A role-playing video game of the horror genre, in the 80’s retro style. The creator of this game, which is gaining positive reviews around the world, is not only Polish, but is also a part-time dentist.
Pawel Kozminski, born in 1992 in Wroclaw, a dentist by profession, created the game entirely on his own. He originally intended it to be a board game, but eventually decided to make a computer game instead. Kozminski released the game 'World of Horror' on 20 February 2020 as part of early access on Steam and GOG gaming platforms under the production pseudonym 'panstasz.' The latest, official version 1.0 of the game premiered on 19 October 2023. It is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5 and on Steam with English, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Chinese subtitles.
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Paweł Koźmiński (Panstasz), photo: ⓒ POLITYKA / Leszek Zych
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'World of Horror' was inspired by the work of Japanese mangaka Junji Itō and the work of American writer H.P. Lovecraft – the game is even called a love letter to both of these authors. Kozminski came across today's most famous horror comic book author through a scan of Itō's manga 'The Enigma of Amigara Fault'. Interestingly, Kozminski and Itō are also linked by dentistry, as the Japanese cartoonist is a dental technician by profession. Where Kozminski places the source of fear in 'World of Horror' points to connections with Lovecraftian horror. As in the American writer's literature, the game's author emphasizes the psychological aspect of horror and suspense, rather than the terror or shock caused by so-called 'jump-scares' typical of what we call a classic horror.
The action of the game is set in Japan in the 1980s. As the description of the game says:
The Old Gods are reawakening, clawing their way back into a world that’s spiralling into madness. In hospitals, abandoned classrooms, quiet apartments, and dark forests, strange appearances and unexplainable phenomena test the sanity of residents in Shiokawa, Japan. Is it chaotic retribution, or the machinations of beings beyond our comprehension?
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Still from the game 'The World Of Horror', creator: Paweł Koźmiński, producers: Panstasz LLC, Paweł Koźmiński, publishers: Ysbryd Games, Fangamer, Playism, 2019, photo: producer's press materials
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The player must solve a series of puzzles to explain the mysterious incidents and save the world from annihilation. 'World of Horror' belongs to the genre of rouge-like games, in which the player moves through rooms, explores locations, solves puzzles and fights hostile creatures, while the gameplay features a turn-based combat.
Kozminski was inspired by the style of games from the 1980s created for old Macintosh and PC-88 computers. This style has great sentimental value for many gamers – the 1980s mean memories of the first PCs, as well as the first computer games. Kozminski's 1-bit graphics were created in MS Paint, and as he said:
Creating art in Paint is actually really inspiring and somehow relaxing. The limits of the program really force you to get creative with it, which is a huge thing. I guess 1-bit black-and-white art is the closest I can get to simulate that comic book feel, too.
Kozminski's game is monochromatic, black and white by default, but it is possible to choose a different colour palette.
'World of Horror' has received positive reviews around the world – it was hailed as one of the best horror games of 2023 by the PC Gamer website, and earned a rating of 78/100 on Metacritic based on 22 critics' reviews. Special recognition was given to the game's retro style, story line, graphics and atmosphere, which are appreciated by both horror fans and fans of old computer games. It is also not without significance that 'World of Horror' is available in a Japanese language version – Kozminski perfectly depicted the world of Japan, the local culture and ancient beliefs, so that the Japanese were also drawn to the terrifying universe of the game.
