Chronotopophobia may not be a real word, but that’s what indie dev Hideous Cave Goblin is calling their game. Available on itch.io, the word means “fear over time and place”, which makes sense once you delve into this minimalist browser game.

Chronotopophobia is a minimalist title with monochromatic backgrounds and minimalist pixel art. But it’s detailed enough that you can make out what’s there. To compliment this, the audio fills in the visual gaps.

It all feeds into this surreal feeling you get while playing. It’s very David Lynch with a touch of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. The story has your character being confronted with an omnipotent narrator, who chastises you for wasting time on things like social media, when you could be doing something more “productive”. Your goal, it seems, is to get out of this time-space of dread.

The game is about a half-hour long, but definitely something to check out if you did surreal horror.