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Horror Bytes: ‘Haunted PS1 Demo Disc: Spectral Mall’ Special [Safe Room Podcast]

Before diving into this week’s episode, be sure to give last week’s chat on Immortality a listen!

Just because we’re a week or two behind our typically scheduled Horror Bytes post doesn’t mean we don’t have a hell of a selection to chat about for September! This month’s edition of Horror Bytes, in which Neil and I each highlight four bite-sized indie horror titles, features a slight tweak to the formula as all of our picks are from demos offered as part of the expansive Haunted PS1 Demo-Disc: Spectral Mall available via itch.io. 

 While Neil and I have each selected four demos found within the Spectral Mall that looked the most promising to us, we highly encourage everyone to check out the complete collection as there is something for everyone! 

 And as always, if you can, please support the developer’s hard work through their itch.io, steam, or Patreon pages, or at the very least wishlist their project.

All demos featured in the Haunted PS1 Demo-Disc: Spectral Mall can be found here

Miracle Bug and the Electric Limbo by Autumn Rain

Explore a black and white monochrome fantasy rendition of limbo as you play a bug who wishes to ascend out of, well, limbo. And to do so, you must engage in an RPG-like boss battle by way of Warioware…It indeed must be seen to be believed. 

 Dead Letter Department by Mike Monroe

 The mundanity of data entry is hell, and that’s before increasingly ominous mail and office happenings begin to occur. Dead Letter Department will have you looking over your shoulder and thinking twice about complaining about your office job. 

 Gob by Gamma Girl Labs

 Who knew a world seemingly pieced together from dirty playdough could be so endearing? Channeling a classic PS1-style puzzle adventure with a bizarre art style makes Gob an intuitive standout. 

 10 Dead Doves by Duonix Studios

 Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Two guys go into the woods and get more than they bargained for…However, 10 Dead Doves (A+ name, no notes) makes a strong statement with its staggeringly strong production value, intriguing mystery, and polished gameplay. Simply put, 10 Dead Doves is not to be missed. 

 Blast Cats by Blast Cats Dev

Do you wish more action-adventure games channeled classic PS1 games such as Medieval? Well, Blast Cats has you sorted, as you’ll be bopping all manner of ghosts and ghouls with your trust mallet and bombs, as well as a fair bit of platforming. 

 Northstar Courier by Ben Drury

 What if instead of photographing adorable Pokemon, you had to snap pictures of *ahem* freakish anomalies that are a distinct contrast to the otherwise idyllic tropical setting of Northstar Courier? If there ever was an example of don’t judge a game by its screenshots. 

 Perlin Festival by Talon Zone

 What Perlin Festival lacks in defining gameplay, it makes up for with its fun assortment of weird lil creatures and surreal dreamscape of a world. 

 Sorry, We’re Open by Oates

Combing the real-world horror of working retail with an RPG mechanic that sees the player duking it out with h…..haunted shopping carts? Sorry, We’re Open features a rich bevy of mechanics that we can see growing into something exceptional.

Safe Room is a weekly horror video game discussion podcast with new episodes every Monday on

iTunes/Apple, Sticher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Linktree for additional streaming services. 

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Safe Room| Horror Bytes | Neil | Jay