Described as "a venture into an alternative timeline in which graphics and sensible game design were never invented", it has little audio and is reliant on the ASCII art much like Nethack, save an odd 3D effect applied to things like buildings and trees here and there. However, it is not set in some fantasy realm, but in modern day, pretty much every possible extinction scenario became reality: not only will you have to contend with the roaming zombies from the start, but you'll be in deep trouble if you happen to stumble upon the aliens. Worst of all, however, is the ever-felt presence of the Great Old Ones behind it all.
Compare to Infra Arcana, a freeware roguelike about infiltrating the lair of a cult in order to reach The Shining Trapezohedron.
Tropes present in this game:
- Booze-Based Buff: Alcohol helps recover sanity and cures diarrhea.
- Chainsaw Good: A chainsaw was added to the game in the first post-release update. It's one of the only weapons in the game that you can "repair", since its durability status actually represents the volume of fuel in its tank.
- Cosmic Horror Story: The game is very much focused on humanity being ruined by forces that were completely beyond their control, and the protagonist being just as insignificant in the grand scheme of things. It goes to the point you cannot even save, ever, and any run must be played in one go up until the player character's inevitable death.
- Driven to Suicide: Committing suicide is very much possible. In fact, since the game cannot be saved, sometimes committing suicide before your character loses the last of their sanity and dies without any of their experience carried over into the next run is preferable.
- The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: In the final scenario, if you succeed in sealing away the enemy, a final message appears implying that it is aware of you, the player, and that it plans to pursue you next. The game then exits to desktop.
- I Am a Humanitarian: There are cannibals who'll attack the player on sight. The player is just as capable of eating fellow humans for sustenance, however. Including cannibals.
- In-Universe Game Clock: There's a day-night cycle. At night, your vision is substantially limited, and it will drain your sanity if you're not inside a building.
- Item Crafting: A key element if you plan to survive for an extended length of time.
- Molotov Cocktail: One of the weapons you can craft. Beware of using it indoors, however, as the fire will spread and can easily burn the whole building down, potentially with you inside it!
- Outside-Context Problem: In The Final Door scenario, opening the puzzle box will spawn an enemy that will break the game's internal rules by pursuing you in real timenote . Also, after you play the scenario even once, open the puzzle box or not, this enemy will spawn in the start of every game in any mode until you have finished the Final Door.
- Pipe Pain: One of the weapon types available early on are metal pipes.
- Sanity Slippage: Played with. Unlike most examples, losing sanity can be a good thing, as your experience gain becomes progressively greater as your sanity goes down. However, while experience can normally be carried over to your next character, this becomes impossible if they die with no sanity left, so it's advisable to keep some unread books, alcohols, or pills at hand to keep it from going down too much.
- Tree Cover: You can hide in the bushes from the less-aware enemies like zombies.
- Wizard Needs Food Badly: You need to both eat and drink in order to survive.
