THE ERA OF SKATEBOARDING HORROR VIDEO GAMES HAS ARRIVED—AND WE LOVE IT

It may not exactly be the SKATE 4 that the world has been asking for, but Orange County, a new PS1-styled skateboarding horror video game for PC, is available for download now. The term “skateboarding horror” can mean a lot of things nowadays, but what the team of Nicholas Brancaccio, Rachel Hwang, and Nick Grayson, have done is kinda sick: a first-person survival game that is deadly quiet (save for the sweet, sweet sounds of a skateboard rolling on concrete).

The game has you trying to escape from a security guard in a golf cart by pushing like your life depended on it—and in the game, it does. Taking place in the black of night with nothing but a camera light leading the way, you need to avoid oncoming cars (traffic increases as the game progresses) and other hazards, such as buildings. Orange County is giving us the willies… and we’re not talking about the grind.

Here’s the game’s excellent description from its Itch page:

“The ever-circling specter of Elon’s children. The beige. Middle-class housing clustered like teeth in a robotic maw. The beige. The ever present hum of the sprinklers. The beige. Sometimes your skateboard feels like the only real thing in this place.

With the help of your board, escape the horrors of procedurally-generated Orange County. Or try to. It’s only a matter of time.”

Orange County‘s barebones build (it was executed in a matter of months for Breogán Hackett‘s “Haunted PS1 Summer Spooks” challenge) delivers on the terror, giving us incredible Silent Hill vibes. Brancaccio, who works as a graphics programmer, recently tweeted about his plans for an Orange County update: “Next steps are to build a sense of progression and discovery into the experience. We’re actively working on this so check back for updates on the Itch page!”

Thanks to Alpha Beta Gamer for turning us on to this one! Download Orange County, free, for PC here.