Way, way back in 2010, Alan Wake was released and took the world of horror gaming by storm. Since then, it’s gone on to inspire a whole swathe of horror games with the same spooky hallmarks, but none of them have hit the mark quite as well as Pinnacle Point.

Pinnacle Point is an indie horror game created and developed by Ready 2 Run Games, otherwise known as Robin. Filled with spooky goings on and creepy creatures who may or may not be zombies and/or paranormal entities, there’s a lot to love about this PS1-style throwback. 

The power of light

It’s clear that Pinnacle Point has been heavily inspired by the masterpiece that is Alan Wake, and it invokes the same feelings that this now-classic game did to anyone who played it at the time of release. There are familiar mechanics, such as the use of light to help combat the ever-present entities that seek to harm you, but things are different enough to feel fresh and new. 

Instead of using your flashlight to shine through the shadow creatures that hunt you down, you have something called a Resonator, which can be used to break through the shield that protects the entities. Once the protection is removed, you can shoot anything that tries to harm you, but using the Resonator for too long can lead to adverse side effects, so caution is advised. 

The enemies themselves are… Creepy. They are dark, fast, and occasionally sprint-crawl across the floor in an attempt to reach you. That latter part is when they’re the most creepy. There’s something so unbelievably disconcerting about seeing them drop onto their hands and crawl towards you like a rabid dog. It makes me distinctly uncomfortable every time. 

Need a break? Solve a puzzle

Scattered throughout Pinnacle Point, you’ll find puzzles that need to be solved to progress. Whether it’s using math to figure out how to get the perfect wattage to a gate so it can open, or practicing color theory to uncover a hidden message in long lines of gibberish text, there’s a puzzle at every turn. 

Taking time away from de-shielding and shooting the entities outside almost feels like a break from the terror, and it’s a nice change of pace whenever one crops up. 

The most notable one in the demo involves mixing colored lights to reveal hidden instructions, and figuring out what colors you need is a multi-step process. I’ll be honest and say that I struggled to figure out that process to begin with, but it turns out that it can’t be skipped over – you need to solve it to progress. Retracing my steps got me the answers I needed pretty quickly. 

Fear eats away at you

Within about half an hour of the hour(ish) long playtest demo, I found myself feeling incredibly on edge and jumpy. Every sound around me had me turning around to see what was behind me, and I began talking to myself to ease the tension. I said things like “I can hear you, but I can’t see you”, and “Well, it’s pretty rude to hide from me if you want my attention.”

The atmosphere created by Robin in Pinnacle Point is chilling and eerie, and it truly feels like you’re stranded in this strange place, being haunted by the entities that call the island home. Every corner holds the potential for terror to leap out at you, and the thought of going back to places where you’ve previously been ambushed can leave you feeling nervous. 

My time with the demo came to an end after an unfortunate encounter with what I can only assume is a boss. I was doing fine, although there was a lot of screaming and swearing involved, until I ran out of ammo and got stuck in a corner while five entities surrounded me. I felt my heart race, I flinched with every attack they managed to hit me with, and I felt hopeless when I realized I had no escape. 

If you ask me, those feelings are all the hallmarks of an excellent horror game, and Pinnacle Point hits the mark on every level. 

If you’re a fan of horror games, then Pinnacle Point is worth checking out and wishlisting over on Steam, whether you played Alan Wake or not. If you’re quick, you might be able to get into the playtest over on Itch.io, and you should definitely try it if you’re looking for something to spook yourself with during the newly dark and cold evenings.