I’ve played a lot of survival horror games over the years, and while most follow the same general formula, limited resources, eerie locations, and some sort of terrifying presence hunting you, Confronted brings something fresh to the table. Developed by Grumpy Rock Studios, this game takes the traditional hide-and-survive formula and adds a twist that completely changes how you approach encounters: you have to build your own hiding spots.
That one mechanic alone makes Confronted feel different from anything else I’ve played in the genre. In most horror games, you eventually memorize where the safe spots are. You know there’s always a locker, a cabinet, or a conveniently placed table to crawl under when things go south. Here, you don’t have that luxury. You have to find materials, build your own hiding places, and hope you’ve planned well enough to stay alive. It adds an entirely new layer of tension, and trust me it works.
The game puts you in the shoes of Dorinela, a woman drawn to Radu Castle after receiving a series of desperate letters from Nicolae, a prisoner trapped inside. Right from the start, you can tell something is seriously wrong here. The game doesn’t bombard you with exposition or cheap scares, it just lets the environment and Nicolae’s letters pull you in. There’s a sense of mystery that keeps you invested, and the more you explore, the more you start to realize that this place is hiding something much worse than just a prisoner in distress.
Radu Castle itself is a masterpiece of horror level design. Every hallway feels like it has a story, every door feels like it could lead to something terrifying. The game plays with your expectations constantly, you’ll hear something in the distance, but when you get closer, there’s nothing there. Then, just when you start to let your guard down, it hits you with something subtle yet deeply unsettling. It’s a slow-burn kind of horror, but it gets under your skin in a way that few games do.
The biggest thing that sets Confronted apart from other horror games is its build-to-hide system. Instead of relying on pre-existing hiding spots, you have to gather materials and construct your own. This forces you to always be thinking ahead, “where’s the safest place to hide? Do I use my materials now, or do I risk moving forward and saving them for later?”
The first time I heard something approaching in the distance, I panicked. I didn’t have a hiding spot ready, so I had to scramble to find materials while the sound got closer. By the time I managed to build something and crawl inside, I could hear footsteps right outside. That moment alone sold me on how effective this mechanic is it adds a level of tension that I haven’t felt in a horror game in a long time.
What makes it even better is that materials are limited, so you can’t just build a hiding spot every time you feel uneasy. You have to think strategically about when and where to use them. That unpredictability keeps the game from ever feeling too safe—you never know if you’ll have the resources you need when things go bad. A great horror game needs a setting that feels like a character in itself, and Radu Castle absolutely delivers. The place is dripping with atmosphere, gothic architecture, long-abandoned rooms, and just the right amount of decay to make it feel like something terrible happened here a long time ago.
The lighting in this game is phenomenal. Candles flicker in the darkness, shadows stretch unnaturally, and sometimes you’ll catch just the faintest glimpse of movement in the distance or at least, you think you do. That constant sense of uncertainty is what makes the castle so unnerving. It’s not just a backdrop; it’s part of the horror experience.
The sound design is just as important, and it’s spot-on. Distant whispers, floorboards creaking when no one is there, the faint sound of footsteps echoing in an empty hallway it all works together to keep you on edge. There were moments when I just stopped moving, listening carefully because I wasn’t sure if I was alone anymore. And that’s when you know a horror game is doing something right.
Since Confronted is still in Early Access, only Chapter 1 is available right now, and it took me about an hour to complete. Also, the developers added difficulty modes with Permanent death difficulty. That might not sound like much, but it’s a strong introduction to the game’s world and mechanics. The developers have confirmed that progress from this chapter will carry over to the full game, which is great because I hate when early access games make you start over after updates.
The developers are actively taking player feedback, which is another good sign. There are still a few rough edges that need to be smoothed out, maybe tweaking how often materials spawn, refining movement a bit, but nothing that took away from the experience for me. If they continue improving on what’s already here, this could be one of the best survival horror games in recent years.
INITIAL IMPRESSION
Confronted is one of the few Survival Horror games that actually made me rethink how I play. The build-to-hide mechanic forces you to stay engaged, the atmosphere is thick with tension, and the story is just mysterious enough to keep you hooked. There’s still a lot to be added, but the foundation is already solid. If the next chapters expand on what’s here, introducing new threats, more story elements, and even more creative ways to use the hiding mechanisms, this could end up being a standout horror experience. If you’re a horror fan and you’re looking for something different, this game is absolutely worth keeping an eye on. Even in Early Access, it already delivers some of the most intense moments I’ve had in a horror game in a long time. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2882610/Confronted/?snr=1_5_1100__1100&utm_source=steamwidget
