A new horror-focused publishing label called Black Lantern Collective has been announced, alongside the label’s initial signings. A slate of 10 games has been announced, with some of them being newly revealed, while others were previously known about but have now partnered with Black Lantern Collective.
The label is headed up by Ted Hentschke, who previously worked at DreadXP, another horror-focused label, as well as Critical Reflex. While not a horror-only label like DreadXP, under Hentschke, Critical Reflex was particularly interested in horror games, including 2024’s breakout hit, Mouthwashing.
In an exchange with GameSpot, Hentschke spoke to his continued obsession with horror games, saying, “With Black Lantern Collective, I just want to do cool shit. I did cool shit at DreadXP, and I was fortunate enough to have had the chance to do cool shit with the cool people at Critical Reflex. My strategy has always just been about finding weird games from people that I think are dope, and hyping it up to people who are into it. Hopefully, people vibe with that. If not, I can always go back to being a bouncer.”
Jakub Bałuszek-Sobolewski, who founded Indie Games Starter, a “private incubation program created to elevate rising stars in the European indie scene,” will join as co-founder.
With the label up and running, horror fans are surely most interested in learning about the company’s initial wave of announcements. Below are the 10 games announced as being published by Black Lantern Collective.
The list includes PS1-inspired survival-horror games, a new sequel in a popular monster-dating sim, a game where you face off against evil billionaires in deadly games of dice, and a Half-Life 2 mod reborn as a first-person horror story, among others.
Caput Mortem
Developer: WildArt Games
Inspired by 3D dungeon crawlers and survival-horror games, you’ll explore a moody tower full of “forgotten nightmares.”
Children of Saturn
Developer: Boie & Shoray
An “ode to lost generations,” Children of Saturn is a VHS-coded first-person game about tagging billboards amid the end times.
Dead Finger Dice
Developer: Rocket Adrift
Perhaps the most eye-catching premise on the list, Dead Finger Dice has you playing dice against evil billionaire demons who have trapped you on their super-yacht.
Muffles’ Life Sentence
Developer: BossyPino and Nomad
Called a “darkly quirky RPG,” you’ll explore a prison with deckbuilding card combat in a story that sees prisoners remade to match their crimes.
Nightmare House
Developer: We Create Stuff
Based on a popular Half-Life 2 mod of the same name, Nightmare House gives you an axe and a penchant for using it while you piece together your lost memory in a house of horrors.
No Players Online
Developer: Beeswax Games
This one tasks you with exploring a lost-to-time retro shooter on your PC, with a fully realized retro PC experience at the heart of it all.
Soviet Spooky Tales: Green Eyes
Developer: Fishnauts
Inspired by Soviet-era spooky bedtime stories, the aptly titled Soviet Spooky Tales is a visual novel set in the USSR.
Sucker For Love: Crush Landing!
Developer: AkaBaka
This is the third entry in the dating sim series where you try to win the hearts of monsters. Be mindful: Cthulhu is just here for the zipline.
3 Shots Left
Developer: Alex Hetherington, Dawid “Sugared” Szarek, Piotr Kwiecień, and Hubert Kolba
3 Shots Left is a slow-burn retro-inspired story set in England six months after the world as we know it came to an end. Follow the voice of a stranger to unravel a mystery.
White Line Fever
Developer: Blast Furnace Games
In this one, you’re driving a car with a very creepy backseat driver in tow. Richard Lewis would call it the Uber ride from Hell.