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Indie horror publisher DreadXP has been around for a while, and they are expanding their horizons! XP Ultra is their latest initiative, a project designed to support smaller-scale horror titles created by solo or small developers. They are a great bunch of people to work with, and they published what is probably my favorite indie horror RPG, Dread Delusion, an atmospheric and ambitious title that left Early Access last week.

DreadXP

The first game to join XP Ultra is FLATHEAD by solo developer oxblud. This upcoming horror game is a trial run for his upcoming game Silkbulb test. Designed to be a lightning-quick game, the player must wager their life in the classic game show experience Over or Under. Score enough points, and you'll go free! Fail, and you die. No pressure, then! FLATHEAD's short run time and randomized threats make it an ideal game when you only have limited time to play.

FLATHEAD showcases what the DreadXP team wants to work with for the XP Ultra program. Created to continue the spirit of the Dread X Collections, XP Ultra plans to elevate smaller, shorter projects that might struggle to get the publishing support larger studios receive.

Hunter Bond, Co-Director at DreadXP, explains that:

The team at DreadXP is excited by the opportunity to publish even more experimental titles at smaller scales, as it gives us a chance to create a wider, weirder, more diverse catalog of games for indie horror fans. FLATHEAD is just the beginning of more good strangeness to come.

FLATHEAD launches on Steam on May 30, 2024 for $1.99 USD / €1.99 EUR. I know I'll be picking it up. That's a no-brainer for that price! What about you? Let us know in the comments!

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Michael Baker
As a British guy in his mid-thirties, Michael has played and reviewed games as long as he can remember. Narrative Designer at Grimlore Games 2019-2020 (Spellforce 3 franchise, Plarium Games 2023 as Lore Editor). His favourite game genres are strategy, RPG, simulation and RTS.
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