Flathead [Review]
“Today was special.”
Flathead. Credit: Oxblud / DreadXP
DreadXP’s first release under the XP Ultra program, Oxblud’s Flathead, is a short game set in the world of Oxblud’s upcoming Silkbulb Test. It’s a horror game meant to be played in short single-sitting sessions, where after each run you may unlock tapes that shed light on the world’s backstory.
In Flathead, you find yourself trapped in a strange facility and forced to play a game of Over-Under. Losing has uncertain consequences, but you can tell they’ll be dire. You must win to escape back to the safety of the starting room and escape the Thing in the dark that inches ever closer whenever the lights go out. You have a means to cheat, but of course there may be a price to pay. One game doesn’t take long to play; win enough times to find all the tapes and see the end.
Flathead. Credit: Oxblud / DreadXP
Very little is explained except for some effective visual cues, so you need to learn through trial and error. It’s not hard to figure out what to do and it makes things scarier to not really understand the consequences of your actions.
Enter the game and pull a lever to get a number. Decide whether the next one will be higher or lower, and optionally cheat before guessing. If you get it right, you get a point in your temporary pool. You can transfer the point to your permanent pool, or let it ride and earn bonuses for more correct guesses. Get it wrong, and you lose all points in your temporary pool and there may be consequences. To win the round, you need a minimum number of points to be in the permanent pool. You might get an offer to spin the Wheel of Fate, which can either reward or punish you. To your left, there’s a switch with a clock labeled “Light” that has limited uses. You’ll need to figure out what to do with that.
Flathead. Credit: Oxblud / DreadXP
Flathead looks great. I love the grungy look of everything. You interact with CRT screens, switches, metal levers, and big buttons. All these analogue devices makes satisfying, chunky noises. It’s all tense, creepy, and scary. I recommend playing in the dark with headphones on.
The content of the tapes you earn is vague, but it’ll pull you into the world. Every piece of information made me desperately want to learn more about what happened or what’s going on. If Silkbulb Test has a backstory and atmosphere this good, it’s bound to be a great game.
Flathead costs only $1.99 and this bite-sized horror is well worth the price of admission. Play it and you’ll whet your appetite for Silkbulb Test.
Flathead is available now on Steam for PC.
Overall Score: 7/10
Played on: Steam Deck
