First Look: Is Loggerhead The Most Intense 1980s Horror Game Ever?

When a quick stop at the servo turns your lovely holiday into an absolute nightmare, what else can you do but fight it head on? Loggerhead is an Aussie made, classic style survival horror game featuring fixed camera angles, strategic resource management, and puzzle solving situations.

This first sip dives into the demo, giving you a taste of the gameplay and what to expect from the full release.

Prefer to watch the video version? Check it out here

Story

Loggerhead sees you play as either Gary or Sharon on a trip to Boggarogga Creek in 1985, where stopping at a servo in the middle of nowhere you are thrust into some sort of apocalyptic zombie situation, fighting for your life with whatever is around you. There is a small taste of the story in the demo, teasing small tidbits here and there, and showcasing what I expect to be the main horror figure of the game, but as this is just the prologue we are going to have to wait to see more. The story so far is gripping and there is definitely a solid foundation for things to come, so I am looking forward to diving into this one more when it comes out.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay of Loggerhead is very old school horror, giving similar vibes to the old Resident Evil and Silent Hill games. With fixed camera movement, and puzzle based progression it really is a throwback to horror games of old.

At times the movement felt a little clunky, but I felt I was getting used to it quickly enough. The puzzling makes for the main progression in the game, using items to unlock and clear pathways through the level. This seemed straightforward and well planned out, and worked well on progressing the story.

Finally the combat, I struggled slightly with the combat, with some enemies having an invincibility moments after being hit, and my terrible depth perception. I found you had to wait until they were no longer stunned to hit them again, making the stun pointless?

Overall the gameplay was a great experience, with many thrilling moments, making for a good 1980s horror experience.

DESIGN

The design of this game is exactly what I want when thinking of a 1980s supernatural slashers. The cutscenes are grainy, the music is retro and the slasher is… well a typical slasher.

The voice acting while comedic to begin with, did start getting to me after failing a few times. Whilst I don’t think it’s the acting itself it may be the way its played within the game, there is a certain muffle to it, that makes it almost scratchy.

Overall the demo showed a great first level design, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing what the rest of the world looks like.

THE FINAL BREW

The Loggerhead demo is a promising taste of what looks to be a great addition to the fixed camera horror game genre.

Leaving the demo on a tasty cliffhanger, the story intrigues me enough to really want to explore this world more.

Currently there is no release date aside from 2025, but I’m keen to play this on release.

Check out the Loggerhead demo here.

Until next time, stay caffeinated!