Indonesian indie horror keeps growing, and JIWA The Damned Soul takes that momentum into a more focused adventure format. Two content creators enter an abandoned psychiatric hospital as the central setup. The experience builds tension using direct visual cues, character swapping, and steady pacing. Instead of leaning fully into pure exploration, the structure adopts a narrative-driven walking simulator style with heavier supernatural elements. This combination gives players a guided route while still keeping the environment unpredictable.
Viral or Vanish?
The narrative follows Sekar and Laras, two friends who produce supernatural content. Sekar faces financial pressure, and Laras pushes a risky idea to gain attention. Their visit starts as a simple plan to record a jelangkung ritual, but the situation escalates when one of them vanishes inside the hospital. The developers give the game a clear, direct setup that suits the adventure format, and they keep the story’s momentum by cutting distractions and highlighting the force behind the supernatural events around them.
As players move deeper into the hospital, they uncover more information about its shutdown. Several patients vanished before the facility closed. The missing individuals now haunt the place as lingering spirits. The plot uses notes, audio hints, and visuals to keep the pace steady.
POV Switch
JIWA The Damned Soul lets players alternate between Sekar and Laras. This structure introduces shifting perspectives, which keeps the hospital from feeling static. Different clues and obstacles challenge each character. The switching mechanic also supports pacing since players experience separate sections that eventually connect. This format gives more depth to the escape sequence.
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The transitions between characters also reinforce tension. Characters’ shifting perspectives allow players to understand sections of the hospital.. This builds small layers of information that slowly reveal the bigger story. The design keeps the experience consistent while still adding variety to moment to moment interactions.
Max Tension
The visuals focus on grounded horror, using dim corridors, flickering lights, and sharp contrasts to shape each scene. Players move through tight spaces that limit visibility and raise tension. This approach mirrors other walking simulator style horror games like Home Sweet Home or Simulacra’s environmental moments, but JIWA The Damned Soul keeps a heavier supernatural presence to maintain pressure.
As players progress, the lighting and sounds change to match the growing danger. Shadow figures appear along corners. Medical tools are scattered across the floor. Rooms shift from static to threatening as spirits interrupt exploration.
Observe Closely
Environmental clues show what happened before the shutdown. Broken furniture, scattered documents, and unfinished patient records hint at the hospital’s collapse. These pieces serve as the foundation of the worldbuilding. Players can interpret the space without heavy exposition.
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As the environment grows more unstable, the game shifts into implicit storytelling. Notes, whispered audio, and brief visual distortions tie each mystery together. These clues push players toward the core truth behind the disappearances. Careful observation reveals more of the hospital’s past, and the characters’ reactions deliver the final layer as the story moves into higher tension.
Avoid The Void
The gameplay mixes exploration with puzzles that require attention to detail. Each puzzle fits the environment so they feel like natural obstacles inside an abandoned building. These moments help separate calmer exploration sections from intense supernatural encounters.
A hostile figure roams the hospital and tries to pull the player into a void. This threat introduces a light survival element. The presence encourages players to move with caution. Timing, sound cues, and awareness become part of the puzzle flow. The balance keeps the game accessible while still generating consistent tension.
Hit The Wishlist!
JIWA The Damned Soul creates its horror with sharp visual direction, controlled pacing, and intentional character driven exploration. The abandoned hospital, shifting viewpoints, and steady flow of clues build tension throughout the experience. Players who enjoy structured horror adventures can follow this approach with ease.
The game is coming soon on Steam. You can wishlist it now to support the developers and follow its final release.
Reference:
DoePlay Interactive – Game Developer
JIWA : The Damned Soul Steampage
JIWA : The Damned Soul Trailer
