Anyone who grew up with classic adventure games remembers the pleasure of finding the clue nobody else saw. Thief’s Shelter, from Greece’s Geo Games, published by Restless Corp, bets on that kind of investigation, only in first person and with the detective’s mind falling apart. The studio, from the island of Kalymnos, released a new demo and a gameplay trailer on May 7, 2025.
Highburn Manor
You are James, a detective called in to solve an unusual murder at Highburn Manor. The house changes as the story advances, plays tricks on him and worsens his mental state, to the point that he doubts what is real. The plot involves buried traumas, hallucinations, repressed memories and the “artificial dementia” that affects the protagonist.
The demo covers the first hours of the investigation. The puzzles are about observation and deduction, with no guessing; UV light and the digital camera reveal what the naked eye can’t see, and evidence goes into James’s journal, influencing the narrative. Clues can vanish for good if you let a detail slip by, which doesn’t block the game but changes the version of events. Hidden VHS tapes, secret artifacts and journal entries encourage replaying. The studio promises “no cheap jump scares”.
The game is coming to PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, with no date yet. The demo is on Steam.
Counter talk
A hidden VHS tape as a collectible is a nod I can’t ignore: it recalls the horror shelf at the video store, with those covers we picked up and put back in place out of sheer fear. If the rest has this care, the demo is worth a visit.
Source: Geo Games.
Zé Cartucho
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