We’ve talked about many horror games on this site before, but one of the key things we keep noting is that horror can be showcased in many ways. Sometimes, it’s through monsters or locations. Other times, though, it’s simply through putting your mind through the wringer and making you question every move you make. Clover Bite and Quarter Games are gearing up for the latter option, as they will soon release a demo for the psychological horror game Don’t Pick Up, and it’s meant to really trip you up. Here’s a breakdown and trailer to check out:

“Don’t Pick Up sees players working in a government-certified phone and communication device repair shop in an alternative dystopian 2000s. The authoritarian government’s policies and restrictions shift on a daily basis, changing what the player can legally service, what parts they can use, and which customers they can accept.

The game’s rich world of political intrigue reveals itself as the devices themselves become a source of forbidden discovery. As players go through customers’ phones, they discover information about the various factions, conspiracies, and individuals
caught up in the ongoing political collapse taking place in the outside world.

The choices the player makes as they navigate the political intrigue will have a direct impact on how the story plays out – so long as they are prepared to live with the consequences.”

As for its key features, here you go:

• Maintain full compliance. A first-person psychological horror set in a dystopian alternate history.
• Repair customer devices. Each phone that comes through your door needs fixing. What else you find inside it is your business – and your responsibility.
• Make sound decisions. Multiple endings. Shaped entirely by the choices you make – who you serve, what you report, what you keep to yourself. Choose carefully.
• Follow the daily directives. New government regulations arrive every morning. Stay compliant or suffer the consequences.
• Handle sensitive information with care. Each device may contain things their owners didn’t intend to share. Things the government doesn’t want people to know.
• Serve the community. An escalating political crisis is unfolding more each day, always visible from your window.

The demo will drop soon, so be on the lookout. Or, you can just wishlist the game on Steam and be ready for when it launches!