed environments. However, a few bugs mar the experience. During my playthrough, I once glitched through a border area intended to keep players within bounds, causing me to fall into an unreachable zone outside the normal map. Another small issue involved my custom control bindings resetting after exiting and relaunching the game. While neither bug was game-breaking, they are worth noting.
Final Thoughts
Necrophosis is a remarkable experience—short but impactful, beautiful yet harrowing. In just a few hours, it offers one of the most evocative, thought-provoking, and artfully designed cosmic horror journeys in recent memory. With logical puzzles, intuitive controls, and a poetic narrative voice acting, it stands out as a short but impressive Lovecraftian celestial epic horror walking puzzle game. Fans of artists like Beksiński, Giger, and Lovecraft will find a lot to love here. Despite its brevity and minor technical flaws, Necrophosis is a must-play for those drawn to the darker side of imagination.
Additional Information
Release Date: April 25, 2025
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Dragonis Ares, Adonis Brosteanu
Publisher: Dragonis Games
Official Website: https://dragonisgames.com/portfolio-item/necrophosis
Relevant links: Necrophosis on STEAM
