Those Who Dwell

About

Those Who Dwell is a single player simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by Midnight Forge LTD and was released on November 21, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Those Who Dwell is a story-first psychological horror focused on isolation, atmosphere, and folklore. Light is your only hope as you explore deeper into a cursed cave system disturbed by those who dug too deep. Restore shrines, survive the dark, and uncover what became of Those Who Dwell.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 20 reviews

story4 positive mentions

music1 negative mentions

Atmospheric and eerie cave exploration with a strong psychological horror vibe relying on mood rather than jump scares.
Engaging and well-written lore discovered through scattered notes and letters, encouraging deeper exploration.
Developer is responsive and actively fixing bugs, with appreciated accessibility options like VHS overlay toggle and controller support.

Several bugs and progression blockers were reported, including issues with puzzles and door/key mechanics that prevent further progress.
Some players found the gameplay to be unpolished and more of a slow-paced walking simulator with repetitive fetch quests and little actual threat or danger.
Visual darkness and audio design can be frustrating or irritating for some, with occasional unclear objectives causing confusion.

story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The story is immersive and atmospheric, richly blending folklore and fear, with an engaging but relatively light narrative primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling and historical letters. Players appreciate the depth of the lore and backstory, though the plot remains somewhat ambiguous, encouraging exploration and curiosity. Multiple endings and eerie exploration enhance the overall narrative experience, despite some desire for more direct story development through gameplay.
- “Every one I found had me wanting to dig deeper into the lore and backstory.”
- “A brilliant short story combining fear of the dark with the fear of tight spaces.”
- “Atmospheric and beautifully crafted, Those Who Dwell delivers an immersive, folklore-rich horror experience with engaging story and eerie cave exploration.”
- “The story is relatively light.”
- “The environmental storytelling is limited.”
- “Not to mention the story that you discover during the exploration.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its thick, eerie, and psychological horror elements, with immersive visuals like VHS-style enhancing the unsettling mood. While some note pacing issues, the rich folklore, dread, and exploration-focused setting effectively draw players into a unique and creepy experience.
- “If you're into psychological horror that relies on atmosphere and exploration rather than cheap scares, give it a go.”
- “Ultimately, this was a good experience crafted by a skilled solo developer, worthy of praise -- if you like thick, dreadful atmospheres and a story of strange entities, cults, and lost history, then check this one out.”
- “Atmospheric and beautifully crafted, Those Who Dwell delivers an immersive, folklore-rich horror experience with engaging story and eerie cave exploration.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay features an intriguing corruption mechanic influencing endings and a strong atmospheric focus, with detailed environments enhancing immersion. However, it is marred by numerous bugs, repetitive fetch quests, and a lack of polished, engaging horror elements, making the experience feel like an unrefined walking simulator.
- “There's a corruption mechanic tied to your ending, which is an interesting concept.”
- “I enjoyed the nebulous ending I received -- there's a mechanic of corruption versus revivification that contributes to your ending, which was a good concept (though it needs a little more signposting to understand the consequences).”
- “Those Who Dwell is a game that thrives on the mood of the environment rather than excessive jump scares; your attention to detail and the environment will help progress your gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is just not fun and unscary; you walk around in the dark constantly doing fetch quests, looking for specific items to progress while getting constantly whispered to, which was mostly annoying and cliché.”
- “I plead the devs to work on their horror/gameplay in future games, as I see some potential.”
- “The corruption mechanic tied to your ending is an interesting concept but needs more signposting to understand the consequences.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The graphics feature a distinctive VHS aesthetic that enhances the eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere with effective visual cues like growing static to signal danger. While generally solid and well-balanced, some users found the visuals unbearably dark, contributing to immersion but occasionally leading to frustration. Overall, the visuals support the game's unsettling tone but may present challenges for some players.
- “I enjoyed the VHS aesthetic and the growing static as a diegetic indicator of your lamplight fading and the subsequent increasing danger.”
- “A very unsettling and claustrophobic horror game that manages to entertain without ever feeling trivial or predictable, with solid visuals and a well-balanced overall experience in all its aspects.”
- “The atmosphere and visuals are good, but the pacing drags in spots.”
- “Unbearably dark visuals, piercingly irritating sound effects, problems with adjusting audio, and on top of that I got stuck behind objects.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is notably minimal, with an absence of stings or forced jump scares, which enhances the suspense and immersion by allowing ambient sounds and subtle cues to build tension naturally.