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Heartworm: A Survival-Horror Throwback with Fresh Ideas

Heartworm mixes fixed-camera retro horror with optional tank controls, over-the-shoulder aiming and camera-based combat in a psychological story about grief.
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Heartworm is a retro-inspired psychological survival-horror game that pairs fixed-camera scenes and low-resolution 3D visuals with optional tank controls, over-the-shoulder aiming and camera-based combat. Developed by Vincent Adinolfi and published by DreadXP, it launched on Steam on July 31, 2025.

What is Heartworm about?

You play as Sam, who is grieving the deaths of people close to her. An online lead draws her to a remote house rumored to be connected to the afterlife. The official site frames the story around “the memories we keep and the ones we wish we could forget,” placing grief and attempts to contact the dead at the center of its horror.

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The setting is a surreal suburb, and the presentation leans into unease rather than action spectacle. Its psychological focus is part of what distinguishes the game from survival horror built primarily around combat.

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How does Heartworm play?

Classic horror framing, with a choice of controls

The game uses cinematic fixed camera angles and low-resolution 3D graphics associated with older survival-horror games. It also offers optional tank controls, while its Steam description identifies over-the-shoulder aiming as another perspective. That makes Heartworm a blend of throwback presentation and a more direct aiming view, rather than a game locked to one camera style.

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Exploration, puzzles and limited combat

Exploration and classic puzzles form the core of play. Combat is limited, and Sam uses a camera as a weapon. The mechanic gives the camera a role beyond atmosphere, but the available description does not suggest that fighting dominates the experience.

How long is Heartworm?

Steam lists an estimated 4–6 hours of gameplay and advertises multiple endings. Treat the runtime as the store listing’s estimate, not a guaranteed completion time or an independently measured result; play time can vary with pace and how much a player explores.

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Where can you play it?

Heartworm released on July 31, 2025, and is available to purchase on Steam for PC. The official site also directs players to Steam. The sources confirming availability do not establish whether a console version is available or planned, so check current publisher or storefront announcements if you are looking for a console release. View Heartworm on Steam.

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PC requirements and content note

Steam lists minimum game requirements of Windows 7 (SP1+) or Windows 10, 8 GB RAM, DirectX 10 and 8 GB of available storage. Its page also notes separately that the Steam client has supported Windows 10 and later since January 1, 2024; that client notice is not the same as the game’s stated minimum operating-system requirement. Steam labels the content advisory as written and visual depictions of death.

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Is Heartworm the right kind of horror game for you?

  • Try it if you like retro-style camera work, deliberate exploration, puzzles and a psychological story about grief.
  • Know what to expect if you prefer action-heavy horror: combat is described as limited, and the game’s emphasis is on exploration and atmosphere.
  • Look for a mix of old and new if you enjoy fixed-camera scenes but want optional tank controls and over-the-shoulder aiming available in the same game.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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