I don’t know about you, but when I’m booking a hotel, I want to be certain there’s no chance a snake will slither up my bedsheets. But for some reason, I’m a little suspicious of No-Snake Hotel‘s snake-free guarantee.
Created by Gavin “Two Star Games” Eisenbeisz, No-Snake Hotel is a tiny, free horror game developed in only 24 hours. The entire development process is captured in a handy YouTube video, where Eisenbeisz explains that he wanted to make a custom horror game for his friend based on his worst fear: snakes.
While yes, it’s very YouTube, the video is a fascinating little bite of what it takes to make even a tiny five minute joke game in Unreal, as Eisenbeisz turns an empty starting project into the creepy, presumably snakeless corridors of the final game.
And despite that brief runtime, No-Snake Hotel is a great wee joke. In those few minutes it expertly builds tension through lighting and set-dressing, leaving mandatory horror game notes around and even managing a brief fakeout. You know what’s coming, but that doesn’t make the final reveal any less shocking.
It’s a good sign for Eisenbeisz’s upcoming full-fledged horror game, Choo Choo Charles, which he announced to viral reception last year. That’s set to release later this year, at which point we’ll finally be able to answer the question of which is scarier: steam engines or snakes?