Heartworm Review – PS1-Style Survival Horror That Feeds on Nostalgia!

The original Resident Evil on PlayStation One was legitimately the first game to terrify me. I still remember the cheesy FMV intro, ridiculous over-the-top voice acting performances, and of course, that iconic scene—you know, the one where the dude’s getting eaten by a zombie and then the zombie turns and looks at you? Yeah, that one. It was a landmark title, and while not the first survival horror game by any means, it was the first one to find major mainstream success.

Survival horror games still exist today, but they have evolved. Long gone are the fixed cameras, tank controls, and pre-rendered backdrops of yore, replaced more often than not with first-person jump scares, insane next-level visuals, and incredible sound design unlike anything we were able to experience back in the day. Yeah, horror games are certainly more immersive than ever, but there’s something to be said for the classics still too.

With Heartworm, a lovingly crafted retro survival horror tribute, we won’t be getting very much modern treatment. Rather, it’s a game that firmly stays planted in the mid-90s, with just a few tweaks to make life a bit easier (or at least smoother). But is Heartworm something we should eradicate? Or did it find its way to my heart? Let’s find out in our full review.

Heartworm tells the tale of Sam, a young woman who recently lost her beloved grandfather. Desperate to reunite with him, Sam does what many of us do and turns to the internet for advice, where she is tempted down one particular rabbit hole that leads her to an isolated home in the mountains. This house is said to lead to the, “otherside” kinda like that Red Hot Chili Peppers song, but how long will she slide? And what will it take to see her grandfather again? These are the questions that will perhaps be answered, well, depending on which ending you achieve I suppose. 

Heartworm plays much like any other survival horror classic of the mid-90s. You’ll need to explore open areas, gather items, manage your resources, and of course, take down enemies. Your weapon of choice won’t be a sawed off shotgun nor a beretta however,  rather Sam’s camera, perhaps trying to capture some of the magic of the Fatal Frame series. Naturally, you’ll also solve plenty of somewhat logical puzzles that usually involve remembering something you found in a memo or figuring out an arbitrary pattern with a solution that can easily be stumbled into. It’s enough to leave a big dopey smile on the face of any fan of the genre, and while it rarely conjures up much in the way of scares, it’s full of more cheese than a Philly steak sandwich.

This would probably be a good time to let you know that if you AREN’T a fan of retro games, then Heartworm is 100 percent not for you. From its lo-fi 3D throwback visuals that scream Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Parasite Eve, and, sure, let’s throw Dino Crisis in there, to its eerie psychological soundtrack that is exceedingly dark and nostalgic, full of haunting pianos, eerie buzzes, and static-filled noises, if Heartworm’s goal was to emulate the PS1 era, well then, it achieves that goal with confidence and grace. Heck, even Sam’s intentionally bad monologue and angular proportions serve their purpose. Now, I should mention that there IS a way to turn off the retro pixilation, however what is left in the “modern” graphics mode is far less appealing.  Without the filter, the graphics just look dull and lifeless, lacking personality and charm.  It’s amazing how much one filter can change the entire atmosphere of the game. 

The world of Heartworm features a variety of locations, from a haunting clocktower that quite literally pays tribute to many of the great horror games of the past, to a chilling town full of flooded-out homes and streets where noisy creatures that look like your VCR trying to play one of your favorite VHS tapes— the game’s presentation is filled to the brim with small details and fun touches, further heightened by a fixed camera, which will admittedly, be one of the tougher enemies that you face. 

Let’s talk about the exploration of Heartworm, which involves traversing three main locations, with a few detours and boss encounters along the way. Each location is mapped out, though the maps aren’t exactly up to par with what you might expect from a modern title. Instead, you’ll get more or less what you would expect from a classic survival horror game. One saving grace is that areas that have not been fully explored will appear static-y on the map, indicating there is more to find. Still, you may find yourself doing your fair share of wandering—even trying to find a location you’ve been to before can be difficult, as the fixed camera abruptly changes from screen to screen, sometimes throwing my brain for a loop. At least the controls have been modernized—that is, if you CHOOSE for them to be. That’s right, you CAN opt in to tank controls if you’re fond of going all-in on the nostalgia train. I personally found that the modern controls worked pretty well and were a decent compromise between old and new.

Speaking of new, Heartworm’s combat is less Resident Evil and more Silent Hill meets Fatal Frame. Sam uses her camera, focusing on enemies and taking a shot to immobilize foes. You’ll aim down the sights just as you would with a gun, but more often than not it’s better to save your film and flee altogether. The combat is serviceable, with a variety of enemies from dogs to ghostly specters and some pretty creative boss encounters—such as a deer that will hide in the woods, only exposed by spotting him through your camera, almost like a game of I Spy.

Sam also has a limited inventory, another nod to classic survival horror, where items can be combined and her camera can be upgraded with mods. One such mod will allow her to take three shots at once, dishing out more damage. Her camera also serves as a flashlight of sorts, illuminating dark areas without the cost of wasting one of your film strips. Naturally, your progress can be recorded in safe rooms, just like classic Resident Evil, though there won’t be any ink ribbons here—replaced instead by clunky PCs. Still, safe rooms are far enough apart where death can mean losing a good bit of progress if you become reckless, as I did a few times.

Performance on PC was mostly fine, though I did experience a few odd bugs—one of which got poor Sam killed after getting hung up on the corner of a wall. She was clipping so hard I thought the game was trying to give me a vasectomy. That was actually one of the times I recklessly forgot to save my progress and found myself doing a fair bit of backtracking. There was another instance where her game-over animation malfunctioned, though it was hardly game-breaking and more humorous than anything else. Ultimately, none of the bugs I ran into dissuaded me from wanting to finish this title, which isn’t exactly a huge commitment—clocking in at five to seven hours depending on your skill level and familiarity with the genre. The game will move much more quickly once you’ve learned the ins and outs, meaning that we’ll probably see a lot of fun speedruns in the future. Should you want to go back in for another run, you’ll be able to unlock more outfits for Sam to keep things fun and interesting while you relive the past once more.

Heartworm does appear to run well on Steam Deck (running at a locked 60 FPS) if you prefer to take your survival horror on the go, though some sections are incredibly zoomed out, which makes it difficult to see our protagonist at times. Heck, that was even a problem on my much larger television screen.

As a celebration of classic survival horror titles of the past, Heartworm is highly successful at capturing the nostalgic magic of a bygone era in a way that many other games have tried to do, but with varying degrees of success. It might not win over any new fans, but for those of you that grew up on the PS1 era of survival horror and don’t mind a bit of jank with some modern amenities to balance it out, Heartworm is a love letter to the past—but honestly, an entertaining game in its own right that fans of the genre shouldn’t miss out on.

SILVER - GREAT