The Telephone (2023)

Developer: Daniele Doesn't Matter
Publisher: Doesn't Matter Games
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Action, Adventure, Indie
Rating: 4.5 of 5, 49 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 5.6 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A tense, claustrophobic first-person experience where anxiety builds as you piece together clues from a sparse, dark room.

psychological horrortenseatmosphericfirst-personpacing deliberatedarkimmersivepuzzling

What players say

Players describe this as a puzzle-focused horror game with heavy atmosphere and jump scares, taking about 3 to 4 hours to finish. Many note the game creates text files on the desktop, has Italian voice acting only, and a frustrating final boss. Players are split on the ending and some encounters, but overall the creepy atmosphere is a highlight.

Screenshots

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More by Doesn't Matter Games Studio

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.