Sinister Within: Decay for Windows

Free psychological survival horror game

Sinister Within: Decay is a free-to-play survival horror game developed by QuocMT. In this nerve-wracking puzzle experience, you follow the police officer Matei Enache as he tries to reopen the case of a man who killed his entire family. As you search around a supposedly abandoned property, things start to take a weird turn. 

Its effective use of audio and video, despite a seemingly normal set design, makes Sinister Within: Decay a great work despite being an indie project. It may have a rather short playthrough, but its horror level is on par with Phasmophobia or Cry of Fear.

A teaser for a great game

Sinister Within: Decay is currently an interactive teaser for its full version. Although it has relatively light system requirements, the only challenging prerequisite is its graphics processing unit (GPU), which has to be at least an NVIDIA GeForce GTX560. If your system can deliver, you’ll be rewarded with a visually thrilling experience–this includes realistic environments, effective atmospheric lighting, and eye-catching details.

In terms of story, it sets up a promising premise but fails to follow through. Since it’s still in its early stages, the developers weren’t able to flesh out a good part for eager players. It ends abruptly as you try to make progress, unlike clearly defined games that give you an entire chapter or section to work with. There are highs and lows, but overall, it remains incomplete.

Lastly, its strength is in the use of atmospheric horror. For most of the short game experience, there are surprises and tense moments that are built on the graphics and the audio. You get to feel sudden spikes in tension from silence to something eerie. Once you start, the rest of the game will leave you with that unsettling feeling.

Good premise, unsatisfying execution

To summarize, Sinister Within: Decay has a good idea going. What should be a routine police investigation simulation for players turns into a maddening effort, no longer about the truth but about getting out alive. The developers show a promising skill at using environmental cues to project horror to the player. Unfortunately, its execution is far from playable. The gameplay experience unceremoniously cuts at a random point in the game.