On Wednesday, Black Lantern Collective, a brand-new indie horror publisher, announced its debut along with a catalog of 10 uniquely disturbing independent horror games. Led by DreadXP and Critical Reflex alum Ted Hentschke, the studio’s premiere title, “Caput Mortum,” will release in August 2025.
Hentschke is stepping into his new role as CEO of Black Lantern Collective, alongside co-founder Jakub Baลuszek-Sobolewski, a veteran of the IT and game development industries. Baลuszek-Sobolewski has been a senior producer at companies such as Polyslash and currently serves as a mentor and judge at HackYeah, the largest annual IT and game development event in Europe. He is also the founder of Indie Games Starter, a private incubation program created to elevate rising stars in the European indie scene.
Black Lantern Collective’s premier title is the atmospheric psychological horror game “Caput Mortum.” Developed by WildArts Games, “Caput Mortum” is a short first-person horror experience inspired by retro 3D dungeon crawlers and survival horror games. Players will master unique controls to solve puzzles, sneak around, and survive the grotesqueries that lurk deep within an abandoned alchemist’s tower on an otherwise-scenic coastline in 16th-century France โ all the while uncovering mysteries of the tower’s former occupants, and braving the horrors that beckon them belowโฆ deeper still. “Caput Mortum” is set to release in August on PC, with a console release to follow at a later date. A demo of the game is available now on Steam.
While “Caput Mortum” will be the first, Black Lantern Collective’s ambitious catalog features nine other independently developed horror games, crafted by genuine horror fans who are unafraid of pushing boundaries.
Children of Saturn โ Developed by Boie & Shoray, impending societal collapse meets home movies. “Children of Saturn” is an ode to lost generations. Experience the end times through the VHS lens of those who have to live in it. A first-person narrative adventure about tagging billboards and watching your house burn down.
Dead Finger Dice: A Billionaire Killing Game โ Developed by Rocket Adrift, play a sinister game of poker dice against blood-thirsty demon billionaires in this rogue-like dice builder. Find a way to win several rounds of a sadistic poker dice game that the elites have concocted on their luxury mega yacht. Will you be able to break the cycle, or will the body count continue to rise?
Muffles’ Life Sentence โ Developed by BossyPino and Nomad, take back your identity in “Muffles’ Life Sentence,” a darkly quirky RPG set in a prison where inmates are remade to match their crimes. Unlock new faces and use their abilities in deckbuilding card combat without grinding or random encounters. Interact with a colorful cast of absurd criminal monsters and find out who you are.
Nightmare House โ Developed by We Create Stuff, delve into an action-packed, first-person horror experience based on the legendary “Half-Life 2” horror mod “Nightmare House 2.” Use your trusty axe to solve puzzles and slaughter enemies in visceral melee combat while piecing together Emily’s forgotten memories. Don’t be afraid. You’re not alone.
No Players Online โ Developed by Beeswax Games, “No Players Online” is a narrative-driven horror shooter. Traverse the digital wasteland of a shooter game long-abandoned. Delve deep into a fully realized faux-90s desktop environment. Download games from an obscure games forum, search through files left by the previous owner, and peel away the digital layers to uncover the conspiracy of the mysterious capture-the-flag game.
Soviet Spooky Tales: Green Eyes โ Developed by Fishnauts, immerse yourself in the Soviet era of 1986, during the “Perestroika” era, five years before the fall of the USSR. “Soviet Spooky Tales: Green Eyes” is a nonlinear, pixel-art visual novel set in the 1980s Soviet Union, inspired by Soviet children’s spooky stories.
Sucker for Love: Crush Landing! โ Developed by AkaBaka, put the ‘love’ in ‘Lovecraftian horror!’ When a captivating comet named Hheily crashes into your apartment, you are drawn into an interplanetary conflict between light and dark. Feed Hheily’s fire to save the world in this horror-comedy visual novelโฆ and maybe even win a smooch!
3 Shots Left โ Developed by Alex Hetherington, Dawid “Sugared” Szarek, Piotr Kwiecieล, and Hubert Kolba, this slow-burn retro horror is set in the English countryside. It’s six months into the apocalypse, and you’ve settled into a lonely routine. One night, a mysterious stranger contacts you over the radio with a suspicious offer. Explore a first-person shooter with limited combat and difficult choices. How will you survive withโฆ 3 Shots Left?
White Line Fever โ Developed by Blast Furnace Games: New tires. A full tank of gas. You could drive all night, but it’s already in the car with you. White Line Fever is a first-person survival horror game experienced from behind the wheel of a one-stroke beater. Keep your eyes on the road and fulfill your passenger’s requests; after all, it’s dangerous to drive at night.
Black Lantern Collective promises terror and disgust for anyone bold enough to delve into its ambitious catalog, with a goal of supporting more terror to come. You can learn more about the sinister workings of Black Lantern Collective on its official website.
