Why I Hate This Place feels like an ’80s horror comic you can play

Survival horror has a habit of sanding itself down to the bare bones; gritty realism, muted palettes, darkness piled on darkness. Having played it, the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem is a great example of horror's love of the dark. And then comes I Hate This Place, which goes the other way entirely, and that’s precisely what makes it stand out.

Meridiem has announced a physical release of I Hate This Place for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, and it’s a game that feels tailor-made for a boxed edition. Loud, graphic, and unapologetically comic-book in its presentation, this is survival horror that looks like it’s been torn straight from the pages of a cult graphic novel and splattered across your screen.

Which, of course, it has. Developed by Rock Square Thunder and digitally published by Broken Mirror Games and Feardemic, I Hate This Place takes direct inspiration from the Eisner-nominated comic series by writer Kyle Starks and artist Artyom Topilin. Crucially, it doesn’t just borrow the name or tone; it commits fully to the language of comics as a visual medium.

All in on the comic style

Heavy outlines, flat yet aggressive colour blocks, and exaggerated visual effects give the game a striking, almost confrontational look. Sound cues pop up as on-screen text, like comic captions. Impacts land with graphic punctuation. The world feels illustrated rather than rendered, and that deliberate artificiality gives the horror a sharper edge.

That aesthetic feeds directly into how the game plays. I Hate This Place is an isometric survival horror game built around scavenging, crafting, and decision-making under pressure. You play as Elena, whose fight for survival begins after a ritual goes catastrophically wrong, dragging her into a hostile world that seems designed to punish mistakes. Resources are limited, shelter is temporary, and noise can be fatal.

Sound, in particular, is a constant threat. Many enemies hunt by what they hear rather than what they see, forcing players to think carefully about every movement. Charging in rarely ends well. Instead, the game encourages misdirection, trap-setting, and careful navigation, all reinforced visually through its comic-style sound indicators and colour-coded alerts.

The world itself is split between uneasy calm and outright hostility thanks to a dynamic day-night cycle. Daytime is for preparation: exploring forests, abandoned towns, and underground bunkers, gathering materials, and reinforcing camps. At night, the tone shifts. Enemies multiply, visibility drops, and the contrast adds rhythm to the experience, offering moments of breathing room before yanking the rug out again.

Meridiem’s physical Elena’s Edition leans into the game’s visual identity. Alongside the game disc or cartridge, the boxed release includes a special-effect cover, an artbook highlighting the comic-inspired design, and a narrative extra: a secret letter from Elena. It’s the kind of package that feels designed for fans who appreciate process as much as play.

In a genre crowded with look-alikes, I Hate This Place earns attention by refusing to blend in. Its horror isn’t just about what lurks in the dark; it’s about bold lines, loud colours, and a visual language that makes every moment feel like a panel you’d rather not turn. For survival horror fans craving something with real graphic identity, this is one place worth hating your way through.

The physical edition of I Hate This Place releases on 9 April 2026, while the Steam release is set for 29 January.