Heartworm is a Survival Horror That Plays Just Like the Classics

I’ve been loving the resurgence of retro-inspired games lately. It’s incredibly fun to play modern games with that hint of nostalgia to transport you back to the good ole days. The original Resident Evil and Silent Hill 2 are two of my favorite games of all time, so I’ve been very excited to play the survival horror Heartworm from developer Vincent Adinolfi and publisher DreadXP.

In the game you play as Sam who has recently lost her grandfather. When she falls down an internet rabbit hole hoping to reunite with him, she finds herself at a supernatural house in the mountains, hoping to make contact with the other side. 

Players that aren’t used to the clunky tank controls that were a staple of 90s survival horror, have the option to use more modern control and 3d over-the-shoulder aiming. I decided to try the modern controls to see how things work and I found that it was a bit difficult to control with the changing fixed camera angles. As someone who considers herself an expert in tank controls, I actually prefer them for this kind of game. 

Heartworm makes a fantastic first impression. It truly looks, feels and plays like a game from the 90s. Sam is equipped with a camera which can be used to eliminate the static enemies following her. You’ll collect photos for your camera in place of what would be bullets for a gun as well as key items that are needed for progression. You’ll often have to backtrack in order to solve puzzles, using your map for guidance along the way. 

While I absolutely love games with a classic, retro style I do feel as though they need to be more modernized and while Heartworm does this by allowing players to choose the game’s controls, I found the difficulty level to be a bit extreme. The main reason that games like Silent Hill 2 are being remade is so that they can be shared and enjoyed by a modern audience. So it feels as though the difficulty level could’ve been adjusted as well. 

As I progressed further in the game and the difficulty level spiked, I found myself dying regularly and became unmotivated to continue. The game’s standard enemies have an ability that allows them to slow you down, making them difficult to avoid at times, not only that but photos for your camera aren’t abundant and bosses take many shots in order to be defeated.

I absolutely loved Heartworm’s introduction. Its nostalgic feel and its puzzles all feel like a heartfelt love letter to the classics. Unfortunately, I was unable to progress past the second section of the game due to the difficulty spike. Later on, I may try to revisit the game now knowing how to complete the puzzles and where to go, but on this first playthrough I felt pretty unmotivated to replay the first two hours of the game to better prepare myself for the challenge ahead.

Heartworm is available now on Steam.