The Tartarus Key is a brand-new horror game coming to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on May 31 that seems to be inspired by the classic PS1-era Resident Evil and Silent Hill games. Needless to say, fans of classic survival-horror games will definitely want to keep The Tartarus Key on their radar once its release date rolls around at the end of May.
The Tartarus Key is the story of Alex Young, who finds herself trapped in a "strange mansion filled with puzzles, traps, and cameras." Immediately, this calls to mind the original Resident Evil game, which was famously set in a mansion filled with puzzles and traps. Where The Tartarus Key differs from Resident Evil and Silent Hill, though, is its use of a first-person camera as opposed to a third-person viewpoint and fixed camera angles.
The Tartarus Key gameplay is on full display in the game's release date announcement trailer, showing horror fans its unnerving game world, creepy audio score, and tricky puzzles. Players brave enough to check out The Tartarus Key will have to explore its foreboding mansion in first-person. In this way, it's almost a combination of modern Resident Evil games like Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village with the graphics of the original Resident Evil games on the PS1.
The Tartarus Key uses a PlayStation 1-inspired art style, which goes a long way in cementing itself as a game inspired by Resident Evil and Silent Hill. This art style is great for creating a sense of dread in the player, and it can arguably be even more effective than realistic graphics. Ultimately, horror game fans will have to try The Tartarus Key for themselves to see how it stacks up, and with the release date coming later this month, the good news is the wait won't be long.
The Tartarus Key isn't the only new horror game inspired by classic Resident Evil games coming out in May. On May 4, those with a virtual reality headset handy will be able to try Propagation: Paradise Hotel, a VR horror game that also looks to be directly inspired by classic Resident Evil-style gameplay.
There are other new horror games to look forward to in May 2023 as well, with Amnesia: The Bunker offering fans of the genre something completely new when it releases on May 23. Amnesia: The Bunker is the latest installment in the popular Amnesia horror series, and while it have some familiar gameplay, it will also be making major changes by introducing a semi-open world and letting players actually fight back against the monsters.
The Tartarus Key launches May 31 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.