Horror! Some video games are scarier than others, such as the genius of INSIDE (2016) and Alien Isolation (not 2016).

Then there’s The Heilwald Loophole, an indie game along the lines of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest meets The Shining. Yay? Erm…

Proper OMG Time in The Heilwald Loophole

From German one-man indie developer Jan Malitschek, The Heilwald Loophole styles itself as a classic PlayStation experience.

The game’s plot sets it in The Heilwald Klinikum, a once famous medical facility, with the mad Dr. Dandolph.  Things have gone awry at his hospital and the arrival of a curious loophole is exposing the horrors within.

As the player, you begin after falling from the loophole into the medical facility. Then you must go off exploring as the doctor tries to keep an eye on you.

What follows in the opening section is a type of stealth horror game where you’re avoiding the crazy Dr. Randolph. But later in the experience things take a different turn.

Basically, you start discovering all sorts of insane doctors and nurses. Plus, some of the patients you come across are a little the worse for wear.

It’s all pretty scary and grotesque, playing on that retro PlayStation aesthetic to ramp up the creepiness. All very much like the first Resident Evil.

Despite the number of insane doctors and nurses in the asylum, you can’t die in The Heilwald Loophole.

Instead, you begin over in various locations and must gather documents to try and piece together the mystery of what the ruddy hell is going on.

And as you progress, looping around on yourself, you start to wonder how deranged things are going to get.

Yes, so The Heilwald Loophole is a unique experience and one that delivers on its premise with much panache. It’s a little confusing at first, but once you get used to it you’re plunge into the depths and want to find out more.

Crucially for a horror game, it’s a creepy and unsettling experience.

The graphics, sound effects, setting, and soundtrack all help there. For the latter, Dr. Randolph’s theme puts you on edge from the start (Super Mario isn’t in the game, by the way).

The Heilwald Loophole isn’t for everyone. It’s a surreal and weird game, one where your curiosity will get the better of you and unearth some disturbing secrets.

All we’ll say is if you like the look of the trailer and game footage, this will probably be for you. You may, or may not, love it.

It’s a short indie game of a couple of hours, but there are multiple endings and a lot of weird things to uncover. We’re leaving the spoilers out, yo!

But at its best it’s certainly an intriguing and compelling game that delivers some chills and will freak you out a bit.

Sound like fun?! Then get your fix on Steam or Itch.io right… NOW!