There are few places less inviting than a deserted shopping centre after the lights have gone out, and Storebound takes that idea and pushes it somewhere considerably stranger.
This co-op horror adventure traps a group of players inside a cursed megastore caught between dream and nightmare, where escaping means solving puzzles, sharing clues and trying not to lose your mind.
Storebound is out now for £8.79 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, with Xbox Play Anywhere support.
At A Glance
- Game: Storebound
- Developer: Embers
- Publisher: Embers
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, Play Anywhere
- Price: £8.79
- Genre: Co-Op Puzzle Horror
Welcome To The Store That Doesn’t Want You Leaving
Storebound is structured as a six-episode campaign, expected to take around five to seven hours to complete. Every two chapters take players somewhere different inside the megastore, with new eras, environments, puzzles and horrors waiting around the next corner.
The objective sounds simple enough: find a way out. Actually doing it is another matter.
You’ll need to search the store for useful items and clues, work out its strange logic and communicate with your fellow survivors to piece together what you’re supposed to do next.
Talking Could Save You – Or Get You Caught
Communication is a major part of Storebound, particularly when you’re playing with friends. Proximity voice chat means you can hear your teammates as they move through the store, while walkie-talkies allow you to keep in contact when you’ve split up.
That could be particularly useful when one player discovers something that another needs to see, or when someone is attempting to guide their unfortunate companion through a maze from the other side of the building.
But there’s a catch. When the lights go out, the store starts looking for shoppers who need assistance. Staying quiet might be the sensible option, meaning your team’s ability to communicate can become a liability at exactly the wrong moment.
The Store Gets Inside Your Head
Storebound isn’t relying solely on things jumping out of dark corners. The game also features a sanity system, with the horrors of the megastore gradually affecting the players.
Lose control and you may even turn against the people who came in with you.
That psychological element is backed up by immersive audio, designed to make every strange noise and distant sound feel that little bit more uncomfortable. Between the changing environments, traps and aberrations lurking throughout the store, even familiar surroundings can become difficult to trust.
Your Final Receipt Might Be You
With its six-episode structure and changing environments, Storebound has plenty of room to take its shopping-centre nightmare in different directions as the campaign progresses.
At £8.79 from the Xbox Store, this is very much an experience designed to be shared, with communication and cooperation sitting at the centre of the escape. Just remember that splitting up might help you solve a puzzle faster – but it also means there’s nobody nearby when something starts moving in the next aisle.
Storebound is out now on Xbox Series X|S and PC, with Xbox Play Anywhere support. The doors are open. The store is waiting. Whether you make it back outside is another question.
