Blue Shutter: Snap the Supernatural in this Pixel Horror RPG

Misty streets, pixel art, quiet soundscapes, Blue Shutter is the kind of game that whispers rather than shouts.

Blue Shutter is not your typical RPG – it’s a game that invites you into a normal-feeling world at first. But it’s the kind of world that exists within your peripheral vision.

Say Cheese to the Supernatural

In Blue Shutter, your weapon isn’t a sword; it’s a camera. Rather than swinging a blade, you’re taking pictures,  flashing your camera at nightmares, and revealing what’s hiding behind the town’s unsettling calm.

Because photography is the combat in Blue Shutter, you’ll adjust shutter speeds, reload rolls of actual film, and wait for the right moment to catch corrupted spirits on cellulose. Timing, observation, and focus are key, and as your retro camera is your only defense, you’ll have to be patient. Tactile and tense, when you land the perfect shot, it feels earned.

Once you’ve snapped a few photos, take them to your darkroom to develop, drawing out the blue ectoplasm, which acts as the game’s currency to upgrade your camera with new abilities like a wider flash or faster reload time. Flash, survive, develop, upgrade – it’s the game’s core loop.

On one side, the town’s a cozy place with fishing spots and friendly neighbors. On the other, there’s a haunting, creeping force swallowing the light, and only your camera’s flash will push it back.

Meet Set 

Set will guide you through Wadsroad, a town that’s part-postcard-part-paranormal, with his camera and a nagging suspicion that something is wrong. 

Set’s other key tool is a little more modern: a smartphone. Your in-game phone is the menu, complete with Journal app to check your quest log or ways to text NPCs. This offers a nice juxtaposition to the retro technology of film cameras.

The townsfolk are just a little off, too. But this game invites you to get to know them and tug at the edges of this reality until it starts to unravel. The locals will provide you with side quests and backstories, which may leave you with more questions than answers.

Try the Demo Today

If you’d like to try Blue Shutter, the great news is that you can.

Today. 

A demo is already available on Steam, and if you love it, you can find more information about the game’s plans, the team behind it, and help make the game a reality by backing it on the Kickstarter pre-launch page.

Meet the Devs

Blue Shutter is an indie game being developed by Studio Conquiri, led by siblings Juan, Mel, and Del.

Juan is working on the programming in Unreal Engine, Mel handles the photography design and combat mechanics, and Del works on the pixel art to build the world.

This article was written with support from the developers of Blue Shutter. Their support via the Indie Bandits Ko-fi helps us continue to Celebrate Indies and promote games like these. While the devs commissioned the article and provided early access and materials for us, we still have the final say on what we publish.