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Grieving – Rituals, Puzzles, and Ghostly Secrets
Title screen of Grieving (Berduka), showing a dimly lit apartment corridor with a red ribbon symbol and white flowers in vases.

Grieving – Rituals, Puzzles, and Ghostly Secrets

By Aura Dyka’s on 01/09/2025

Indie horror has a way of reaching into emotions that blockbuster titles rarely touch. Grieving, the latest project from Flycat Games, doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares or loud noises. Instead, it draws you into an unsettling ritual inside a haunted boarding house, where puzzles and whispers reveal truths too heavy to ignore. With a retro aesthetic and story-rich gameplay, the game offers a fresh approach to psychological horror that feels intimate yet deeply haunting.

Haunted Duty

The story begins with Rocky, a young man returning from work, who is suddenly tasked by his grandfather to look after a boarding house. At first, it feels like a simple family responsibility, but one room hides something far more sinister. Inside lives a restless presence, simply called The Girl. Her demand is simple yet terrifying as she carry out a mourning ritual in her stead.

As Rocky accepts this responsibility, the narrative slowly builds an unsettling atmosphere. The house doesn’t just creak and groan; it breathes with sorrow. Every choice you make unravels another layer of her tragedy, leaving you wondering what binds her to this place. The more Rocky follows the ritual, the deeper the weight of grief pulls both him and the player into the unknown.

Layers of Fear

Puzzle sequence in Grieving featuring a wooden table with candles, incense, and selectable flower offerings.
Solve puzzles to uncover hidden truths.

What sets Grieving apart is how it blends psychological horror with puzzles and interactive storytelling. Instead of being a passive observer, you are actively part of the ritual, piecing together clues that reveal what the ghost is truly hiding. Each puzzle you solve pushes the story forward, making progress feel both rewarding and terrifying.

The ghost doesn’t just haunt you with silence. Through dialogue, she shares fragments of her memories, forcing you to interact and decide how much you’re willing to believe. This balance of story-rich gameplay and puzzle-solving keeps the tension sharp while still grounding the experience in human emotions.

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Retro Shadows

Scene from Grieving showing three young characters conversing in a dimly lit apartment courtyard, with motorcycles and balconies in the background.
A moody courtyard scene, where muted lighting and urban details set the tone for Grieving’s atmosphere.

Visually, Grieving embraces a retro atmosphere that feels nostalgic yet deeply eerie. The pixelated style adds to its unsettling tone, making every dimly lit hallway and flickering shadow feel like part of an old horror memory you can’t quite escape. It pays tribute to the classic era of horror adventures while giving it a fresh psychological twist.

The retro aesthetic isn’t just for style but it’s a deliberate choice to let your imagination fill in the blanks. Without hyper-realistic gore, the focus shifts to mood, dialogue, and the slow creep of fear. This approach resonates strongly with players who love horror that feels personal, intimate, and emotional rather than just shocking.

Puzzles and Choices

Gameplay moment in Grieving showing a ghostly figure standing in front of a shrine with candles and flowers in an apartment corridor.
Encounters blur the line between the living and the departed.

Over the course of more than 120 minutes of playtime, Grieving challenges you with over ten unique puzzles, each woven directly into the narrative. They are part of the ritual itself, forcing players to think, explore, and stay alert.

Choices matter too. Interactive dialogue lets you shape the way Rocky responds to the ghost, shifting how the story is perceived. With two different endings available, the game encourages replay, and an ending guide unlocks after your first completion to help uncover what you may have missed.

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Comfort in Dread

Creepy scene from Grieving, depicting a blood-soaked room with a hanging figure and red stains covering the walls and ceiling.
Dark imagery reflects the game’s psychological depth.

One of the most striking things about Grieving is its dual-language support. Available in both English and Indonesian, the game opens its haunted doors to a wider community of players. 

Flycat Games also considered accessibility by including a Cut Mode. Enabled by default, it reduces sensitive elements related to radicalism and religious conflict. This ensures players can immerse themselves in the psychological tension without being overwhelmed by heavier themes. By balancing depth with player comfort, Grieving shows how indie developers can build games that are both daring and considerate.

Enter the Boarding House

The demo version of Grieving is already available, covering Scenes 1 to 3. This free preview lets you step into Rocky’s shoes, test the puzzle mechanics, and catch a glimpse of the ghost’s haunting presence. It’s just enough to pull you in, but leaves the deeper mysteries waiting for the full experience.

Download the demo today on Flycat Games’ itch.io page and step into the boarding house where grief, rituals, and secrets collide.

Reference:
FlyCat Games – Game Developer
Griving Itch.io Page
Grieving Trailer