Hello there, we are Red Candle Games, an indie game studio based in Taiwan. I’m excited to share with you all that Detention, our debut title will be launched on PlayStation Store in Europe on 1st March.

Ever wonder the most familiar place may one day turned into a nightmare?

“Waking up from the doze, you found yourself in the classroom and somehow all the classmates are gone. Looking out of the window, it’s almost dark and the typhoon is approaching… You got to find a way out.”

Detention is a 2D story-driven atmospheric horror game heavily influenced by Taiwanese and East Asian culture (Chinese mythology, Taoism/Buddhism belief, folklore, etc.) based upon the 1960s Taiwan under martial law.

You will play a pair of teenage characters, Wei and Ray, who set out to explore the seemingly haunted high school. While hiding from the rampaging evil spirits to survive, you will also encounter numerous puzzles in the otherworldly school grounds. By solving each puzzle, you get a step closer to unveil the cruel truth behind the cursed school.

Offering a classic point-and-click control scheme you’ll navigate the characters to explore their surrounding and interact with items. Be aware – every note and item that you pick up is key to solving the past’s mysteries.

How history shaped the horror-filled future

What makes Detention special is how we’ve been inspired by our own history to shape the dystopian setting in the game. We set Detention in the 1960s Taiwan, when the country was under the shadow of dictatorship. It was a turbulent time for many. We used that fear and oppressive feeling to create this psychological horror and unique dystopian narration of the game, to tell a story of what might have happened if you were living in that time.

As Taiwanese developers, we wanted to input as many cultural elements as possible into Detention. In other words, the whole gaming experience is cultural immersion! From the visuals, puzzle design and to the audio, we blended Taiwanese mythology, religious beliefs and a soundtrack that blended traditional Asian instruments with electronic, lo-fi and rock to create a fresh gaming experience for many players to enjoy.

Detention is a project started from a single idea: tell a story of Taiwan. Inspired by past events, we attempted to build a fictitious world to recreate the atmosphere of 1960s Taiwan. With the visuals and audio influenced by Taiwanese literature, film and music of that time, we hope that you could feel that spine-chilling fear in the most interactive way. As you venture more into the game, you will be pulled into the surreal nightmare behind all this. So, be ready to experience a psychological thriller ride!