Head beneath the waves and pull up “corpses from an oil-drenched nightmare” in the ocean-fear inducing KEROGEN
KEROGEN is a psychological horror game that taps into ocean-based dread through an underwater exploration premise. Players control Oteil, a forsaken drone operator tasked with investigating a sunken oil tanker. The core mechanic involves dredging up corpses from an oil-drenched environment, creating a grotesque atmosphere designed to disturb players.
The game joins a growing subgenre of ocean-horror titles alongside acclaimed games like SOMA, BioShock, and Iron Lung. Rock Paper Shotgun notes that KEROGEN aims for the “I’m not sure I can keep my eyes open while I play this” level of psychological disturbance, positioning itself among the most unsettling experiences in the medium. The game leverages the inherent vastness and unknowability of the ocean as a source of tension and fear, capitalizing on thalassophobia as a core emotional driver.
While limited details are available from this early coverage, the game appears to focus on atmospheric horror and psychological unease rather than action-based gameplay. The sunken oil tanker setting provides a claustrophobic, decaying industrial environment for exploration, paired with the grim task of recovering grotesque remnants from the depths.