The Crimson Hunt is an ambitious indie survival horror game created by solo developer Farelas, delivering a nostalgic vampire adventure heavily modeled after classic Resident Evil titles. Released on October 6, 2026, the game pairs deliberate third-person shooting, inventory management, and mansion exploration with couch co-op design. While technical rough edges and bizarre glitches hold it back from greatness, its solid atmosphere, genuine voice acting, and budget price make it an easy recommendation for patient genre enthusiasts.
A Gothic Mansion Steeped in Classic Survival Horror
The narrative follows Victoria, an experienced vampire hunter dealing with past trauma, who infiltrates an isolated Victorian mansion to rescue Eleanor, a captive woman marked by an ancient vampire lord named Edmund. The story progresses across three main chapters as the pair attempts to break free from the mansion and catacombs, dealing with ghouls, giant bats, and bloodthirsty creatures.
Scriptwriters Cynthia and Jeanine craft an engaging, albeit campy, gothic plot that leans directly into classic survival horror tropes. The game's voice cast delivers surprisingly polished performances, bringing emotional weight to Victoria and Eleanor’s budding relationship. The experience feels reminiscent of early 2000s cinematic horror, culminating in an action-heavy showdown against Edmund.
| Game Aspect | Official Steam Details & Community Benchmarks |
|---|---|
| Developer & Publisher | Farelas |
| Base Price | $11.99 USD (20% launch discount to $9.59 / ~10 Euros) |
| Target Playtime | 2.5 to 4 hours per standard playthrough |
| Core Game Modes | Single-Player, Local Shared / Split-Screen Co-op, Steam Remote Play Together |
| Confirmed Voice Cast | Dane Keck Geklay (Evelyn), Cat Pepin (Eleanor), Sarah Bella Joyce (Victoria) |
| Engine & API | Direct3D 12, Unity / HDRP |
| Minimum System Specs | Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600, 16 GB RAM, GTX 1060 / RX 580 |
Gameplay and Combat: Resident Evil Meets Vampire Hunting
The core loop of The Crimson Hunt revolves around navigating tight hallways, solving spatial mechanisms, managing tight resource reserves, and fighting grotesque abominations.
Combat Mechanics
Victoria handles standard firearms such as a Colt Model 1911 pistol, a pump-action shotgun, and a crossbow, along with a combat knife and melee kicks that can be executed after staggering enemies or at will. The combat system also introduces:
- A dedicated parry mechanic and quick dash to avoid heavy melee swings.
- A stamina meter that limits continuous dodging, running, and heavy physical strikes.
- Sneak takedowns for cautious players who choose stealth over firefights.
- An ultraviolet flashlight tool carried by Eleanor, intended to stun and weaken enemies sensitive to radiation.
While the foundation is solid, shooting feedback can feel slightly disconnected, with bullet impacts resembling paint pellets rather than forceful kinetic strikes. The stamina penalty on melee attacks can also feel punishing during chaotic encounters in tight hallways.
Exploration and Puzzles
The mansion layout strongly recalls the Spencer Mansion from the original Resident Evil. Players search for keys, carry quest items like statuettes and medallions, and interact with clockwork environmental mechanisms. An optional waypoint system, triggered by holding Q, guides players to active objectives, helping those who dislike wandering aimlessly while remaining optional for purists. The game also introduces platforming variety, including Uncharted-style wall climbs and underwater swimming sections.
Co-Op Functionality
Designed with split-screen in mind, The Crimson Hunt allows two players to experience the entire campaign together locally or via Steam Remote Play Together. Unlike early demo misconceptions that Eleanor was locked into a passive support role, developer Farelas confirmed that both characters can equip any available firearm in the game. In solo play, an AI companion controls Eleanor, though her pathfinding and interaction prompts can occasionally stall during door levers or switch puzzles.
Performance, Polish, and Known Technical Bugs
Because The Crimson Hunt was created by a single developer on a limited budget, the title launched with noticeable technical flaws:
- Severe Frame Stutter: Players on both mid-range hardware and high-end systems (such as the RTX 4090 and RTX 50-series GPUs) noted frame drops and micro-stuttering, particularly throughout Chapter 1, before stabilizing in Chapters 2 and 3.
- Reload Ammo Glitches: A bug present in early launch versions caused reloading certain firearms, such as the pistol, to wipe out remaining reserves from the player's inventory.
- Collision and Animation Traps: Community reports highlight instances of players getting stuck behind item storage boxes, frozen in knife animation stances, or trapped within geometry during underwater sections.
- Boss Fight Softlocks: During the Edmund boss encounter, teleportation scripts can occasionally misplace the boss in inaccessible zones or disable player weapon-swap inputs.
- Control Quirks: Early builds lacked mouse scroll wheel weapon cycling and featured inconsistent menu key bindings when exiting readable documents.
Developer Farelas has been active on Steam forums, releasing rapid post-launch hotfixes to address loading times, improve safe puzzle hints, and smooth out performance drops.
Final Verdict: Is The Crimson Hunt Worth Playing?
The Crimson Hunt is a rough diamond. It does not possess the technical refinement of a big-budget Capcom release, and the lack of native online matchmaking limits co-op convenience. However, what it lacks in polish it makes up for in heart, atmosphere, and value. For around ten dollars, players receive a focused, 3-hour gothic survival horror campaign with quality voice acting, tense boss battles, and genuine couch co-op support. If you can tolerate indie jank and occasional bugs, it is an enjoyable throwback worth picking up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Crimson Hunt feature online co-op multiplayer?
No. The game does not have built-in native online multiplayer servers. It supports two-player local shared/split-screen play and can be played online with friends on PC using Steam Remote Play Together.
What is the safe code in the early mansion area?
The code for the early safe puzzle in the mansion is 5-1-7, derived from the environmental symbols placed near the safe.
Can Eleanor use weapons in co-op mode?
Yes. Although Eleanor begins with passive tools such as the ultraviolet flashlight, developer Farelas confirmed that she has no weapon restrictions and can equip any gun found throughout the game, matching Victoria's combat loadout.
How long does it take to beat The Crimson Hunt?
A standard playthrough of all three chapters takes between 2.5 and 4 hours, depending on puzzle solving speed, difficulty selection, and achievement cleanup runs.
