Frame Zero: A New PC-Exclusive Psychological Haunt from an Indie Studio
Indie developer DALOAR, the team behind The Occultist, has shared plans for Frame Zero. This is a first-person psychological horror built for PC, with a mid-2027 release window. The approach promises a tight, fear-first experience that relies on mood over loud set-pieces.
What the Story Means for Players
Frame Zero centers on a famed exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth, who dies under strange circumstances. A journalist, Emma Sullivan, and her cameraman, Daniel Foster, arrive at his quiet apartment block to film a piece and talk with neighbors. Yet no one answers the door, even as unsettling sounds echo from inside. When they push in, they find every resident has already died. In Amorth’s apartment, they uncover a secret: the priest kept a possessed girl hidden in the attic, a girl the Church had abandoned. He died during a ritual in an effort to save her.
The girl now appears as a blind, monstrous presence. She is unintentionally released as the building’s secrets coil to the surface. Emma vanishes, leaving Daniel with only a camera to guide him. The mission becomes simple in theory—uncover the truth before time runs out—but the path demands more than a quick escape. Daniel must move through the haunted halls and uncover the dark past tied to the attic and the girl, all while staying ahead of whatever lingers in the building.
What Kind of Fear You’ll Feel
Frame Zero aims to immerse players in a heavy sense of dread. Expect a careful mix of supernatural cues, eerie silence, and unsettling visuals. Exploration drives the experience, with puzzle-like investigations replacing typical gunplay or action. Your only tool is the camera, which becomes a life line and a lens into the mystery. You’ll lean on observation, audio cues, and your wits to survive. The horror leans into the unknown, so each corridor can hold a new reveal.
From what the team has shown, the game’s look and its story threads should blend well. Visual design and the way the narrative unfolds are meant to be strong selling points. The camera itself feels like a character, framing what you can or cannot see and guiding your pacing. Expect a slow burn where every step peels back another layer of the building’s sorrowful past.
Why Frame Zero Stands Out in a Quiet Year for Horror
DALOAR has built a name with smaller, focused projects. Frame Zero sits as a more intimate project, but one that aims to push the bar on atmosphere and storytelling. A PC-exclusive release lets the team push higher fidelity visuals and tighter sound design. The emphasis on a single tool—a camera—makes the experience lean but deeply personal. It’s about mood, not mayhem, and it challenges players to face fear with patience rather than force.
The studio’s past work hints at care in world-building and a preference for careful pacing. If those traits carry over, Frame Zero could deliver a memorable blend of psychological unease and careful mystery. The narrative promises to dig into trauma, faith, and the cost of trying to save someone when the system already lets go.
What to Expect When You Play
If you’re curious about gameplay, prepare for tension built through space and sound. The haunted building becomes a maze of memories and secrets, and each room offers a puzzle that nudges you toward truth rather than a quick payoff. The absence of easy combat forces you to rely on the camera’s view and your senses. The developers hint at a design that rewards careful observation, quick decisions, and deliberate exploration.
The environment itself will likely function as a guide. Light, shadow, and audio will steer you through the story’s turning points. If you’re drawn to games that reward patience and attentive play, Frame Zero should feel rewarding rather than frustrating. The team’s approach to visuals and narration signals a strong focus on storytelling that can stand out in this space.
Looking Ahead: The Road to Release
Mid-2027 is the target for Frame Zero on PC. While precise windows may shift, the focus remains on delivering a first-person scare experience that keeps players on edge. The indie team’s track record, combined with this project’s bold shift toward environmental storytelling, makes a strong case for a memorable debut in the PC horror scene.
The game’s premise leans on a cinematic sense of dread, where small discoveries can shift the entire understanding of what happened in the building. If the execution matches the ambition, it could become a standout example of how restraint, not excess, can drive fear.
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