Ever wonder what would happen if your local zoo was taken over by John Carpenter’s The Thing? Zoochosis is your chance to find out, an upcoming horror game that plunges you into a disturbing world of animal body horror.
Watch out, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Zoochosis could have you beat for the worst night shift job. Resident Evil meets Planet Zoo, this survival horror game casts you as a zookeeper at a zoo that’s in the throes of a disturbing infection.
How disturbing. While the announcement doesn’t specifically name check The Thing, it’s pretty clear that developer Clapperheads has at least been inspired by John Carpenter’s horror classic. Think that movie’s husky horror was unsettling? Zoochosis’s trailer boasts a kangaroo with a mouth for a pouch.
As the keeper, you’ll be feeding the animals, checking them for signs of the parasite that’s entered the zoo and working on a vaccine. The IGN-exclusive trailer features giraffes, kangaroos and zebra and gorillas and hippos will also get a look in.
But why stop there? Let’s face it, who doesn’t want to see a mutant meerkat burrow its way out of someone’s torso, Alien-style? And then there are penguins. Their mouths are disturbing as is (Google it, I dare you) but their infected incarnations could be the stuff of nightmares.
The one thing I’m not absolutely sold on is the body-cam perspective. The developer explains they decided that the “use of bodycams would provide a whole new, spine-chilling perspective on the gameplay.” But they have confirmed you’ll be able to turn this off.
The game is set for a Q2 2024 release and if this off-putting outing takes your fancy, you can wishlist Zoochosis on Steam. In the meantime, here are the best horror games on PC or if you prefer your zoos fright-free, here are some less disturbing management games.
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