Static Dread: The Lighthouse Review- Cthulhu Always Wins

If you ask me, it’s been a spell since we’ve seen a good Lovecraftian horror game in the works since Call of Cthulhu came out (Forgive Me Father being a rare exception). The Sinking City had its own controversies to deal with, which resulted in a lot of negative press about the game. More recently, we got a city-building game called Worshippers of Cthulhu, but that’s more niche thanks to being strategic in nature (and being incomprehensible to more than half of the gaming populace because it needs a functioning brain to play). With the indie rush of 2025, a few games came out that were trying to carve out their own niche in the horror genre. One of these is Static Dread: The Lighthouse, a game that derives many of its mechanics from Papers, Please. Static Dread is set in a retro-futuristic world where the Great Old One makes its appearance from the depths to try and threaten humanity (yet again).

Static Dread was officially released for both PC and Mac on August 6, 2025. There hasn’t been a word about an official console release as of yet. A horror game with a Lovecraftian setting that takes inspiration from Papers, Please – Static Dread carves out quite a name for itself within the indie universe. The game has sold almost 20k copies as of Aug 22, and has recouped all of its development costs.

Static Dread takes place in a different universe around half a century from now. There are hints of technological progress, like most ships having autopilots to navigate the waters. A single solar flare wreaks havoc amongst all machines, requiring greater human intervention in all mechanized operations. The shipping industry instantly pivoted to having a sizeable crew aboard the ships and asked for the reinstatement of lighthouses to ensure safe passage through treacherous waters. All the events in the game take place within this lighthouse, and follow the story of the second keeper who takes up the job of guiding ships to their destination.

The local villagers are excited and scared at the same time – babbling about how the first keeper tried to mess around with forces beyond human control. Among such treacherous times, the second keeper (our character) discovers that there’s a sinister secret stowed away deep within the lighthouse – all while there are rumors of a gigantic monster awakening within the waters to engulf all ships coming its way. There’s no hint of where the events take place, but the military being labelled as USS probably means this is set in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean near the US East Coast (a place still heavily patrolled by the US Naval Forces to protect against pirates, thieves, and muggers on ships).

Static Dread stays true to its name until the very last minute because of the various horror elements that happen within the lighthouse throughout the game. The environment becomes more and more eerie as the story evolves, often forcing the player to look over their shoulder – it’s that realistic. A gripping story combined with horror elements is sure to grab the attention of anyone willing to look beyond the PS1-inspired art style of the game (which is an acquired taste – not everyone will like that).

Static Dread borrows a lot of mechanics from Paper’s Please, yet manages to have its own twist so that the gameplay feels fresh and unique. At many points in the game, the keeper will be tending to characters knocking on the door of the lighthouse, talking about random stuff. Some of these characters might want to stay inside the lighthouse, and may have interactions from time to time with the keeper. The officials at the port, however, have advised the keeper against letting anyone inside. There’s the classic dilemma of whether to let people inside the lighthouse or not, or to be an obedient child and follow the instructions of the port authorities. The interactions with the strangers visiting the lighthouse will gradually reveal more aspects of the story.

The horror elements in Static Dread are some of the best that I’ve seen in modern games. It’s eerie, and there’s a constant feeling that something is watching from the darkness (a big glowing eye to be precise – don’t ask me how I thought about that). From time to time, the lighthouse will keep getting marks of the Great Old One, which have an odd whisper about them. With time, the hauntings will become stronger – forcing the keeper to move from point to point to clear the marks and ensure the lighthouse is safe and sound for himself and for the other visitors. There will be the occasional interaction with electrical equipment as well – communications going dark, lights turning off, or, in the worst case, the generator itself powering off. I’ve played quite a few Cthulhu games, but the raw fear that Static Dread brings with its hauntings is something I wasn’t prepared for. When there are complaints of whispers being heard by sailors on the sea, I understood what that felt like – because a similar uneasy feeling persisted inside the lighthouse as well.

The keeper needs to guide the ships to their destinations as part of the instructions sent by the authorities in the morning. The instructions about where to send each ship gradually increase in incomprehensibility as the game progresses. Dealing with the “Static Dread” within the lighthouse while following instructions and ensuring key ships reach their destinations would definitely affect the outcome of several events in the story, which in turn affect the lighthouse and the Great Old One itself. There are some bugs in this section, from what I felt (I got penalties even after sending ships to their right destination), so some work on clarifying instructions or fixing the conditions for the ship destinations would be helpful. The game has a variety of endings depending on the choices taken throughout the game, and each branch results in a different outcome. The only problem that I felt is that most endings feel like it’s as if the keeper is taking an L. Guess in a retro-futuristic dystopia, someone has to lose for the others to win.

Static Dread is set in a 2.5D environment, where most of the characters are hand-drawn and are 2D sprites. The game uses low-poly textures, which makes the hauntings feel even more eerie when they happen (and sometimes makes it difficult to spot the marks of the Great Old One). This is probably one of the only things holding the game back – such an art style is an acquired taste, and many players would probably ignore the game on seeing the low-poly textures in the trailer on Steam. The game also embodies some of the analog horror design aspects from the 90s (I’m not about to suggest some and get this article nuked, but a YouTube search should suffice).

The eerie music of the game is the one thing that keeps players on their toes throughout. The use of sound during hauntings to amplify the feeling of dread was really a masterclass in itself. Players might fear fish-like humanoid creatures hiding inside their home, and coming out only during moments of sleep paralysis, and that’s fine.

Static Dread is one of the most unique indies that I’ve played this year. The game takes analog horror to heights never imagined before while ensuring the story is interesting enough to keep players hooked. 

FINAL SCORE: 80/100