Scratches

Step into the chilling embrace of the Blackwood estate, a place where shadows linger and whispers of a dark past echo through its decaying halls. Set in the remote English countryside of 1976, Scratches plunges you into a gripping mystery adventure.

The estate's history is steeped in tragedy. Once owned by James T. Blackwood, it became the scene of a horrific accusation: his wife's murder. Though Blackwood died shortly after, leaving the house to Christopher Milton, the mystery deepened when Milton himself vanished without a trace years later. Now, the estate awaits its newest occupant.

You are Michael Arthate, an author seeking solitude to pen his next masterpiece. But the Blackwood estate holds more than just quiet inspiration. Unsettling scratches emanate from the very walls, drawing you into the house's tormented history. Your writing takes a backseat as you become consumed by the need to unravel the truth behind the Blackwood and Milton disappearances.

Navigate the estate from a first-person perspective, using only your mouse to explore its secrets. Uncover clues, piece together fragmented narratives, and delve into the heart of the mystery. The eerie soundscape, crafted by the now-defunct Cellar of Rats, amplifies the pervasive sense of dread within the mansion, crypt, greenhouse, and church.

Drawing heavily from the unsettling universe of H.P. Lovecraft, Scratches weaves in direct references to the master of cosmic horror. Encounter whispers of the Necronomicon, De Vermis Mysteriis, and echoes of "The Mountains of Madness." Even the name of a critic of Michael's book, R'yleh, hints at the eldritch influences at play. As Michael himself moved from Providence, Rhode Island, Lovecraft's hometown, the shadows of these ancient tales loom large.