Horror is having a major moment, with the town buzzing over “Obsession” and “Backrooms.” Netflix is now gearing up for its own interactive entry into the spooky zeitgeist: “Unhinged,” a new home-invasion themed horror game starring Zoë Kravitz, Sadie Sink and legendary voice actor Troy Baker.
Netflix first introduced games to its lineup back in 2021, and has since expanded to include over 100 titles, ranging from console hits like “Red Dead Redemption” to original titles based on Netflix series, such as “Stranger Things 1984” and “Too Hot To Handle: Love is a Game.”
You’ll be forgiven if you haven’t browsed the streamer’s interactive offerings so far. But with “Unhinged,” acclaimed studio Night School developed the project with Netflix user behavior in mind.
I got the chance to visit Netflix’s HQ last week to play through the entire game alongside two of its developers, and the pulse-pounding, tightly crafted experience is sure to have mass appeal.
The entire self-contained campaign only took me about 30 minutes to complete – and that’s the point. Devs noted that users typically boot up Netflix and prepare to commit to the length of a TV episode or movie, which is exactly why they aimed for “Unhinged” to take under an hour.
The whole experience is meant to make it approachable enough for even the most inexperienced gamers to easily start playing.
Developers say “Unhinged,” which took about a year and a half in development, really came to life when they realized the simplest solution was the best one: players would use their phones… as phones.
Taking on the role of Kravitz’s character “Ava,” players can answer calls and texts, turn on her phone flashlight and more as they make split-second decisions while trying to survive a terrifying break-in during a massive storm – without having to pick up a controller.
Even the home invasion concept was inspired by the predicted setting of users playing – in their homes, on a night in with friends. And it’s got replay-ability, too. This is where I brag that I made it through the entire game without a single slip-up – which has only made me want to try again to see just how much I can mess things up for poor Ava.
“Unhinged” hits Netflix on June 30. Watch the trailer:
