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Patricia is the former editor-in-chief of Kotaku, where she spent a decade writing and editing. Prior to that, she served as the Culture Editor at Polygon, and as a reporter at The Verge. Hernandez specializes in Pokémon TCG, Nintendo, and offbeat internet culture stories.
The popular free browser game is officially a horror experience now
Browser-based deduction game GeoGuessr has been around for a long time, and most people are content to simply watch Trevor Rainbolt correctly identify a location within seconds. Yet the developers behind GeoGuessr just gave everyone a good reason to revisit the storied internet game.
GeoGuessr is officially becoming a roguelike survival-horror game called HorrorGuessr this October, and the genre swap works way better than you’d think. The core is the same: examine a screenshot from Google Street View and identify its location. The twist is that a monster is chasing you, so you have a limited amount of time to guess correctly.
To help you out, HorrorGuessr now allows you to use power-ups and choose from 100 unique items. A merchant will sell you clever boosts like a Garlic Pendant that repels the monster a bit, and earplugs made out of candy corn that protect you against sudden jump scares.
If you survive for long enough, you’ll face a number of bosses that guard good loot. “Some might flip your entire world upside down, some might freeze you in place,” the game’s description reads.
Expect to die a lot playing HorrorGuessr
This version of the game is meant to be tough. Specialized load-outs can help you survive for a bit longer, but you can only equip a limited number of items. More importantly, you still need to be good enough at the basic game to pinpoint an area in about 30 seconds at the start of the adventure. Fortunately, there are items that will give you some leeway when you answer incorrectly.
It’s a roguelike, so death is meant to be a part of the adventure. You’ll start the next run with a little more knowledge, and can check out all the different ways an adventure can unfold.
Best of all: it’s free. Try it here.