This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through links. I will only recommend products that I have personally used or thoroughly reviewed! Learn more on my Privacy Policy page.

A psychological, visual novel rabbit hole with no easy way out

Key Takeaways:

Good Aspects

• Engaging Psychological Depth – The game masterfully explores the human psyche through immersive storytelling and thought-provoking choices.
• Multiple Endings – Choices genuinely matter, leading to different outcomes that encourage replayability.
• Atmospheric Audio & Visuals – The eerie sound design and minimalist yet unsettling visuals enhance the horror experience.
• Interactive Elements – Exploration, phone calls, and item interactions add layers beyond typical visual novel mechanics.

Bad Aspects

• Limited Gameplay Variety – Despite interactive elements, core gameplay is mostly dialogue-based with minimal action.
• Slow Pacing – The introspective narrative may feel sluggish for players craving more immediate tension.
• Basic Visual Style – While effective, the black-and-white aesthetic may feel too minimalistic for some players.

Introduction

Hey there, horror fans! I recently went back and replayed a horror visual novel that I enjoyed years ago. Something out the uncanny aesthetic and limited palette of some horror visual novels makes them more immersive, as if drawing up the darker corners of our imagination.

So, you could imagine my surprise to come across a new indie horror visual novel. If you want more psychological indie horror, check out my 10 Latest Indie Horror Trends 2024!

“Foss Park,” a psychological horror visual novel has begun making waves in the indie game arena. Developed by RUOK and published by MBC Entertainment, this game promises an in-depth experience not psychological horror, burrowing into the shadows of the human psyche.

So, let’s assess the horror visual novel that is “Foss Park,” and see how far we are willing to go to face are shadow-self or reach self-actualization.

Overview

Released on February 5, 2025, “Foss Park” presents itself as a visual novel game, available on both Windows and Linux platforms. Priced at a modest $1.99, it’s an accessible addition to any horror fan’s game library.

This visual novel game plunges us into the fragmented mind of a nameless patient confined and mentally isolated in a mental hospital.

With no recollection of how you got there, you’re plagued by memories of a house fire, the loss of your wife and kids, and echoes of a tragedy that refuses to stay buried.

You encounter an unusual doctor, who seemingly guides, or possibly antagonizes you, along your journey. Faced with answering probing, often disturbing questions to piece together the truth of your past and this hospital.

How you choose to answer really adds significant influence on your story. The projective tests administered to you will lead to multiple endings that range from redemption to utter despair.

The Story

“Foss Park” lures you into a psychological maze. You open your eyes in a sterile, oppressive mental hospital with no memory of your arrival.

As you navigate this unsettling world, fragmented memories abruptly surface. Images of a blazing house fire, the faces of loved ones now lost, and a pervasive sense of guilt and confusion cling to you.

The bizarre doctor, named RUNE, overseeing your so-called “treatment” presents you with deeply personal and morally ambiguous questions.

Asking about how you feel about seeing a successful family to how you deal with family members to how you handle family resources will assess who you are unapologetically.

Not only this, but by calling the nurse you will need to make decisions that are mundane or life-altering. As you encounter another patient and you explore what you can, an unsettling realization steadily creeps in as images and sounds twist your reality.

By the end, what is real and what are hallucinations blur, leading you to question the nature of yourself and the world.

Spoilers

As you progress, it becomes evident that the hospital isn’t just a physical location but a manifestation of your inner turmoil. The numbers you find scattered throughout the place can be called in your room via the phone.

Some calls reveal a cryptic truth about the fire while others seemed designed to mislead you. The tragedy of the house fire and the loss of your family are central to understanding your current predicament.

Each choice peels back another layer of your psyche, revealing the events that led to this psychological imprisonment. However, memory loss winds up barely answering what’s truly going on. If you think it’s just amnesia, then rethink your assessment.

Spoilers End

The Gameplay

At its core, “Foss Park” plays like, well, an interactive visual novel that focuses on depth, your choices, and exploration. The gameplay revolves around engaging you in conversations where all choices and information gathered matters.

The questions posed by the doctor are designed to challenge your morals and ethics, pushing you to reflect on your own beliefs.

Your playthroughs are not identical. Decisions lead to different scenarios, character interactions, and endings, encouraging you to try different combinations of actions and responses to uncover the game’s full depth.

The environment is also important to the choices you make. Missing on item could impact the actions you could take. You can navigate the hospital’s eerie corridors as well, interacting with objects that trigger memories, or strange imagery and scenes that add context.

I also recommend playing with a mouse and keyboard to get the best experience and interactions.

Game Guide

While “Foss Park” is best experienced with minimal guidance to preserve its psychological impact, here are some tips to enhance your playthrough:

1. Embrace Exploration: Interact with as many objects and characters as possible. Each interaction can provide insights into your past and the hospital’s true nature.
2. Numbers: Use the phone in your room to make phone calls. For example, an easy one at the start of the game, but if you 555-2368, you’ll get a funny response.
   • While talking to the doctor, write down the binary he gives you to understand the meaning behind his rambling.
   • There is another number 112267 but it you call all the number from 112260 to 112269, you get interesting short messages, especially at 112263.
3. Multiple Playthroughs: To get redemption, don’t poison the other patients and either report or pick up in turn in the scalpel you find. Also, use your best judgement on the projection tests.
   • As for the despair ending, do the opposite and answer the projection tests with negative responses. Hin, check the doctor’s analysis on the clipboard at your bed to give you a hint on the ending you’ll likely get.

Graphics and Audio

Being a visual novel game, “Foss Park” uses a minimalist yet haunting visual style. The stark, oppressive design of the mental hospital contrasts sharply with the surreal, often disturbing imagery that represents the protagonist’s fractured memories.

The red juxtaposition to the black and white palette creates a sense of unease, keeping us cautious throughout the journey.

The audio design is equally compelling. Unsettling soundscapes, whispered voices, inaudible speech, and sudden auditory cues heighten the tension. This ensures that we remain immersed in the game’s chilling bleak world.

The soundtrack complements the narrative’s dark themes, with melodies that linger long after you’ve left the game. Plus, if you stay long enough on the title screen, you hear some good and creepy sounds.

Performance and Technical Aspects

Technically, “Foss Park” works well as a visual novel as it is optimized for a smooth experience on both Windows and Linux systems. The game’s system requirements are modest:

• OS: Windows 10 or Ubuntu 16.04 and later
• Processor: 2.0 GHz 64-bit Intel-compatible CPU
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: OpenGL 3.0 or DirectX 11 compatible
• Storage: 1 GB available space

During testing, the game ran seamlessly without noticeable glitches or performance hitches. The developers have also been responsive to feedback, releasing updates to address minor bugs and enhance gameplay.

From my experience, a mouse and keyboard are by far the most ideal for performance as no glitches occur while playing with those.

Length and Replayability

A single playthrough of “Foss Park” typically spans 2 to 3 hours, depending on reading speed and exploration habits. However, the game’s design encourages multiple playthroughs.

With a dynamic story and multiple endings, each session can reveal new aspects of the character and plot, making it a title worth revisiting to uncover all its secrets.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, “Foss Park” stands out as a poignant visual novel, dissecting the human psyche while wrapped in a horror experience. Its emphasis on choice, combined with a haunting storyline and atmosphere, makes it a must-play for fans of psychological horror and visual novels.

While its themes are dark and, at times, deeply unsettling, the journey it offers is both thought-provoking and memorable.

So, have you played “Foss Park”? How would you gauge this among other visual novels? What you think of its twist ending? Share your thoughts below.