Cauldron Inn — key art: a cat beside a typewriter at a desk in a dark forest

A story-driven dark fairy tale psychological horror game centered on anomaly hunting

View trailer

Genre

Horror, adventure, simulation, puzzle

Completion Time

40 – 120 min

Platform

PC (Steam)

Supported Languages

RU, EN, CH, DE, ES, PT, KO, ZH

Development Stage

Demo, Playtest

Release

Q4 2026 – Q1 2027

Cauldron Inn is a story-driven fairy-tale psychological horror game centered around anomaly hunting.

You wake up trapped inside a mysterious hotel from the early 20th century. To escape, you must carefully examine your surroundings and find the differences — anomalies that distort reality.

A vase of roses with eyes

The early 20th century. A Siberian forest. Something sinister is pursuing you when suddenly you spot a building—an inn—and take refuge inside. But this temporary sanctuary becomes an eternal prison; time stands still, and the memory of your life vanishes in an instant.

However, you find instructions that will allow you to escape. You need to keep an eye on what is happening in the hotel. Anomalies may appear there from time to time—paranormal manifestations of evil forces. Sometimes they are hard to spot, but at other times, they actively pursue you. Whenever you discover an anomaly, you must ring the bell in one of the rooms.

What was chasing you? Someone is sending you messages in the form of straw dolls—who is it? Play the game to the end to uncover a deep narrative steeped in legend and dread, where the fates of several characters intertwine.

An old typewriter

You’ll Love Cauldron Inn If You Like This

P.T.
P.T.
Exit 8
Exit 8
Ten Bells
Ten Bells
Who's at the Door
Who’s at the Door
The X-Files
The X-Files
Portrait of Nikolai Gogol
Slavic Fairy Tales
Cabinet of Curiosities
Cabinet of Curiosities

Mechanics

Carefully explore the environment and look for anomalies

Search for hidden straw dolls that someone is sending you

Collect your memories through a mini-game

Two different endings depending on how many dolls you’ve collected

Key Features

  • Dark Slavic fairy tale atmosphere with rich, intertwined lore and emotional story
  • 40+ unsettling anomalies with unique behaviors and mechanics
  • 6 hidden straw dolls that need to be found
  • 6 puzzle mini-games that reveal the plot
Anomaly: a head served on a platter A wicker figure by the window A grinning mask behind the curtains Puzzle mini-game revealing a memory
Pavel Efremov — portrait in an antique oval frame

About Me

Hi! My name is Pavel. I am a technical artist, art director and solo video game developer.

Cauldron Inn is my first major game project, which I have been developing since late 2025. The game is rooted in the dark fairy tales that have long fascinated me and that I occasionally write myself.

I strove to create the atmosphere of a bygone era—the turn of the century—and drew upon the Slavic aesthetic of dark storytelling when crafting the game’s anomalies. Also you will encounter several memorable characters throughout the story.

I hope players will be able to see the soul I poured into this game.

Media Kit

Main menu of Cauldron Inn Opening a dark door with a candle A suitcase and a gramophone on a desk Full moon over the dark forest A bedroom bathed in red light A bedroom with clocks on the wall

Download Press Kit