Preview: Paranoid [PC DEMO]

Developer Madmind Studio is living up to its name in its upcoming title Paranoid. With hints of Outlast and Layers of Fear, this survival horror title emphasizes a constant state of psychological uncertainty. In the game, you play as Patrick Calman as he traverses a world of unending nightmares in search of his long-missing sister Rachel. The deeper you go, however, the more questions you’ll have over what’s real and what’s just in your head.

Is this really happening?

Right away, the game sets its grimy tone as you start out by vomiting. From there, you enter the halls of a rundown hotel, turned crack house. Though dark and gritty, things really don’t begin to turn mad until after ordering a special drink from a bar. From that point on, the world around you becomes a dark, constantly-changing cascade of horror.

One of the best features in Paranoid is its atmosphere. Visually, the game looks dirty in all the best ways. Cockroaches run across the ground and lights flicker throughout the dilapidated structures. In addition, the constantly changing environments always leave you guessing on where you’ll end up next. In the demo, you begin in the crumbling halls of a rundown hotel, yet you end in a similarly ruined movie theater with an old film playing in the background.

The atmosphere truly stands out in the haunting sound design. From hearing whispering voices in your head that send cryptic messages your way to the creepy tune that plays through old radios, just listening to Paranoid will make you feel like the game’s title.

There must be some kinda way out of here

Gameplay in Paranoid is basic but fun. Combat sees you dodging enemy attacks before sending some bone-crunching blows of your own. Additionally, you can perform special executions when the game prompts you. However, pulling these moves off properly also requires you to complete a quick-time event.

When you’re not fighting vagrants and junkies, you’ll spend time exploring rooms in search of various clues to progress forward. Puzzles range from standing in the right spot to change your perspective of an environment to using a VHS tape from earlier in the game on a TV you find later that gives you an idea of what may have happened to Rachel.

One really interesting puzzle involves opening a safe that gives you the key to a door to get out of the room. Though the room is small enough to find the clues pretty easily, the way you find the clues is pretty creative. The safe sits behind a picture that has three colors painted in lines on the back. These colors correspond to a paint-by-numbers picture on the opposite end of the room. Matching the colors to their associated numbers gives you the safe’s combination. If the full game offers similar puzzles on a larger scale, we will certainly be in for a real treat.

Dive further into an even bigger nightmare

Yet, as a horror game, the ultimate judge is on how scary the game is. And I will say this will full sincerity: Paranoid is absolutely terrifying. With the chilling atmosphere, you will stay on edge the entire time, always questioning what is going to happen next.

However, the most horrifying part of the demo happens at the very end. In the movie theater, a lady with a battle-axe cuts her way through the screen and chases you. No, you cannot fight her. And yes, she will stalk you Tyrant-style as you desperately try to make your way through hallways, dead-ends and blocked doors.

Let’s just say that Madmind Studio owes me a new pair of pants.

Paranoid digs into your psyche this October

As this game is a work in progress, things certainly are not perfect. However, I only really have one gripe. Notably, some of the mechanics, like using items, are not optimized well for controllers. If you play with keyboard-and-mouse, that shouldn’t be an issue. However, needing to set your controller down to adjust settings or drag an item out of your inventory to use it feels a tad awkward.

Apart from that and the lack of checkpoints for the demo, however, this demo truly impressed me and left me dying for more. Paranoid is truly a horrifying rollercoaster of a game that always leaves wondering what’s real and what’s not. The constant uneasiness and tension only builds when you become faced with an enemy like the battle-axe lady, who truly poses a threat. The brutality, gritty atmosphere, creepy sound design and overall creativity in level design really makes Paranoid a one-of-a-kind horror experience.

Paranoid has a release window for this October on PC. You can add it to your Steam wishlist now.

Demo is available as part of Steam’s Next Fest through February 13, 2023.