Highlights
- Clapperheads introduces new horror game Zoochosis, where players must protect zoo animals afflicted by a mysterious ailment.
- Studio’s love for narrative evident in lore-filled Sparky Marky series and continues with Zoochosis.
- Zoochosis combines body horror and zoo management gameplay, with player choices affecting the story.
Indie studio Clapperheads has announced its new horror game, Zoochosis. The self-published horror simulation game takes place in a zoo where the animals are afflicted by a mysterious ailment that transforms them into truly petrifying monsters. As the zookeeper, the player must protect the animals throughout the night with all the terrifying happenings captured on the player’s bodycam.
Clapperheads is a newer studio, founded just two years ago in 2022. Since then, it has created two horror titles: Sparky Marky Episode 1 and Episode 2, each set in an eerie children’s camp. The horror series is episodic and follows the terrifying indie trend of mascot horror games. The studio is spread worldwide with developers located in Bulgaria, the United States, Uzbekistan, Latvia, Kazakhstan, and Thailand, yet despite the distance, the team is united by their love for cinema and thrilling stories. This is made evident in the lore-filled narrative of the Sparky Marky series, which Clapperheads has been working to continue as it delves into new territory with Zoochosis.
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The official trailer for Zoochosis was released and features the first looks at the horrifying creatures that turn the night shift into a nightmare. Set for release in late 2024, players will experience a game filled with body horror that focuses on zookeeper’s night filled with mangled zoo animals in need of a cure. The player must investigate the horrifying illness and attempt to cure the animals, but will be faced with difficult choices that affect the ending of the story. Zoochosis will be available to play on Steam and can be added to wishlists now.
Zoochosis feels like a twisted combination of Five Nights at Freddy’s and Planet Zoo, subverting the typically wholesome connotation of zoo animals into something truly startling. The zoo is a twisted and body horror-filled nightmare, where around any corner a giraffe or kangaroo could be waiting to swallow a player whole. Despite the eerie circumstances, the player is still in charge of caring for and protecting the animals like in other zoo management games. Ultimately, the player must save themselves by saving the animals with a vaccine for their frightening ailment. In an interesting twist that shows the studio’s love for narrative, choices made by the player will determine their ending and increase the tension throughout the story.
This petrifying title adds another to the list of new games using the bodycam angle to add an immersive element to their story. This interesting camera perspective paired with the unique horror setting and creative art direction has established Zoochosis as a horror title to keep an eye out for this year.
