Steam's Latest Free Horror Game Is Based On Tragic Real-Life Atrocities

Steam’s latest free game is a narrative-focused vignette with horror elements, based on real-world events that occurred in 2022.

93, Kuindzhi is a game released on Steam by developer Nikita Igorevich set during the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Although not specifically a horror game, 93, Kuindzhi’s visuals depict a gloomy atmosphere that conveys the trauma that ordinary people suffer in war zones.

Igorevich says this visual presentation “helps convey the weight of the environment and prevents emotional detachment from what is happening.”

It’s inspired by narrative games like Firewatch and What Remains of Edith Finch, games which prioritise telling a story and stripping down game mechanics to make sure their messages are heard.

The game takes place during March 2022 in Donbas, a region that lies on the Russia–Ukraine border, and is “dedicated to the blessed memory of the volunteers.”

You play the game through the eyes of Artyom, an 18-year-old boy whose father is drafted and sent to the frontlines. Leaving his studies behind, he volunteers in Mariupol.

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93, Kuindzhi Is "Dedicated To The Blessed Memory Of The Volunteers"

Combat is not the focus of 93, Kuindzhi. Artyom never actually picks up a weapon, and the focus of the story is actually on (as Igorevich describes it) “a traumatising environment, inner conflicts, and the search for one’s place.”

“This is a story about past and present intertwining, turning into an internal dialogue in which Artyom must answer not to the world, but to himself—for fear, for guilt, for the choice he made, and for the choice he did not,” Igorevich’s description of the game continues.

Although the plot and setting of 93, Kuindzhi are based on real events, their details are left intentionally vague. Igorevich says this was done “to consciously avoid interpreting or appropriating other people’s specific, personal stories.”

While the harrowing art style is one way 93, Kuindzhi depicts its wartime real events, the game also provides additional immersion through its sound design.

Different radio conversations, distant explosions, footsteps, rustling, creaks, and overwhelming silence make up a big chunk of setting an appropriate atmosphere for the game.

This isn’t Igorevich’s first video game either. They created Monsters of Little Haven in 2019, a non-linear short interactive novel about two children who follow the trail of a mysterious monster following a series of entangled events.

Igorevich followed this up with My Name Is You and it's the only unusual thing in my life, another short piece of interactive fiction, and Lighthouse Keeper, a game about the psychological experiences of lighthouse keepers.

You can download 93, Kuindzhi now from Steam for free.

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