"You can never see outside of yourself": The House Before is a body horror game in which you are a house tunnelling through its own soul
It's a lovely morning in the village, and you are a horrible house. Wait, let's start that again. As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed into a horrible house. Wait, let's start that again: "You wake up as a House. Your limbs stretch through endless rooms filled with grotesque creatures. You can never see outside of yourself, never feel the world that…
You awaken as a house, a bizarre creature experiencing an unsettling transformation. Your body stretches throughout endless rooms filled with grotesque beings. You must navigate your internal workings while wondering if you are a decent dwelling or simply a mere imitation of the previous House. This is the premise behind The House Before, an atypical body horror game crafted by Gabriel Helfenstein and the art collective Fantasia Malware.
It intertwines elements of visual novels and text adventures, mixed with a plethora of grotesque minigames, leading you on a journey through your own architectural innards. The game spans genres like first-person mazes, virtual pets, and top-down tile-based exploration, featuring unique and interactive interfaces reminiscent of 90s game installers and virtual desktop music players.
The opening scene of being trapped within your own form exudes a claustrophobic atmosphere, yet it appears to be a lighthearted pastiche in other aspects. You encounter various eccentric creatures that are both talkative and vibrant, with aesthetics ranging from shimmering, oil-like colors to a more gelatinous appearance. The game is set to release on Steam and Itch.io in November, appealing to those who enjoy grotesque and inventive game experiences.
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