I forgot that I played this week’s demo and I rewatched the demo and was reminded why I wanted to forget the game. It was not that it was bad it is because there is something about aliens that just creeps me the fuck out. Alien horror games will live in my brain for weeks, keeping me up at night. Anyway, this week’s game is about a journalist who is investigating aliens. This week is They Are Here.

They Are Here is a horror game from DEKLAZON. The release date is sometime in 2024 for the PC.

The player takes the role of Taylor Fox, a journalist investigating mysterious events happening in and around the Grayswood farm. The family has reported all of the things that come along with alien visitations: Strange bright lights, animal behavior out of whack, and sightings in the woods on the outskirts of the farm.

They Are Here’s take on horror is the best. It makes the player’s imagination go into overdrive. Aliens are present but are really never at the forefront. They lurk in the shadows. You are walking in the cornfield and a shadow races by, in the forest, it looks like the trees are moving slightly and there are subtle sounds that make you feel like you are not alone.

It got me good and it drove me fucking insane up until the final moment of the demo.

The atmosphere and audio design are obviously the highlights of the demo and it shows. I played with the lights on while my wife was in the room to keep me company. No headphones, no lights were off and I was certainly not going to be alone.

They Are Here is your standard first-person horror game. You have a flashlight that doesn’t shine on shit and a stamina meter that is borderline useless. You interact with things, read up on first-hand reports from the family, and run away from things that chase you. They Are Here introduces many of the horrors toward the end of the demo and that is when the game shines.

They Are Here actually looks really good and performs well too. The game is dark but when phenomenons occur the game lights up and highlights the detail of the house and surrounding farm. These moments are the best in terms of graphical detail and creating a spooky atmosphere.

I hate aliens but I love this demo. DEKLAZON has created something special with the atmosphere. I was truly afraid of literally nothing a majority of the time and when the time comes that aliens happened to come out I was looking at my computer screen through the slits in my fingers. It is truly something to be able to scare a player over nothing, just the idea that something could be lurking around is wild. The investigation into the farm is interesting enough to warrant looking at all of the available notes and the gameplay is fun throughout the full demo.

Great demo, cannot wait for the release.