Game Overview
Game Title:
Kowloon
Genre:
First-person psychological horror game
Target Audience:
Players who enjoy slow-paced horror, immersive narratives and chases of tension, as well as fans of horror games such as Paranormal HK, Outlast, Silent Hill, etc.
Short Pitch:
Kowloon is a Cantonese folk horror game. The story takes place in the abandoned Kowloon Walled City.
After receiving a note and a jade pendant from your late grandmother, you return to this deserted City. The silence here doesn’t mean safety.
As you explore, uncover the dusty records and weave through the narrow corridors, some kind of creature begins to respond to your disturbing behavior.
Essential Experience
I want players to feel curiosity, tension, and quiet dread layered across a slow, suffocating journey through a forgotten place.
- Curiosity – Returning to the abandoned Kowloon Walled City, driven by a personal connection and an unanswered question: Why did my grandmother leave this behind?
- Unease – The discomfort doesn’t come from ghosts, but from the environment itself: cramped hallways, damp walls, peeling paint, and abandoned objects that feel like someone left without warning. The silence is dirty, heavy, and unsettling.
- Panic – Sudden chase moments where the ghost appears and forces the player to run and hide—triggered not randomly, but whenever the player attempts to access records or unearth what was meant to stay hidden.
- Resolution – As the truth becomes clear, fear shifts into empathy. The final moments aren’t about escaping a monster, but about facing the weight of a story no one was allowed to speak. The player doesn’t just survive—they become a witness.
Core Design Pillars
Core Game Loop
Screen Mock-Up & HUD Annotation
Moodboard
Story Premise
In 1991, the residents of Kowloon Walled City were evacuated for demolition. The official report said that everyone had left.
However, when your grandmother passed away, you received two items of unknown origin: a note and an ancient jade pendant engraved with a code.
She didn’t provide any background information. You can only go back to the building to find the answer.
The city was desolate and empty, with no one around. Items were still placed in their original positions, as if life here had come to an abrupt halt.
As you delve deeper into your exploration, something is disturbed by you and responds to your actions.
This is not a mission to defeat or escape from monsters, but a direct confrontation with a story that has never been allowed to be told, as well as a past that one refuses to remain silent about.