Project Kat

Project Kat is a RPGMaker-sytle horror game demo by Leef 6010 that caught my eye early on because I love the genre. I have one beef with this game, and it’s that it is an unfinished game but it is not properly labeled as such because the developers wanted feedback. It is not a short game with only one ending, it is a game demo or an incomplete game.

It gets a slight pass because in RPGMaker gamedev culture it is customary to release incremental alpha builds and there is an understanding amongst the player base that most games are actively in development and may never be finished. Nevertheless, there was something about the inclusion of this game in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality that rubbed me the wrong way (as did the inclusion of any free game demo). I felt like they were farming for ratings. If they were then they certainly succeeded as the game has over 1,000 ratings, which is a rarity for games on Itch.io.

That being said, it’s a hell of a good start and I loved every second of what has been developed. Project Kat is polished and compelling and it avoids some of the pitfalls in the genre so far (for me, chasers and jump scares). I love that the main character is a skeptic and I also love how INCREDIBLY creepy it is, this game is genuinely atmospheric and disturbing in the way of Corpse Party and other genre classics. I am really jazzed about this one and look forward to completion, but based on past experiences I don’t have any expectations for it being finished any time soon.

Interesting aside, the game was developed in Godot but there is a clear attempt to emulate the RPGMaker interface, even on the start screen. Players familiar with the engine will notice small differences during gameplay. At this point I feel like “RPGMaker-like” transcends the engine, it’s about a certain vibe and aesthetic and is much less about the tools used, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen someone develop this type of game in a completely different engine rather than a similar top-down RPG engine like WolfRPG.

Project Kat has about 45 minutes to an 1 hour and if you are into this type of game at all I recommend checking out the demo or following the project because I think this one is gunna be gud.