David Szymanski is crafting some of the best short horror stories out there right now, and A Wolf in Autumn is proof. Unlike many of his contemporaries in horror fiction who work exclusively in linear prose, he uses words, 3D environments, and music to create stories you inhabit.
In this, as in Szymanski’s earlier games (Fingerbones, The Music Machine, and The Moon Sliver), plot threads are not simply handed to you; you must search for them and solve puzzles to tease them out. By uncovering the clues and revelations yourself—by earning them—you experience the horror more viscerally.
You start the game locked in a shed, bereft of clothing and identity. You learn things about yourself as you go, such as the early discovery that you seem to be missing a hand. The setting is equally mysterious. Outside the shed is a serene forest, saturated with eerily vibrant color. It’s another unique visual palette from Szymanski, and quite distinct from the monochromatic intensity of The Music Machine.
Among the trees and small buildings, you come across a series of devices that buzz at you and play recordings of messages from your mother. They start out gently stern but become increasingly more threatening—and then worse. The voice actress’ performance is absolutely chilling.
As you explore the area and uncover various items that will grant you access to new places, the atmosphere of dread gradually thickens. As usual, Szymanski (mostly) eschews jump scares in favor of slow creep outs. Blood is only spilled offscreen. But don’t let that stop you from exercising caution. There is one particularly gory scene delivered via prose, and I think that reading it was probably more upsetting than seeing it re-enacted would have been.
Puzzles have multiple solutions and reward you with more of the narrative. Each clue increases the smoldering tension until the catharsis of the final, shocking disclosure. The denouement comes as an immense relief. There is real horror in this game, but there is also hope. I think it’s this mixture that gave me chills while reading the closing text.
Despite A Wolf in Autumn’s lush visuals, its core is the writing. In fact, the game begins and ends with several screens of white text on a black background. It will take you maybe 30 minutes to an hour to complete, and there’s no way to save your game, so make sure you have enough time before losing yourself in this gorgeous nightmare.
A Wolf in Autumn (for Windows) is $1.99 on Steam and itch.io.
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