Your hometown has changed.

Sure, the old movie theater’s still there… and the stuffy Ministry… and City Hall. The people that lived there, though? Gone.

The freaky tentacle monsters? Those are new.

Developer and publisher Spaceboy’s The Long Wake: What Remains Observed demo is a stylish psychological horror game set in snowy, rural Europe! Inspired by Silent Hill and other horror games of its ilk, The Long Wake brings a pretty picture to the table, but the execution needs work.

Just Like the Good Old Days?

The Long Wake: What Remains Observed tells the tale of a young woman back home for the holidays but home has other plans. With everyone gone and strange monsters lurking about, she’ll have to piece together an escape and if the things pursuing her don’t make that difficult, the European winter sure as heck will.

The Long Wake takes several inspirations from survival horror staples. Pressing ‘C’ opens up a notebook that gathers pretty much every possible important puzzle element. ‘Tab’ opens your inventory–our plucky heroine apparently a graduate of the Resident Evil 4 “School of Inventory Management”–and movement is, as usual, movement. 

Some objects can be pushed, others can be climbed–nothing new under the sun, right? You can hold acquired items in your hand or stuff ‘em into your inventory. Once you use ‘em, you tend to lose ‘em. The game is deceptively simple: solve puzzles, dodge monsters, get the hell out of town. However, the situation’s more complicated than it appears.

Home Again, Home AGAIN?

The Long Wake: What Remains Observed demo doesn’t waste any time. Seriously, after giving the player a quick rundown on the protagonist’s objective, the demo thrusts the player into a race against time: TWENTY MINUTES!

At first, I assumed this was merely the amount of time left in the demo, but this timer is, in fact, a game mechanic. That’s right–per the store description The Long Wake: What Remains Observed is separated into ‘loops’–each one bringing you back to the start with information you didn’t have before. The good news is that every note and bit of intel you acquire in a loop stays in your notebook. The bad news is, well… you have to loop.

This feature might attract some, but in my opinion, I think it detracts from the somber atmosphere the developers try to cultivate. It’s hard to take in the sights and appreciate the dour, European locales when I’m too busy sprinting through buildings like a Dine-and-Dasher. If you’re a fan of Game Grumps’ and Rogue Games Inc.’s  psychological horror game Homebody then this game might be right up your alley. If you found the frequent looping tedious, however, you might not be as thrilled.

Here We Go Again?

What The Long Wake: What Remains Observed demo lacks in tense, contemplative moments so popular in the genre it makes up for in aesthetic. The sound and effects only add to the oppressive nature of the abandoned town, and the protagonist is surprisingly expressive for someone with so few pixels. The building interiors feel lived in and real, and the monsters don’t look terrible either. I do, however, have qualms about them just appearing with no tension or introduction.

One of the most important parts of Silent Hill series this game is trying to emulate is tension. Take, for example, the opening of Silent Hill 2 when James Sunderland approaches the titular town via a lakeside path. Fog thick enough to cut with a butter knife obscures your surroundings. Grass crunches beneath some unseen observer’s feet. Dogs bark and growl just outside of your perception…

… and then?

Nothing. You emerge in a small graveyard and speak to Angela for the first time. You don’t run into your first enemy until a little while later, but when you do? It’s a spectacle. It’s a moment. This will most likely change in The Long Wake: What Remains Observed’s final release, but that leads me to my final point:

Silent Hill, or Sprinting Hell?

The Long Wake: What Remains Observed demo isn’t bad. The name drags a bit, sure, but it’s not bad! The controls are intuitive. The atmosphere is delicious. The biggest issue with The Long Wake, I believe, lies in its tone.

The Steam page describes the game as a tense, fast-paced roguelite. Besides offering secret endings and other paths, Spaceboy claims that every loop changes something. My question is: does it need to? Is the game trying to be a Euro Resident Evil… or is it gunning for The Mercenaries Mode instead? From my first impressions, it would appear to be the latter.

If you’re into what I’ve described so far, check out The Long Wake: What Remains Observed demo for yourself. If not, well, you might want to pass on this one.

The Long Wake: What Remains Observed demo was part of the Steam Next Fest: June 2026. As of publication, it is still available. Give it a try and follow Spaceboy on Instagram, Facebook, and Discord!