Whenever you’re making some “top x of y” list, there are usually a few staples that the most knowledgeable members of your prospective audience will come to expect. For example, any “best horror games” collection is sure to feature numerous entries from the Silent Hill and Resident Evil franchises, among a plethora of one-offs or indies that managed to make significant headway throughout internet discourse. It’s a good way to reflect the current zeitgeist of what’s hip and contemporary, as well as draw in a curious audience to validate their own personal rankings.
But what happens when the size of that collection balloons into the double digits? Or the triple digits, even? Well, you have to start digging. Sooner or later, you’ll be stumbling across properties and ideas that you would’ve had no idea existed otherwise, buried underneath a sea of technological advancements and popular competitors, even if they were perfectly fine for their respective era.
It was how I was first introduced to the white chamber, a game that I would’ve likely never discovered without someone digging through dozens upon dozens of titles in a “Top 100 Horror Games” list for my entertainment. In said video, which has been lost to time since I originally saw it in the early 2010s, it showcased a horror game baked within the digital art trends of the mid-2000s, with rough backgrounds and surprisingly harrowing imagery that really touched my youthful imagination. Not only that, it also featured the voice of Kira Buckland as the game’s protagonist — the very same actor who would later go on to voice 2B in PlatinumGames’ Nier: Automata, among more than a dozen prominent roles in English anime dubs.
Following an official rerelease that came and went without my knowledge, I figured that the game’s 20th anniversary is a perfect opportunity to finally take a look at what fascinated me so long ago. Does this 2005 indie title hold up a full 20 years later? And is it worth experiencing for yourself?
Playing the white chamber
Originally developed by Studio Trophis (now Locked Door Puzzle) in 2005, the white chamber kicks off with an all-too-familiar setup: amnesia. You are a young woman in a surprisingly stylish getup (for 2005, at least) who, after awakening inside a mysterious coffin, is left to uncover what exactly led her to such a strange place. One flip of a switch later, and you discover that you’re actually stomping throughout the confines of a derelict space station. The food is moldy. The station’s systems are in complete disarray. But most importantly, there are mysterious stains and strange growths dotting themselves across the walls. What’s real? What isn’t? Can you solve the mystery surrounding what really went down here, and can you ultimately escape?
Being an indie title before the big boom of indie games in the 2010s, you won’t find a particularly lengthy experience here. A first-time playthrough, one that’s completely blind without any external assistance, can usually run you around two or three hours, tops. Once you know what exactly to do and when, you can do everything from start to finish in as little as ten minutes. But it’s not so much the length of the white chamber that’s so interesting. It’s what this game does with its limited resources that makes it so compelling.
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For one thing, I always appreciate a horror game with a great atmosphere. the white chamber has this in spades. It’s a simultaneous mix of early 2000s anime, rough and abstract illustrations, and plenty of color saturation that makes the space station’s sticky reds and shimmering greys really pop. It’s wonderfully nostalgic. Combine that with the slightly cheesy voice acting, the charming hand-drawn FMV sequences, and the genuine grit mixed with some experimental touches, and it all makes for a game that, presentation-wise, lacks any notable imitators. Paul Johnson is credited as a major artist for the game, and given that his entry on Studio Trophis’ About Us page lists Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell), Kenichi Sonada (Gunsmith Cats), and Ryusuke Mita (Dragon Half) as some of his favorite artists, you can really see their respective styles blend into the white chamber‘s distinct presentation.
Not only that, the white chamber is deliberately surreal. Instead of just throwing ravenous monsters your way with the occasional psychological jumpscare, a lot of the white chamber‘s scares stem from warping the world logic you’ve already become accustomed to. All of a sudden, a door that led to a familiar room now leads to a room scrawled in mysterious markings, with a pulsing, skinless creature dominating its center console. A door that seemingly opened to a blissful scene of nature suddenly jettisons you into outer space if you attempt to revisit it. A fridge inexplicably dangles from the ceiling where there wasn’t one before, and should you not find a way to dispose of it, you may find some deadly consequences in wait. While not directly in line with something like Silent Hill, you can definitely tell that some of the more over-the-top moments and a handful of grisly puzzles were heartily inspired by the famed Japanese horror series.
Outside of the game’s more elaborate sequences, you’ll find your run-of-the-mill point-and-click adventure game shenanigans. You’ll find items, grab items, use items on things that need items, and so on. But thankfully, your means of interacting with the world around you are limited to just looking at things and attempting to interact with them. It’s appreciated, honestly. It means you can quickly brute force your way through the handful of moments where you might get stuck.
It’s not as if the white chamber is completely devoid of moon logic. The game’s toying with your understanding of the world around you is bound to occasionally trip you up, and when combined with some particularly small items and other interactive elements that can easily hide in the background assets, you might find yourself stuck on the game’s few puzzles every now and then. Word to the wise: Be sure to scan every inch of the screen with your mouse before you leave a room.
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What’s also worth noting is the game’s hidden karma mechanic as well. Without any spoilers, the protagonist’s actions can (and will) directly tie into their ultimate fate. Fulfilling certain actions throughout the game (or failing to act on specific things) will eventually net you one of four different endings, even going so far as to keep the Silent Hill tradition going with a completely silly comedy ending. A handful of scenarios can also lead to your premature death as well, bringing the total ending count to around eight. There’s some replay value here because of this, especially with a brand-new puzzle found within the game’s Steam release. No spoilers, obviously, but it’ll involve getting each ending at least once.
Special mention needs to go to the game’s soundtrack as well. Composed by Zakir Rahman, it features an unsettling mix of ambient beeps and boops, thudding drums and droning baselines, and plenty of distorted samples to keep you firmly within the otherworldly surroundings you’re traversing. A particular favorite track of mine accompanies a terrifying sequence within a repeating corridor — but I’ll save it for you to discover yourself. Let’s just say that it’s arguably the most intense of the entire soundtrack.
Should You Play the white chamber?
the white chamber may not be the most revolutionary game I’ve ever looked at, but it has the wonderful distinction of lingering with me long after I’ve taken a look at it. It feels like a product of its time in the best possible way, a nostalgic mix of grungy horror and rough aesthetics brought to life by sheer creativity and ingenuity. Miraculously, it even runs fine on modern hardware, too (complete with some visual accessibility options to boot). Maybe it’s the mix of hand-drawn animation, the nostalgia of the ultra-vibrant 2000s, or the perturbing background assets and surprisingly gruesome puzzles, but it all points to an overall package that I couldn’t help but feel enthralled by.
The game’s origins as a university project ultimately put a delightful cap on it all. Per Studio Trophis’ website, it was originally a passion project made to fulfill the requirements for a degree program, which was later expanded and rebuilt for a wider release to the public. It was meant to serve as a flagship entry for what could’ve been a prosperous career in the indie development space. While Studio Trophis would ultimately disband sometime after the game’s first release, they still managed to pop out a fully finished product completely free of charge.
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That’s right — you can download the white chamber for free from Studio Trophis’ official website or on itch.io. Or, if you’d like, you can also chip in a few dollars for the game on Steam. It comes bundled with remastered videos, a companion audio drama, and support for both achievements and cloud saves.
It’s really worth your time. In addition to reviewing well among enthusiast circles and the handful of blogs that covered the game’s release throughout 2005, it even received an official mention in The New York Times of all things, with Charles Herold giving it the loving moniker of a “first-rate garage game.” I’d have to agree with the sentiment. Its overall popularity may have sunken into the depths with time, but something here really managed to strike a chord with me. Maybe it’ll do the same for you.
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