Campaign Ends: October 1
Platform: Windows
Back in the glory days of Blockbuster Video, I inevitably rented some tapes that turned out to be real stinkers. Thankfully, I never watched anything that made me fear for my life, unlike the cast of this upcoming episodic visual novel. Introducing Pink Noise, a psychological horror adventure featuring tenacious teens and terrible tapes, set in the ancient and mysterious 1990s USA.
The story follows five bored and frustrated teens in the decaying town of Riverwood, surrounded by fog and fields and inhabited by a plethora of eccentrics, such as Mrs. Harvitz and her lumpy knitted cats. On one dull and dreary night, the kids come into possession of a mysterious VHS tape: sadly not a discarded adult video in the woods, but something far more sinister. Hosted by a creepy, smiling man in a striped suit, the program unleashes the viewers’ worst fears, and only you can help these terrified teens survive.
You have many choices to make throughout the non-linear story: decide who to trust, sway character relationships, and help them escape this nightmare. Will everyone make it through intact? Find out where your decisions lead in one of several endings, good and bad. In the meantime, you also have the chance to play a neato Pac-man inspired minigame known as āPumpkin Man,ā pet at least one cat, and collect your favorite (or least favorite) 90s staple: pogs!
Pink Noise‘s Kickstarter campaign aims to fund the first of five episodes, which is set to release later in 2025. Until then, you can travel back to the 90s with a short and gloomy demo on Steam. While the demo will let you choose between English and Russian text, it currently only features Russian voice acting. Thankfully, the campaign’s first stretch goal is set to add English voices. Meanwhile, backer rewards include a digital artbook, various stickers, and some stylish t-shirts. Take note!
In a sea of fantasy and romance visual novels, it’s a pleasant surprise to find a spooky retro title like Pink Noise. I love this game’s whole vibe, an ominous mix of The Ring and Oxenfree with the nostalgic small town American backdrop of Stranger Things and Paper Girls. The director Anna Kabaeva also lists It and American Horror Story among her influences, so if these frightening favorites are relevant to your interests, I definitely recommend checking out Pink Noise. Grab some popcorn and break out your VCR because it’s time to join your new friends in Riverwood and watch the worst VHS tape of your lives. And please, be kind and rewind!
Disclaimer: While it’s possible some of us at RPGFan may be backers of the games mentioned in these articles, this does not influence our coverage or our featured game choices. We make our selections simply based on the active campaigns we feel our readers might find interesting, and we are not given special access or perks by the developers.
tl;dr: We think these games show potential and want to share them with you.
