Uploaded February 2021 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
As written by arboreta.itch.io/the-black-iris (As of 10/02/2021):
1983. North East Scotland. An engineer is sent to an abandoned, clandestine research facility and is tasked with decommissioning equipment and gathering research material left by scientists. As the engineer travels deeper into the void, they are thrust into an unstable world of phantasmagorical horrors.
"A lot of games throw around the phrase “cosmic horror” nowadays, but few manage to deliver it as well as The Black Iris does. As soon as you step into the facility the atmosphere is electric and there’s a real feeling of awe as you unravel the enormity of what’s going on there. The retro styled visuals and vibrant purple-hued color palate are superb and the audio design is incredible. It’s a mind-blowing experience. Highly recommended." - AlphaBetaGamer
Explore a small open world in a play time of around 20-30 minutes
This game contains flashing lights
Content warning: One instance of body horror, unsettling sound design
Soundtrack version available for $4.00 (Gives access to the game + 4 Tracks)
Controls:
WASD = Move
E = Interact
T = Toggle torch
TAB = Menu/Inventory/Objectives
ESC/P = Pause
All proceeds from this game (after the standard 10% revenue share with itch.io) will go to West Dunbartonshire Community Foodback. Receipts will be posted as evidence of this donation. If you want to learn more about the work they do see here: westdunbartonshirecommunityfoodshare.co.uk
Contact: arboretagames@gmail.com
Note to streamers: please feel free to monetize playthroughs of this game.
More information
Updated 57 minutes ago
Published 3 days ago
Status Released
Platforms Windows
Rating 5/5 - (1 Rating)
Author ARBORETA GAMES
Made with Unity, Blender, Adobe After Effects
Tags cosmic, Exploration, Horror, pixelated, scotland, Unity
Average session About a half-hour
Languages English
Inputs Keyboard
Accessibility Subtitles
Review:
Amazing! This game was simply amazing!
The graphics, art-style and map design, in their own right, were outstanding! The audio, was really good too. But best of all was the gameplay and the story! The story was so compelling and immersive, and the environment heavily portrayed the effects of the story. This is a hard feat, and is very well done!
Usually I have a few points of criticism, but I have nothing much to add here. I can not as of now come up with any ideas to improve the game. Despite the camera mechanics, controlling is surprisingly easy and works really well with the unorthodox camera angles.
Sorry for the short review, I usually write a bit more, but there is nothing much to add other than a rating of 5/5 star! Great work! Looking forward to your future projects and updates!
-BH
As written by arboreta.itch.io/the-black-iris (As of 10/02/2021):
1983. North East Scotland. An engineer is sent to an abandoned, clandestine research facility and is tasked with decommissioning equipment and gathering research material left by scientists. As the engineer travels deeper into the void, they are thrust into an unstable world of phantasmagorical horrors.
"A lot of games throw around the phrase “cosmic horror” nowadays, but few manage to deliver it as well as The Black Iris does. As soon as you step into the facility the atmosphere is electric and there’s a real feeling of awe as you unravel the enormity of what’s going on there. The retro styled visuals and vibrant purple-hued color palate are superb and the audio design is incredible. It’s a mind-blowing experience. Highly recommended." - AlphaBetaGamer
Explore a small open world in a play time of around 20-30 minutes
This game contains flashing lights
Content warning: One instance of body horror, unsettling sound design
Soundtrack version available for $4.00 (Gives access to the game + 4 Tracks)
Controls:
WASD = Move
E = Interact
T = Toggle torch
TAB = Menu/Inventory/Objectives
ESC/P = Pause
All proceeds from this game (after the standard 10% revenue share with itch.io) will go to West Dunbartonshire Community Foodback. Receipts will be posted as evidence of this donation. If you want to learn more about the work they do see here: westdunbartonshirecommunityfoodshare.co.uk
Contact: arboretagames@gmail.com
Note to streamers: please feel free to monetize playthroughs of this game.
More information
Updated 57 minutes ago
Published 3 days ago
Status Released
Platforms Windows
Rating 5/5 - (1 Rating)
Author ARBORETA GAMES
Made with Unity, Blender, Adobe After Effects
Tags cosmic, Exploration, Horror, pixelated, scotland, Unity
Average session About a half-hour
Languages English
Inputs Keyboard
Accessibility Subtitles
Review:
Amazing! This game was simply amazing!
The graphics, art-style and map design, in their own right, were outstanding! The audio, was really good too. But best of all was the gameplay and the story! The story was so compelling and immersive, and the environment heavily portrayed the effects of the story. This is a hard feat, and is very well done!
Usually I have a few points of criticism, but I have nothing much to add here. I can not as of now come up with any ideas to improve the game. Despite the camera mechanics, controlling is surprisingly easy and works really well with the unorthodox camera angles.
Sorry for the short review, I usually write a bit more, but there is nothing much to add other than a rating of 5/5 star! Great work! Looking forward to your future projects and updates!
-BH
