In hindsight, it makes sense that a horror setting would be a VHS store. It isn’t the fact that the setting of the store itself is weird, but it is the people who walk in, sharing their life stories that are the ones to look out for. There used to be a small video store in my hometown where me and my family would go and it was such a weird place. One person is always at the counter, and you seem to always be the only person walking around the store and no music, just no sound. It is the perfect place for a potential murder and for that matter a horror game. This week is The VHS Paradise.

The VHS Paradise is a horror game from fedev. The game was released on Itch.io just before the new year 2023.

Horror games need to have high crime rates in their stories to be functional and The VHS Paradise LEANS on the idea that murders can only occur if there is a high crime rate. Regardless, you play as a man named Robert who is currently on a streak of working the night shift at a VHS store. Crime is high and all those crazy people come out at night. Just watch yourself, co-worker. At the end of the night, your boss has a special surprise for you.

Run the VHS for a few hours and catch those trying to pilfer from the store. Few characters walk in with the intent to pay and a few are ready to run without paying. You are informed that it is your job to stop these people from stealing and on the other hand, ring them up for their purchases and listen to them ramble about their lives. Some are informative, some are stupid and a few are just plain creepy.

The VHS Paradise looks like every other kind of horror game with barely any polygons to resemble something that can be excused as a human being. Customers have faces and the VHSs have blurry box art, but when the spooky part arrives, the unique game design amplifies the horror.

The VHS Paradise is a good, short spooky game. There are three endings and it took me around forty minutes to find them all, one of which was by accident and it had me laughing. The customers that come into the store have stories to tell and the creepy people are fucking weird. They overshare about their lives and they kind of expect you, a random cashier, to share in their experience.

The horror section is spooky enough to note that it had gotten me at least twice.

If you want a short spooky, The VHS Paradise is the game for you.