Butcher’s Creek, a melee-based first-person horror game from the creator of Dusk, is going down a storm on Steam. After one day and more than 170 player reviews, it’s already earned a 94% positive rating. Be warned, however. David Szymanski’s latest is not for the faint of heart. Vicious, brutal, and nihilistic, this could be one of the nastiest games of 2025.
But, five minutes in, it turns into an extended, crueller version of the hallway fight from Oldboy, as you slash, stab and kick your way through hordes of serial killers. Forget hunting for ammo. Butcher Creek’s combat is entirely melee based.
Instead, you’ll be smacking people with spanners, wrenching pipes off walls, and causing as much weapon-to-face mayhem as you can. I’ve only dispatched a handful of Texas Chain Saw Massacre escapees so far, but I’m having a blast.
You can download a demo right now, though there is one curious change between it and the main game. A few minutes in, you’re captured and deprived of your clothes so, after your escape, you’re taking on enemies in the nude. However, the demo strips you right from the start, like some nudist version of The Blair Witch Project, and I miss that extra dose of absurdity.
That’s a minor gripe, though. So far, Butcher’s Creek is glorious payback for every found footage movie victim. Forget sobbing snottily into a camera. I’ve got a rusty hammer, and I’m not afraid to use it.
