Introduction
“Static Dread: The Lighthouse” is a horror and strategy game in the Visual Novel style, in which the player must make decisions based on information analysis and ethical dilemmas. Its core mechanic was popularised by the well-known “Papers, Please“. In addition, this is another entry in our series of Lovecraftian games. The game was developed by Solarsuit Games and published by Polden Publishing, and it was released in 2025.
The Story of Static Dread
Static Dread features different choices that alter the course of events and lead to multiple endings. Below are the general narrative events.
Static Dread takes place in a world where an aurora has covered the entire globe, causing widespread interference in modern communication. The player is sent to a lighthouse on an island called Outsmouth with the task of guiding ships using an old analogue radio. Now, if the lighthouse keeper wishes to return to his family, he must endure 15 days checking ship documents and dealing with events that grow more bizarre with each passing day.
First days
As soon as he arrives at the lighthouse, the lighthouse keeper is introduced to his duties and to what his routine will be over the coming days. The player’s belongings are delivered by the Courier, who will return from time to time with new items to sell. The player is contacted by the Chief via radio. The Chief is a nuisance and explains the job to the player. In short, the task is to find the frequencies of ship radios and guide them towards a port. The lighthouse keeper may also contact his family if he wishes.
Still on the first night, the lighthouse keeper meets Jackie, captain of the *Sturgeon*, who asks to enter the lighthouse, something the lighthouse keeper is forbidden to allow. In time, the radio is interrupted by a mysterious voice. Another recurring visitor is the Fisherman, who sells his goods.
Later on, two strange people knock on the lighthouse door. The first is Elder Ville, Jackie’s father. He is worried because his son has not been in touch and wants to enter the lighthouse. The second is The Boy, a strange child wearing a raincoat.
The voice on the radio continues to insist, forcing the player to make harder decisions, such as sending ships to their deaths. He also meets Misty, Jackie’s girlfriend, and must deal with Elder Ville’s growing desperation as he searches for his son. To make matters worse, several ships report anomalies in their cargo and must be guided to a research station.
Quarantine
Due to the anomalies, a series of rules and quarantine zones are established. At this point, the lighthouse keeper comes into contact with a smuggling cartel that tries to persuade him to help them. Meanwhile, the storm and the aurora continue to intensify.
Deputy Tides pays a visit to the lighthouse in search of information about the cartel. She tells the lighthouse keeper that the villagers of Outsmouth have been behaving aggressively because of what happened to Jackie and the *Sturgeon*. In addition, a certain Madam has been making unwanted visits, asking to be let into the lighthouse. The problem is that she is the wife of a Hunter who is far from pleased with the situation.
In time, the player will receive visits from new characters such as the Shroom Lady, a Cultist, a dog, Captain Drake, who appears somewhat deformed, and a Pastor.
The end approaches
To progress through the story, the player learns that there was a former lighthouse keeper at that location, who left behind his diary and hidden clues. With each day, the player gains access to more of this past. It becomes clear that the former lighthouse keeper not only suffered under the influence of a creature, but also carried out a ritual. To the player’s surprise, this creature is imprisoned in the lighthouse basement.
This creature is known as The Darkness and lies beneath the lighthouse, embodied by the Necronomicon. Like any creature in this universe, it seeks freedom and aims to unleash something unnatural upon the world. At this stage, everything descends into chaos, involving cultists and the army, which sets out with ships and aircraft, forcing people to evacuate to safe locations. In the end, the player may choose to shelter characters inside the lighthouse and, as a result, witness each of their endings.
As for the cultists, they are the inhabitants of Outsmouth and, together with Elder Ville, are performing the ritual to summon The Darkness. The issue is that Jackie was the key component of this ritual, and his disappearance delays the process.
In the final moments of the game, The Darkness rises from the depths of the sea in front of the lighthouse and clashes with the army. The player must assist the soldiers via radio to fight the creature and, of course, reach one of the possible endings. In the best outcome, the lighthouse keeper banishes The Darkness from the lighthouse.
Telling a Lovecraftian story
“Static Dread” presents many interesting elements, starting with its theme. Combining the gameplay of “Papers, Please” with a Lovecraftian horror narrative is a brilliant idea and fits the concept well. Guiding people you cannot see, relying only on information and their words, makes you question what on earth lies on the other side. On top of that, the character is trapped in the lighthouse while something unfolds outside, and you only access fragments of it. The entity known as The Darkness is both intriguing and threatening. The atmosphere, the visual style and the sense of anticipation are all delivered with great care.
That said, stories of this kind often become a race against time. The first hours are outstanding, then they remain enjoyable, then they lose impact, and by the final quarter you may already feel weary. The main issue with Static Dread is that the game seems unsure whether it wants to focus on story or gameplay, and this middle ground ends up working against both.
Going deeper
Let us look at this more closely. The game tells its story through visitors at the door, radio dialogue and brief exploration of the lighthouse to uncover the former keeper’s secret. At the same time, the player must analyse ship documents and guide vessels towards ports. On top of that, several “attacks” occur at the lighthouse, reducing the character’s sanity and making the game harder… at least in theory.
These elements do not interact well. The gameplay sections feel more like a punishment interrupting the story rather than an engaging part of it. You may even find yourself hoping someone knocks on the door so you do not have to sit at the radio guiding ships. On the other hand, story events have no direct impact on how the gameplay unfolds.
For instance, making mistakes while guiding ships results in less money at the end of the day. With less money, you should struggle to buy resources that help maintain energy and sanity during the night. However, the resource management is not refined enough to create that tension. In most cases, you end up with a desk piled with unused items. As a result, the gameplay becomes monotonous, with no meaningful upgrade systems that make the effort worthwhile. Another way to solve this monotony would be urgency, which the game also lacks.
Impact on the story
Since the game offers neither urgency nor a system that rewards investment in gameplay, these sections become a form of obstacle before the interesting moments. As a result, the story suffers because it must be paused for the gameplay to take place. In addition, being attacked every night by Eldritch entities weakens the sense of horror. Alongside this, the game introduces an “I’m not human” mood, where the player is warned not to let anyone into the lighthouse, even though many visitors try to enter. To be honest, it is unclear whether this pays off, and during the game this decision feels more relevant than guiding ships by radio. What was meant to be the main mechanic here?
At first, while the story is still unfolding and the truth remains unknown, the visitors do create tension. Once it becomes clear that the villain is The Darkness, however, the visitors no longer feel threatening.
In other words, the player engages with two parallel threads that do not affect one another, and one of them is far more compelling. Letting people approach the lighthouse door advances the narrative and shapes events, yet it adds nothing to the core gameplay. The core gameplay, in contrast, is tedious, unrewarding and feels like a test you must endure to return to the story.
Wrapping Up
That is it. Static Dread is a game that remains enjoyable for a while and features striking, well-crafted art design. Unfortunately, it struggles with focus and becomes rather tedious from the middle onwards. Perhaps if the game had committed to having the player analyse documents, listen to and judge dialogue with ship captains, and decide whether something Eldritch was present or not, the result would have been more compelling. For now, everything feels underused.
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