Northbury Grove for Windows

A killer is on the loose

Northbury Grove is a free horror adventure game wherein you must survive the machinations of a masked killer. Developed by Scythe Dev Team, this 3D first-person survival horror game features retro graphics and effects and puzzles as your obstacles from progressing each area of the map.

Set in the same Scythe Saga Universe series as Happy’s Humble Burger Barn, Northbury Grove is heavily inspired by cult classic horror and slasher movies from the '70s and '80s. It even uses the same VHS tape-like effect on the screen—although this sometimes becomes a performance issue on higher resolution screens.

Become the protagonist of a horror movie

In Northbury Grove, you play as a young man named Connor, who is accompanied by his friend Crystal. The two of you arrived early for a music festival in the nearby forest of the titular town to help out with the upcoming concert. However, you can’t seem to find your friend Grace—who’s supposed to hand over your volunteer passes—so decide to brave the darkened forest.

The controls here are pretty simple and will flash on the top-right of your screen as soon as the introductory cutscene ends. WASD is for movement, left-click is for interacting, and the F key is for toggling your flashlight. Meanwhile, use the CTRL key to crouch, the Shift key to sprint, and the Spacebar to jump. To pause the game, press Esc. You can toggle the VHS effect here, too.

Gameplay-wise, exploring the creepy atmosphere is quite immersive. The chase scene can be annoying, however, as the sprint speed is far too fast and sensitive to your controls. The graphics are pretty cool and accurate to the old-school horror movie vibe but the VHS effect can sometimes affect the game’s performance. This often happens on higher resolutions so either you play in windowed mode or just turn it off.

Needs more adjustments

All in all, Northbury Grove is a great indie horror game if you’re a fan of cult classic slasher movies. Not only does it nail the scary atmosphere, but it also introduces you to the suspenseful Northbury Grove Massacre arc in the Scythe Saga Universe of games. However, it could still use some tweaking—especially with its running speed and VHS effect.