In Bloody Disgusting’s The Glass Staircase review, we uncover the dark secrets behind Puppet Combo’s Fulci-inspired survival horror.

There’s some exciting horror rising up from the independent spaces in video games. Airdorf’s FAITH, 98DEMAKE’s September 1999, and a whole host of others have stripped horror games back to the core and reminded us how games can be an effective platform for delivering terror, chills, and all-around creepiness.

There’s a healthy amount of love and respect for horror from independent developers, perhaps none more so than Puppet Combo, a developer who has put out a ridiculous amount of retro-inspired horror games, including Power Drill Massacre and Night of the Nun, in a relatively short time, and the latest, The Glass Staircase, is especially eye-catching.

Inspired by early PlayStation Survival Horror games such as Clock Tower, Silent Hill, and Rule of Rose, The Glass Staircase sees you in control of one of several young girls who finds themselves in a dilapidated mansion posing as an orphanage, tucked away in the English countryside. Of course, being a horror game, there’s something not quite right about the place. The girls are seemingly being held against their will by faceless overseers. Once you leave your shared room, the nightmare truly begins as the girls are picked off one-by-one, and you must try and uncover the dark secrets of the mansion before it’s too late. Thankfully, you may be controlling kids, but they aren’t shy about using a gun against the forces of evil.

Puppet Combo’s other inspiration comes in the form of Italian zombie films (’80s gorefests are a fond favorite of the developer). The clearest callback is to Fulci’s Gates of Hell Trilogy, with that same nightmarish incoherence that made the likes of House by the Cemetery and The Beyond such wonderfully disturbing experiences. Puppet Combo has certainly captured the essence of that with The Glass Staircase. the mansion itself is reminiscent of the one from The Beyond. It’s falling apart, but you can see the majesty that once existed in its design. Oh, and then there’s the horrors that lie within its walls, but that’s something you should probably see for yourself.

What follows is a classic survival horror experience. Gore, monstrosities, puzzles, letter-reading, key-grabbing, fixed camera paranoia, and even tank controls if you wish. There is a modern heart to the game with some quality of life improvements on the old formula, but even then there’s no denying The Glass Staircase would be right at home alongside many of the games that helped breathe life into it. The thing that makes it stand out from that crowd is the use of 80s VHS scuzz on top of the visuals. It helps to emulate that nasty, and sordid aesthetic of the era, especially concerning Italian horror like Fulci’s.

There’s the odd drawback of course. Tank controls bring all the frustrations they once did, though of course, the upside here is that the treacly movement actually suits the dreamlike atmosphere really well, so it’s fair to say it’s more effective to use them than the modern settings, even if they are better to use comfortably. So the choice is comfort and accessibility or possible frustration and a more authentic horror experience.

The plot is rather mysterious, yet it does come with some resolution and depth. If you find the vagueness of Fulci’s films irritating, however, then The Glass Staircase may not exactly convert you to that style of storytelling.

Happily then, The Glass Staircase manages to be both a wonderfully nostalgic throwback to two beloved styles of horror in two mediums, but with enough modern flourishes to make it more palatable and interesting for a modern audience. It’s Puppet Combo’s most ambitious effort to date, and the love for the horror genre shines bright here.

The Glass Staircase review key provided by the developer.

You can purchase The Glass Staircase on PC via itch.io or you can become a Patreon subscriber to Puppet Combo, and have access to all the games made so far, and also get hands-on with work-in-progress projects.