The Tartarus Key
Release date: May 31, 2023
Developers: Vertical Reach
Publishers: Armor Games Studios
Genres: Adventure
Categories: Single-player, Steam Achievements, Full controller support, Steam Trading Cards, Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, Playable without Timed Input, Save Anytime, Stereo Sound, Subtitle Options, Steam Cloud, Family Sharing
Supported languages: English

The last thing Alex Young remembers is being at home alone in her apartment… so why has she suddenly woken up in this strange mansion? All the doors are locked by bizarre puzzles and traps, there are cameras following her every move, and she keeps thinking she sees… things… out of the corner of her eye. If she wants to escape alive, along with the other captives she discovers, she’ll need to use her wits in this adventure thriller. Inspired by the look and feel of classic horror games, The Tartarus Key serves up a mystery filled with twists and turns, and more than a few deadly surprises. Rely on brains over brawn to help Alex survive, but beware - not everyone might make it out alive. Features: Escape a deadly mansion filled with dangerous traps, and rescue Alex’s fellow captives… or fail, and leave them to a grisly fate Uncover three different endings, and dig to the heart of the mansion and the strange secrets it and your captors hold Solve puzzles and challenges reminiscent of escape-the-room games in a variety of unsettling and bizarre scenarios A tense, atmospheric adventure that relies on puzzles and plot instead of combat or chase sequences The Team: Leonor Parra: Founder of Vertical Reach and the artist making The Tartarus Key as atmospheric and unsettling as possible. Hates jump scares and vowed to make a game that's downright spooky without them! Kevin Colegate: The programmer in charge of making a game that plays as smoothly as you remember the classics being! A lover of retro games, he hopes The Tartarus Key surprises people with its blend of authentic vibes and puzzles. Josie Brechner: Josie Brechner (she/they) is a composer, sound designer, and musician from Brooklyn, NY. She's made emotionally-driven sound worlds for games like EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER, Blossom Tales 1 & 2, Mixolumia, Best Friend Forever, Freshly Frosted, and now The Tartarus Key. She has toured the US and performed electronic music internationally under the name Visager. Music from Josie’s three open-source Songs from an Unmade World albums has been used in hundreds of projects around the world. 

Press reviews: “The Tartarus Key may not be the flashiest horror game you play this year, but it may well be the most fiercely unique.” 8/10 – GFinity “I found The Tartarus Key is so clearly and lovingly designed, and such a weirdo breath of fresh air right now, that I'd go so far as to call it a must play for puzzle fans.” Rock Paper Shotgun “In the ways it simultaneously pulls from, makes fun of, and honors its inspirations, and finds a new way forward to deliver its thrills, Vertical Reach's paranoia-driven indie horror is just end-to-end enjoyable for horror gaming fans of all walks.” 8.5/10 – video games are good 

Notes: Implied acts of violence. Significant displays of blood. Infrequent depiction of alcohol consumption.