Fuzzy Ghost, the Sydney-based studio that brought us the excellent, thoughtful Queer Man Peering Into A Rock Pool.jpg, happens to be working on its next game, Janet DeMornay is a Slumlord (along with a witch) – an easy horror adventure about the awful conditions of rental sharehouses, and just how they alter our perceptions of living.
To add a touch of realism and terror that hits near to home, Fuzzy Ghost is now calling for renters to submit their own rental horror stories, to be included as collectible Case Files hanging around. These is going to be found around the world of Janet DeMornay, and round out the game’s search for renter trauma.
‘We wanted to make a horror game, so we asked ourselves: Around australia in the 2023s, what's something that's truly terrifying? To be honest the answer came pretty quickly-being a renter,’ Scott Ford, co-founder of Fuzzy Ghost said of the inspirations for that project.
‘JDM is a horror comedy about renting, also it seems like everyone we know has had a rental experience that's horrible, or hilarious or both. We desired to share their stories, in addition to our very own. Simply have an excellent big bitch session, really. But in a game. With witches.’
A new trailer for that upcoming game, currently in development because of funding the help of Screen Australia, has highlighted the sorts of stories Fuzzy Ghost is looking for – landlords that refuse to fix black mould, leave junk in your garage, and people who won't fix defective appliances.
You can submit these problem reports around the Fuzzy Ghost website, having a select few being chosen for inclusion in the final game. This is your chance to expunge your pent-up rage at landlords past and offer, and have your story immortalised inside a unique, tongue-in-cheek horror tale from one of Sydney’s prestigious and award-winning game studios.
Here’s the official description from the upcoming horror-comedy, per Fuzzy Ghost:
‘Inspired by irreverent horror-comedy classics including Beetlejuice and Poltergeist, Janet DeMornay sees you play as Andrew, who has signed a brand new lease for an enchanted but crumbling queer terrace house in Sydney. The issue is, your house has been transported to another dimension. Using unique puzzle mechanics, players will explore their home and try to get back to the real world, as their faded television shopping channel star landlord (and witch) Janet DeMornay becomes increasingly menacing.’
It’s set to become a wild ride if this launches for PC via Steam in late 2023. You can keep up-to-date with everything Fuzzy Ghost and Janet DeMornay on Twitter.
