Aephemera is a very tense analog horror game where you use the mouse cursor to complete a series of assessments for a mysterious organisation.
Created by ribyrnes (creator of Vacant), in Aephemera you are tasked with completing a series of tests to see if you’re a suitable candidate. You don’t actually know what you’re a candidate for, but it seems quite important and appears to be related to a mysterious entity that appears now and again.
Each of the tests you complete focuses on a different cognitive function – such as knowledge, memory or observation. Each is quite different, but in all of them you also need to take care to keep your excitement within acceptable levels. Moving your mouse increases your excitement and leaving it still decreases it. If you go above or below the acceptable levels you’ll need to start again.
There are quite a lot of analog horror games around now, but Aephemera is easily one of the best of them. It doesn’t rely on tired old disfigured photos and instead focuses on original ideas. It manages to build a remarkable amount of tension through its minimalist visuals, eerie sound design and clever mouse-based gameplay. Good luck passing the exam though. It’s pretty tough!
Controls: Mouse – Point & Click
Available On: Windows, Mac & Browser
Gameplay Video: Here
Download or Play Aephemera Here