Ghoul in the Wall, Huh: Lurks Within Walls Preview | PAX East 2025
It’s quite rare for a traditional dungeon crawler to click with me—especially one with turn-based combat at its core. An early prototype of Team Lazerbeam’s Shroom & Gloom broke the curse for me a few years back, but the last full game to really capture my heart was Drinkbox Studios' heavily overlooked Vita gem, Severed. But during my time at PAX East, I caught wind of a new entry in the genre that multiple folks urged me to check out: a survival horror dungeon crawler called Lurks Within Walls from Here Be Monsters and 2 Wedges. The genre pitch piqued my interest immediately, but there was one name attached to the project that made me bee-line straight to the booth: Trevor Henderson.
If you’re unfamiliar with Henderson’s work, you may sleep a bit better at night than I do. He’s the brilliantly haunting mind behind the designs of creatures like the forever-gnarly Sirenhead and The Long Lady in Visible Games’ upcoming ghost-hunting FMV GHOSTS. Henderson brings a refreshingly twisted eye to the horror genre. He’s one of those artists whose work you can spot from a mile away—not because any of his ghastly creations look alike, but because they all carry something special. It’s the kind of “special” you can’t always explain, but you feel it—a sudden jolt in your chest the moment you lay eyes on them. Needless to say, if Henderson’s involved in something, especially a game, I’ll be the first one there.
Lurks Within Walls plays like a traditional dungeon crawler. You maneuver left, right, forward, and back through a world packed with useful items, solutions to puzzles and locked doors, and—inevitably—enemy encounters. The demo dropped me headfirst into nightmarish corridors contaminated with what I will be formally calling The Goop™ until I learn the official name. The dark, damp environments instantly surged tension down my spine, keeping a steady buzz of dread running across my nerves. Each room was (in relevant terms) beautifully detailed, rendered in a somewhat hyper-realistic fashion. The visual fidelity invited exploration, making the discovery of lore notes, items, and weapons all the more satisfying. Every corner I turned felt deliberate—even when it meant facing off against one of Henderson’s grotesque creations.
The creature design is immaculate. Henderson’s signature limbwork and uncomfortably slender forms shine, sometimes literally with the shimmer of The Goop™ that has infected the inhabitants of this world. With the more realistic art direction, these things had weight—and as cliché as it sounds, it really felt like they could step right out of the screen at any moment. Thankfully, I had the tools to survive each encounter.
The turn-based combat is what you'd expect, especially if you're familiar with the aforementioned Severed. On your turn, you can attack or use an item. Attacks vary depending on the weapons you find while exploring—in my case, I had a handgun, a crowbar, and razor claws. The combat features an interesting twist that echoes the Fallout VATS system. You can target specific body parts, each with different damage outcomes and hit percentages. These success rates shift depending on the size of the target or how far away the enemy is. Yes, even during combat, the creatures are slowly encroaching on your space.
Between managing hit percentages, watching the enemy’s slow, looming movements, and navigating the oppressive atmosphere, each fight felt genuinely engaging. Similar to the recent Clair Obscur, I wasn’t just selecting a move and waiting for it to play out. While I’m not actively dodging, jumping, or parrying, the mix of light strategy and looming dread kept me fully invested. And the best compliment I can give? I was actively looking forward to the next creature waiting to welcome me with its goopy limbs around the corner. That says a lot coming from someone who typically dreads every Pokémon that pops out of tall grass.
Lurks Within Walls is the prominent game from PAX East that hasn’t left my mind. It’s horrifying, alluring, and best of all, fun. Thankfully, the wait for launch won’t feel too painful, as Henderson’s creations will likely keep visiting me in my nightmares until then.
If you’d like to delve into The Goop™ for yourself, the demo is available on Steam.