Sometimes the things we desperately want to find are exactly the things we should leave alone. Heartworm follows Sam as grief sends her searching for a way to reconnect with her beloved grandfather, eventually leading her down an internet rabbit hole and towards a supernatural house hidden away in the mountains.
Available for £12.49 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, Heartworm is a lo-fi psychological horror adventure inspired by the survival horror games of the 90s.
At A Glance
- Game: Heartworm
- Developer: Vincent Adinolfi
- Publisher: DreadXP
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
- Price: £12.49
- Genre: Psychological Horror / Survival Horror
A Camera Is Your Best Defence
Heartworm doesn’t hand Sam an impressive arsenal and send her charging into the darkness. Instead, she has a camera. But we don’t think that means we’ll be rewriting our best photography games article in a hurry…
You see, that camera is both a tool for survival and part of the game’s central mystery, as Sam uses it to defend herself against whatever is waiting inside the house. Combat is deliberately limited, making encounters feel like something to survive rather than an opportunity to turn the protagonist into an unstoppable killing machine.
Exploration and puzzle solving are equally important, with Heartworm drawing heavily from the survival horror traditions of the late 90s while putting its own spin on the formula. Loved a bit of Resi Evil from back in the day? You should get on well with Heartworm.
A Trip Into Grief And The Supernatural
Sam’s journey starts with something painfully human. Unable to come to terms with her grandfather’s death, she becomes obsessed with the possibility that she might somehow make contact with him again.
A mysterious online forum points her towards the remote house, but the promise of reconnecting with the dead soon gives way to something far more unsettling.
The story plays with the boundary between memories, mourning and supernatural visions, with a host of cutscenes helping to uncover more of Sam’s personal journey as she ventures further into the unknown.
How Much 90s Horror Do You Want?
Heartworm clearly wears its influences on its sleeve, but it gives players some control over just how retro the experience feels.
Optional tank controls (yep, optional!), PSX-style visuals and retro effects can make the game feel like something that has escaped directly from the late 1990s. Those who would rather have a more modern experience can dial back some of that nostalgia. The fixed-camera perspectives also return alongside an over-the-shoulder view, giving Heartworm a mixture of classic survival horror presentation and more contemporary gameplay.
You should also expect this adventure to take around 4-6 hours, with an original soundtrack accompanying Sam through the house and its surrounding environments. There are also multiple endings too, giving the story some additional reasons to revisit once you’ve discovered exactly where Sam’s search has taken her.
Originally released on PC (Steam) in July 2025, Heartworm has since developed a following around its lo-fi approach to psychological horror. Now console players can step into the same unsettling world for themselves.
Heartworm is now available for £12.49 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S (Xbox Store), PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, inviting players to pick up their camera, enter the house and find out just how much they’re willing to uncover in the search for someone who is already gone.
