Haunted ROM: The Lost Cartridge

About the game

Developer

Crit42 Studio + partner studios

Release Date

2025-09-18

Platforms

PC – Steam

Haunted ROM: The Lost Cartridge is a cursed collection of 10 retro-inspired horror games, each one a different genre from frantic FPS shootouts and creepy platformers to tactical turn-based RPGs and chaotic arena combat.
You can play solo or with friends, as each game is part of a haunted library, bound together by a hidden story buried in a corrupted ROM. Glitches, broken visuals, distorted sounds, and strange “intentional bugs” are all clues to something trying to break free…
This isn’t just nostalgia. It’s digital horror.

The project is a collaborative anthology created in partnership with multiple indie studios, each contributing their own unique retro horror vision to the collection

🕹️ Key Features

  • 10 Games, 10 Horror Visions – From arcade-style chaos to branching narratives, every game delivers a unique take on retro horror.
  • The Corrupted Cartridge – All titles are linked by secrets, visual glitches, and narrative fragments hidden within the ROM.
  • Instant Access – All 10 games are unlocked from the start. Play them in any order, like a cursed multi-cart from a forgotten video store.
  • Classic Style, Dark Execution – 8-bit palettes, low poly models, crunchy sound effects, and pixelated interfaces, hiding layers of psychological and meta-horror.
  • Play Together (If You Dare) – Some games include local multiplayer: co-op survival or bloody arena combat for chaotic fun.

🕷️ Sample Titles from the Collection

  • Cult of Ascension: Roguelite arena RPG. Rise in a cult’s ranks, survive battles, recruit followers, and unlock forbidden rituals.
  • NULLand: First-person escape room horror. Seven days. A TV that speaks. Will you find the way out?
  • Shadow Peddler: Narrative horror of choices and survival. Trade your sanity, hunger, and soul for salvation… if you make it.
  • Spider Arena: Four-player chaos as armed spiders crawl walls, ceilings, and unleash cannon fire in vertical arenas.
  • Ukryty: First-person horror mixed with a text adventure where you are locked in a chair and something wants to get in.
  • Chalk Skulk: Tactic game where you control multiple characters and must try to complete an unholy ritual.
  • Santa Epistola: Fast-paced typing puzzle about banishing demons. Notice patterns, understand your enemy and try to not get killed.
  • Hallway Paradox: Third-person horror game about finding your path and the truth amidst dark corridors.
  • Rewind: First-person horror where each tape is a window to the past. Notice small changes that could change everything around you.
  • Blind Faith: First-person horror about sacrifice, survival and faith. Hunt invisible enemies and ensure the final ritual.