Horror Squad is a cooperative first-person horror game that sends players into cursed locations where exploration, supernatural investigation, and survival all contribute to the same objective. Developed and published by Cheesecake Dev, it supports adventures for one to four players and is clearly at its strongest when several people enter the darkness together. Instead of focusing entirely on combat, the game asks the squad to search dangerous environments, gather useful objects, unlock inaccessible areas, avoid hostile entities, and ultimately perform the actions necessary to break the curse.
The basic gameplay loop is easy to understand. Each assignment places the player in an ominous location containing clues, equipment, locked doors, hiding spots, and supernatural dangers. Exploration therefore serves more than one purpose. Searching rooms can reveal something required for progression, while items abandoned by previous squads may improve the group's chances of surviving. This creates a constant incentive to investigate further even when moving deeper into the building obviously increases the danger.
Cooperation provides much of the entertainment. A four-player squad can divide tasks and cover more territory, but separation creates its own problems when something hostile appears. Staying together offers greater security while making the investigation less efficient. This simple tension produces many of the game's better situations because players constantly decide whether completing an objective quickly is worth becoming vulnerable. Communication becomes especially valuable when someone discovers an important item, encounters a locked passage, or suddenly needs assistance.
Hiding is another important component of survival. When direct confrontation is either impossible or unwise, players can seek shelter and wait for danger to pass. Closets and other hiding opportunities make the environment part of the survival mechanics rather than merely background decoration. There is an amusing social element to these situations in multiplayer as well. A confident group can quickly turn into several frightened individuals looking for the nearest safe place once the supernatural threat becomes aggressive.
Completing the mission requires more than simply remaining alive. The squad must investigate the curse and work toward a ritual capable of dealing with the entity responsible for the haunting. This gives the game a clearer sense of progression than a basic escape-focused horror experience. Doors need to be opened, objects must be located, and potentially dangerous areas have to be investigated before the team can finish its work. The combination of searching and ritual preparation gives players something meaningful to pursue while the creature provides constant pressure.
The presentation embraces familiar horror imagery rather than trying to reinvent the genre. Dark interiors, disturbing environments, blood, bodies, supernatural creatures, and abandoned spaces establish an appropriately unpleasant atmosphere. The first-person viewpoint works effectively because visibility is restricted and players must physically enter rooms without knowing exactly what waits inside. Sound and environmental tension become particularly important during quieter sections, when the expectation of an encounter can be more unsettling than the encounter itself.
Horror Squad is considerably more entertaining with friends than alone. Solo play is available and allows players to experience the objectives without assembling a group, but multiplayer introduces the unpredictable human behavior that complements this style of horror. Mistakes, panic, poor communication, accidental separation, and last-second escapes can generate stories that scripted scares cannot easily reproduce. The downside is that players primarily interested in solo horror may notice the relatively straightforward mechanics and repetition sooner.
The game's accessibility is one of its advantages. Its fundamental objectives do not require an enormous amount of preparation to understand, making it suitable for groups that want to enter a horror game and start experimenting quickly. At the same time, this simplicity limits its long-term depth. The investigation systems are not as intricate as those found in more simulation-oriented paranormal games, while the narrative framework is primarily there to support the missions rather than deliver an elaborate character-driven story.
Replay value consequently depends heavily on how much the player enjoys the cooperative loop itself. Searching locations, managing supernatural threats, finding required objects, unlocking areas, hiding, and completing rituals can remain enjoyable when a group appreciates chaotic horror sessions. Players expecting extensive progression, highly varied investigative mechanics, or a lengthy narrative adventure may find the experience comparatively narrow. The game's strongest attraction is not mechanical complexity but the tension created when straightforward objectives become difficult because the squad is being hunted.
Steam Deck compatibility requires some qualification. Horror Squad does not have a prominent official Steam Deck Verified designation to guarantee a completely optimized handheld experience. Because it was designed as a Windows PC title, Steam Deck users should approach it as an unofficial compatibility case rather than expecting native Deck optimization. It may be possible to run through SteamOS and Proton depending on the current software configuration, but controls, performance, interface behavior, online functionality, or other compatibility details may require adjustments. Players specifically purchasing it for handheld use should therefore regard Steam Deck support as unverified rather than guaranteed.
As a complete package, Horror Squad is a modest but entertaining interpretation of cooperative supernatural horror. Its mixture of exploration, item hunting, locked-area progression, hiding, teamwork, and ritual objectives provides enough structure to keep multiplayer sessions moving. It does not possess the mechanical sophistication or production scale necessary to stand among the genre's most ambitious releases, but it understands the appeal of sending friends into a dangerous location and allowing fear and bad decisions to create memorable moments.
The result is a game that works best for players seeking uncomplicated cooperative scares rather than a deep paranormal simulation. With the right group, the tension between investigating efficiently and staying alive can create genuinely entertaining sessions. Solo players and those demanding extensive variety may find its limitations more noticeable, but its focused concept still has value for fans of accessible multiplayer horror.
Rating: 6/10
