[PC] [Mid-2010s] Psychological thriller about a reclusive individual barricaded in their home

Hey everyone! I’m trying to track down this game I played around 2014-2017 but can’t recall the name. The story centers around this extremely anxious guy who’s locked himself inside his apartment, avoiding authorities and basically everyone else. Throughout the game, various people come to your door knocking, and you have to decide whether to answer or ignore them. If you let certain visitors in, bad things happen like getting attacked or having your stuff stolen. But the tricky part is that some visitors actually help you out by bringing food or other useful items, so you’re constantly gambling on who to trust. The whole atmosphere was really bleak and oppressive, kind of like those authoritarian nightmare scenarios. I think the setting was during a cold season with lots of snow everywhere. The very first scene showed this depressing snowy neighborhood that looked pretty run down. I have a feeling the developers might have been from somewhere in southern Europe, possibly Spain or Greece, even though the game was in English. It felt like either an unfinished project or just a really short experience. The gameplay was probably point and click style but I’m not completely certain about that part.

Could be referencing The Inner World, but that door mechanic does sound really interesting.

Sounds like you’re thinking of “Papers, Please” but the door knocking part doesn’t really match. The whole psychological vibe and oppressive atmosphere fits though. I’d recommend checking indie game databases from that time or browsing Steam’s psychological horror tags from 2014 to 2017. Some of those smaller European indie games can be tough to find, but they might be hidden gems.

That door mechanic sounds really unique and tense. I don’t recognize it but now I’m curious to find it too. Maybe try searching for indie psychological games with apartment or isolation themes from that era?

This sounds like it could be Beholder but the door mechanics don’t quite match up.