Haunted: Attack of the Dead Men is a compact first-person shooter that combines the brutality of World War I with supernatural horror and deliberately old-fashioned FPS mechanics. Developed and published by GameBeast Productions, the game draws inspiration from the historical Attack of the Dead Men at Osowiec Fortress but transforms the event into an alternate-history nightmare filled with resurrected soldiers and unnatural forces. Rather than attempting to recreate the battle realistically, it uses the historical setting as the foundation for a fast and violent retro shooter. The result is a game with an unusual identity, mixing military imagery, undead horror, pixelated violence, and the straightforward design philosophy associated with classic shooters.
The story places the player in the role of a German soldier left behind as the situation at Osowiec Fortress becomes increasingly horrifying. Russian soldiers exposed to the horrors of battle have seemingly returned from death, and a supernatural darkness threatens to spread beyond the fortress. With his comrades gone, the protagonist must continue alone, fighting through the occupied areas and searching for the force responsible for the resurrection. The narrative is intentionally simple and mainly exists to establish the atmosphere and provide a reason to move deeper into increasingly dangerous territory. It works well for a game that prioritizes combat over lengthy conversations or cinematic storytelling.
Gameplay embraces the boomer shooter formula while rejecting several conveniences and movement techniques common in newer retro-inspired FPS titles. Weapons do not require conventional reloading, allowing firefights to maintain a consistent rhythm as long as ammunition remains available. At the same time, there are no checkpoints, making survival and careful progression more important. Wall jumping, bunny hopping, and other advanced mobility techniques are absent, so combat depends less on extreme movement and more on positioning, awareness, weapon choice, and the ability to handle large groups of enemies. This gives the action a somewhat heavier and more traditional character than many modern shooters inspired by the 1990s.
The arsenal consists of eight weapons, and several provide alternate firing functions that increase their usefulness in different situations. While eight weapons may sound relatively modest, secondary attacks help prevent the selection from feeling excessively limited. This versatility becomes particularly valuable when battles grow larger and the player must confront numerous enemies simultaneously. Some encounters can place dozens of hostile creatures or undead soldiers on the battlefield, turning seemingly manageable spaces into chaotic survival situations. Selecting the correct weapon and controlling crowds efficiently become essential as the difficulty increases.
Enemy progression is another important component of the campaign. Opponents are not presented merely as identical targets with increasing health, as different enemy types possess their own attacks and behaviors. The deeper the player advances, the more dangerous the undead forces become, requiring greater familiarity with the combat system. Aggressive play is encouraged through rewards, while a scoring system gives players another reason to improve their performance. These elements make individual stages suitable for replay, especially for players who enjoy pursuing stronger scores or completing difficult encounters more efficiently.
The main campaign contains 14 levels along with a secret stage, providing a focused single-player adventure rather than an excessively long one. Its advertised length of more than seven hours is appropriate for a shooter centered on concentrated combat encounters and escalating difficulty. The level-based format also complements the scoring mechanics because each stage can function as an individual challenge. Instead of simply progressing through the campaign once, dedicated players can return to earlier areas and attempt to perform better with the knowledge and skills gained later.
Difficulty options add considerably to the potential replay value. Five regular difficulty settings allow players to select an experience suited to their familiarity with traditional shooters, while three additional difficulties can be unlocked after overcoming the hardest standard setting. This creates a meaningful progression path for players interested in mastering the mechanics. The absence of checkpoints makes the tougher settings particularly demanding because mistakes can carry greater consequences. Combined with large enemy groups and increasingly dangerous opponents, the highest difficulties are clearly aimed at experienced players rather than newcomers looking for a relaxed action game.
Visually, Haunted: Attack of the Dead Men adopts a deliberately retro presentation that fits its mechanical direction. Pixelated graphics and stylized gore give the violence an exaggerated quality while still supporting the grim atmosphere. The World War I fortress environment is particularly useful in distinguishing the game from the science-fiction bases, fantasy castles, and demonic landscapes frequently associated with retro shooters. Dark corridors, military structures, undead soldiers, and supernatural imagery give Osowiec Fortress an oppressive personality without requiring highly realistic graphics.
The historical inspiration should not be mistaken for an attempt at authenticity. The game quickly embraces supernatural fantasy, eventually pushing its premise toward increasingly bizarre territory. Its interpretation of history is intentionally exaggerated, culminating in encounters that make it obvious that entertainment takes priority over historical accuracy. This approach gives the campaign more creative freedom and allows GameBeast Productions to turn a disturbing historical episode into the basis for a horror-action scenario rather than being constrained by realism.
The game's technical demands are relatively modest, which is appropriate for its retro visual direction. It supports Windows and Linux and requires comparatively little storage space. Steam features include single-player functionality, Family Sharing, and 55 achievements. The achievement selection complements the game's replay-oriented structure, particularly for players interested in thoroughly exploring the campaign, finding additional challenges, and demonstrating mastery of its combat systems.
Its greatest weaknesses largely come from the same design choices that define its personality. Players accustomed to generous checkpoints, elaborate movement systems, expansive narratives, multiplayer modes, or highly polished modern production values may find the experience restrictive. The straightforward campaign structure also means that much of the lasting appeal depends on enjoying repeated combat and progressively harder challenges. Anyone expecting a historically accurate World War I shooter will similarly need to adjust expectations because supernatural horror rapidly becomes the dominant theme.
Despite those limitations, Haunted: Attack of the Dead Men offers a distinctive variation on the retro FPS formula. The combination of a World War I fortress, resurrected soldiers, large-scale firefights, eight weapons with alternate attacks, multiple difficulty levels, stage scoring, aggressive-play incentives, secret content, and an intentionally uncompromising approach to checkpoints gives it a clear identity. It does not attempt to compete with enormous contemporary shooters in production scale. Instead, it concentrates on delivering a focused single-player experience built around relentless action and an unusual historical-horror premise.
Rating: 6/10
