Hamelin is a dark reinterpretation of the classic Pied Piper of Hamelin folk take, which follows a little rat as they set out to save the Pied Piper from being burned at the stake by the unscrupulous citizens of Hamelin.
Created for the HPS1 Halloween Jam 2020, Hamelin is a short PS1 styled folk horror game which delivers a dark twist on the classic tale of the Pied Piper. It seems that the Piper has helped the people of Hamelin with their rat problem, but they have repaid him in kind by deciding to burn him at the stake. He has used his rat controlling abilities to reach out to you, a single little rat, and asks you to save him before he burns.
Hamelin takes around 10 minutes to play through and sees you avoiding guards and gathering a few more rats to aid your quest along the way. The control scheme sees you using the WASD keys to rotate the camera and the mouse to direct the rat. It is a little odd, but it works quite well when you get used to it.
The stealth gameplay is fairly simple, but it’s a great little game with a fantastic art style and a great sense of atmosphere. It’s a clever twist on a classic folk tale that really immerses you in its low poly red hued world. And it’s also surprisingly brutal when your poor little rat gets squashed by a guard!
Check Out a Gameplay Video Here (Windows)
Download Hamelin Here (Windows)