Upcoming horror game Cling to Blindness is played blindfolded, forcing players to rely on sound to navigate an abandoned village 

While it’s not uncommon for horror games use the cover of darkness to hide their horrors, solo Japanese indie game creator Lizardry’s latest work, Cling to Blindness, does away with most of its graphics in favor of immersive sound design. As a girl named Satsuki, players will have to hear their way through the ruins of an abandoned village to complete a ritual. 

Disclosure: The publisher of this game, PLAYISM, is part of Active Gaming Media, the owner of this website. 

Performing the ritual requires Satsuki (you) to follow three rules: 

1. You must never take off your blindfold.
2. Do not let Ashioto (an unknown entity that is hunting you) catch up to you.
3. Collect all five ofuda talismans. 

Aside from the sounds of wind chimes, which designate the locations of the talismans, another important audio cue is Ashioto’s footsteps. The louder the footsteps get, the closer Ashioto is to catching you. The gameplay loop revolves around making your way closer to the wind chimes while avoiding Ashioto’s ominous footfalls.  

Cling to Blindness also features some iconic Japanese voice actors. Mariya Ise (the Japanese voice of Himeno in Chainsaw Man and Serie in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End) lends her talents to the role of Satsuki. Kotono Mitsuishi (Misato in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mei Mei in Jujutsu Kaisen, and Boa Hancock in One Piece) serves as the voice of an ominous character known as “The Guide.” Considering The Guide’s title, perhaps the character will also serve as a sort of escort as you fumble your way through the ruins. 

Despite an almost complete lack of images, Lizardry highly suggests playing Cling to Blindness with a blindfold on. Visible menus that allow you to open the game and tweak its settings can detract from the experience, and the game’s ending may be prematurely spoiled if you look at the screen too soon. 

A good pair of headphones or earphones also seems necessary, as they will allow you to better pinpoint the origins of sounds. Since the game is played from a first-person perspective, moving your mouse to the left and right will change where you are “looking,” which is denoted by a difference in the locations of sounds. Hitting left-click on the mouse will cause you to move forward. 

Since the game features no jump scares, it will be interesting to see how Cling to Blindness attempts to scare players through sound alone (it is also designed in such a way that even non-fans of traditional horror will appreciate it). Considering Lizardry’s past titles, 7 Days to End with You and Refind Self: The Personality Test Game, draw upon their players’ puzzle-solving capabilities and psyche respectively, Cling to Blindness may end up being a 1-1.5 hour exploration game that subverts expectations. 

Cling to Blindness is set to release on PC (Steam) in 2025.