Developers formerly known as Maxi and The Gang, best known for their Anxiety game series, has rebranded into Circus Horse Games. Their newest game is a 2.5D horror adventure game called Hollow Rhyme.

Hollow Rhyme follows the adventures of a sickly boy, who wakes up in a dark school. However, no one else seems to be around inside the school. The building appears to be completely abandoned, and the power has gone out. Seeing how the developers like playing with the theme of anxiety, it sounds like our protagonist might either have asthma or suffer from anxiety attacks, because they say that one of the game mechanics is to manage his breathing. What happens if you don’t? I’m not entirely sure.

The horror elements come in from the fact that as you continue to explore the school, you discover that you aren’t completely alone, and there appears to be someone else… or something else, inside the school with you. The trailer hints that there is a mysterious shadow person stalking the halls of the school, and it appears that it may not be friendly.

The game is in 2D sprites, but also utilizes 2.5D elements for more dynamic lighting effects and to add more detail to the environment, giving the game a cartoon art style in a dark creepy setting. Take a look at the official Hollow Rhyme game trailer that I linked below.

Hollow Rhyme is scheduled for an early 2017 release, so you can expect it to launch sometime soon. Hollow Rhyme is also planned to be an episodic adventure, so it will release in parts as it tells a larger story for each chapter.

However, they first need to make it through the Steam Greenlight process first. If you are interested in seeing Hollow Rhyme become an official Steam game, follow the above link to cast your vote.

For more information about Hollow Rhyme and the development team, you can visit their official website for further details.