DreadXP — one of the most recognized horror video game publishers in the industry — recently announced that it has acquired the publishing rights for Heartworm, a retro psychological survival horror game that pays tribute to the low-fidelity look and feel of ‘90s genre classics Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Dino Crisis.
From developer Vincent Adinolfi, Heartworm is a nostalgia-wrapped nightmare about one girl’s battle with grief and the otherworldly manifestations that may hold the key to the afterlife. Players will pass through the threshold into a world born of memories when Heartworm releases on Steam for Windows PC in 2025.
Driven by her obsession with the deaths of those closest to her, Heartworm protagonist Sam spends her days crawling the internet looking for something — an answer or distraction, perhaps to alleviate her pain. Her morbid research takes her deep into the dark web, where she stumbles upon an internet message board that talks about a mysterious house in the mountains that supposedly has a connection to the afterlife. The board states that no one who has visited the house has ever returned. Internet folklore? Conspiracy theory ramblings? Sam, consumed by her grief, seeks out the house in desperation; consequences be damned.
Heartworm is a game about the memories we keep and the ones we wish we could forget. These themes are expressed through its emotionally charged narrative and early console-era game design, featuring cinematic fixed camera angles, low-rez, retro 3D graphics, and optional tank-style controls. Players will be enveloped in its surreal suburban setting, where they’ll face various ghastly enemies with a weaponized camera (with over-the-shoulder aiming) and solve puzzles. Heartworm additionally features in-game and classically-styled pre-rendered cutscenes, multiple unlockable endings, and a beautiful yet haunting soundtrack.
“Words can’t express how excited I am that DreadXP picked up Heartworm,” said developer Vincent Adinolfi. “There was a lot of uncertainty last year for the game — between the unexpected end of our previous publishing agreement and the general air of uncertainty in the industry, I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish this game that I’ve put everything into.”
Heartworm releases for Windows PC on Steam in 2025. Fans can wishlist the game on Steam and download the demo today.
