The Tartarus Key is a retro styled narrative-driven horror adventure where you and a mysterious stranger attempt to solve puzzles and escape from a strange mansion you wake up in.
In The Tartarus Key you take on the role of Alex, a young woman who awakens to find herself locked up in a dusty study in a mysterious old mansion. It soon becomes apparent that you’ll need to solve puzzles in each room to stand a chance of escaping. You’re not alone in this endeavour – there’s also a friendly seeming stranger who is also trapped in there and you can talk to them on a short-wave radio. With a little problem solving and teamwork, you may just get out of there alive…
The Tartarus Key’s demo build takes around 20 minutes to play through and serves as a good introduction to the game. You awaken in the study and have to solve three different puzzle rooms as you try and rescue the mysterious stranger. The puzzles are well designed and logical (but the stranger can chip in with some hints if you’re struggling) and there are some nice little creepy moments towards the end.
It’s shaping up to be a well crafted horror adventure with an intriguing story, interesting characters and a focus on cerebral puzzles rather than cheap scares. The retro PS1/PS2 era visuals are great too and help instil the game with a classic survival horror vibe. By the end of the demo you’ll be dying to explore more of that creepy mansion!
Download The Tartarus Key Beta Demo Here (Steam)