
Congratulations, contractor! You've been approved to trial our cutting-edge AI visor. Use it to explore the Neuras lab and recover the staff's research. Your visor is safe, reliable, and up to 99% accurate. Just don't ask why the "ketchup" in the corner makes such a horrible crunching sound.
Modeled estimate, not a reported figure. How we estimate →
About
the optimist says it’s half human
the pessimist says it’s half monster
and the project manager says, “when can we ship it?”
PROXIMATE is a dread-driven narrative game where you investigate a deep sea laboratory and piece together the events that lead to the research team’s demise.
You'll be required to wear an image recognition visor that only tells you the bare minimum information you need to succeed — and sometimes less. Use text information, proximity data and audio clues to form a mental map of your surroundings and pray that your technology won't fail you when you need it most.
There is no monster.
Assignment timeboxed to 90 minutes. If you’re here longer than that, we might have to dock your pay.
Your visor says that the red stain on the wall is ketchup. It was coded by some very smart people, so you should definitely trust it.
Collect chat logs from the research team, but don't read into them too much. We're not paying you to figure out some kind of sinister mystery here.
I mean, we haven’t seen the monster. So it’s probably not there.
Receive helpful calls from your manager, voiced by Luke Austin, who's here to make your job easier. Probably.
Connect with a cast of queer characters, who we definitely cared about and will miss dearly. Oh hey, have you signed that waiver yet?
If you hear it, turn away.
After labor rights movements sweep large parts of India and Southeast Asia, companies around the world lose their supply of cheap exploitable workers. Melbourne-based tech startup Neuras decides to attempt the impossible: installing AI drives into the freshly dead to create a cheap and endless supply of workers.
After a year of disappointing results, the Neuras lab suddenly cuts all contact with their investors. You, a contractor for the country's largest investment firm, have been tasked with investigating the lab and recovering the firm's rightful IP. But it's the firm's other investment project -- the SONA visor -- that might end up being your bigger problem.
That, and the breathing you keep hearing behind the door.
Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English**languages with full audio support
Engagement
Reviews
Themes across 87 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
Reviews
i'm too much of a coward cuck for this game 10/10
I never write reviews but for this game I would like to leave a comment. I discovered this game thanks to a PowerPack Youtube video. As soon as the AI visor concept was presented I stopped the video and knew I had to play the game myself. The concept is so interesting: it's a first person game but you don't see the world, you read words describing what's in front of you with relative accuracy. Ex: Airlock 95%. You can already imagine the fun variations of this concept. That was the hook, and I was quite surprised to see that the game had much more to offer on top of that. The characters are interesting and I loved taking notes about them and discovering their relationships. The story was packed with sci-fi and horror ideas and concepts merged together. You can also tell the developer made a very personal game and I thank him for sharing it. The game is short (2h max and that's because I took notes) and at first the movement is annoying (I kept bumping into things and missing doors all the time), but it is really worth your time. I wanted a fresh horror experience, I got one of the nicest little game I ever played.
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Price dynamics, follower growth, revenue and sales trajectories with interactive tooltips
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Hours played at review time, across 87 reviews with recorded playtime.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
Great game. The narrative that unfolds is very compelling and, to me, pairs well with the gameplay hook of not knowing what anything means, to nicely craft an experience that, to me, is about the need for honest, open, and genuine communication of all kinds. The game also has some amazing dark humor to it. That being said even though it's a horror game, I don't remember anything being particularly scary to me, but that is *just* me.
好玩
**Minor spoilers** I honestly have zero memory of purchasing Proximate, my current theory is that it came as part of a game bundle I purchased sometime recently, as this isn't the kind of game I'd usually play- meaning, I'm kind of a wuss, and I am horrible at any game in which you're required to navigate, well, anywhere without the map being directly in front of you- by the way, whichever dev decided "hey, let's get rid of the map after the third room", I hate you, and I cheated by using a screenshot I took before the map went bye bye, so HA! Anyway... I wanted to spook myself a bit, so after having my ten-minute "when did I buy this" confusion episode, I decided to give Proximate a go! I enjoyed it, surprisingly. Navigation was a bit frustrating, but I eventually got the hang of things... and by that, I mean I was doing somewhat decent by the last five minutes of the game... but hey, it still counts! I think deleting the map made for a good challenge, but without resorting to cheating and using a screenshot for reference, I would've had five hours of playtime, and that's assuming I didn't get mad and quit the game like the whiny sore loser that I am. So I do wish that the doors were easier to get too. They probably aren't difficult to get to, honestly, I'm just very bad at navigating! The not-so-subtle descriptions given, such as "minced meat" were unsettling and did a great job of instilling that "oh sh*t" kind of energy. Any time I "saw" something new, I felt both victorious and uncomfortable. At no point did I turn to face whatever the thing locked in there with us was, so I'll have to replay and see what description I get, if it isn't an automatic "you're dead and you lose" situation. The sound design was fantastic. It made navigating around the hell-hole something resembling tolerable. That said, when whatever the thing- I need to give it a name for the sake of this review since I don't know if it actually has a name and I'm already sick of calling it "whatever the thing", so I'm gonna call it Buddy. Whenever "Buddy" was nearby, getting into my personal bubble, it really sounded like they were breathing right into my ear. I wanted to take my headset off. If I moved just slightly towards Buddy's direction, the sound reflected that minor difference all too well. The late-characters remind me of my coworkers IRL, even in the midst of a life or death situation, they were still cutting up, being dramatic, they felt human. And if you, dearest reader, are thinking "they don't remind me of my coworkers at all", then you and your coworkers just must not be mentally ill like me and mine, can't help you there! On a somewhat more serious note, the chats between the team were a nice, short break from the sense of impending doom and danger. I enjoyed the interactions very much, and would have loved to meet the team for myself. Too bad they're all dead. I am a little mixed on how to feel about the last few chat logs you get at the end of the game, because it felt like they were a little too unserious, but at the same time, everybody was totally "in character", for lack of better terms. I would have liked to have more things to do. Proximate was definitely one of the shortest games I've ever played. Maybe just another task or two, and maybe something other than "connect to this device", and more encounters with Buddy. I'm unsure if it was just my experience, but they ran up on me once, and then I never encountered them again. The scare was affective, but also, where did Buddy even go? It's not like we're in some vast, open world setting! I was nervous I'd run into Buddy again or need to get myself to a locked room before they caught me, and found myself getting a bit disappointed when that wasn't the case. I'm definitely going to play it a second time just to see if I can get a better grasp on navigation and do it without a cheat screenshot, so I guess I'll find out if there are more Buddy encounters or not. This very long, sleep-deprived, fever-fueled ramble, needs to be wrapped up. So... Proximate good. Proximate fun. Proximate made me nervous. 10/10, play it.
Me when there is a worker's rights revolution going on in asia so managment wants us to make necromancy real but The Hole is hungry: ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⡿⣿⢻⣿⢛⡛⣟⡛⣿⠛⠿⢛⠛⣛⠛⣻⠟⡛⡛⠛⠿⡟⠻⣟⠻⣟⠿⢛⡛⢻⡿⢛⣿⣻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣷⣿⣿⢯⣟⢱⠍⡋⢼⡇⣌⡘⠱⢋⠔⣱⣮⣴⣾⣿⣿⣾⣷⣿⣿⣷⣾⣵⡨⢙⢋⡘⠴⣿⡧⣾⣣⢄⠻⢿⡻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⢿⢿⣞⣟⡹⡎⣆⠣⡘⢌⠱⣈⠣⠑⣆⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⡡⢂⠜⡰⢈⠍⠻⢿⣷⡌⠸⣛⣿⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣟⠞⡉⢆⠡⢍⠢⡑⢌⠒⠄⢣⣻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⢟⠙⡛⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣈⣦⠕⡨⢌⠃⠆⡌⠺⡑⠬⣉⠛⣽⡾⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⡰⠷⢐⠡⢊⠔⡈⢆⠱⡈⠜⣨⣿⣿⣿⢻⣿⣿⣟⣵⣈⡆⠱⣈⠒⡌⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣯⣑⠰⡈⠜⡰⢈⠱⣈⠒⡄⢣⠐⡜⠿⣾⣿⣻ ⡁⢆⡉⢆⠡⢊⠔⡌⢢⠑⡌⣿⣿⣿⢻⣿⣿⣿⡿⡉⣴⠋⡔⡠⢃⠴⠘⢽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⡅⢣⠐⡡⠒⡄⢣⠘⡄⠣⢌⠡⣙⢞⣿ ⠌⢢⠘⡄⠣⢌⠒⡌⢢⠑⠤⣿⣿⡇⣸⣿⣿⡿⢰⣽⣥⣼⣤⣵⣼⠚⡡⢊⠜⣿⣿⣿⡟⣿⣿⡯⢄⠣⣁⠣⡘⢄⠣⢌⠱⣈⠒⢤⠛⣿ ⡘⢄⠣⢌⠱⣈⠒⢌⠂⢭⡖⢄⣿⣔⣽⣿⡏⢤⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣂⡱⢠⠃⡌⣇⣿⡿⢽⣿⣿⣿⢀⠣⢄⠣⡘⢄⠣⢌⠒⠤⡉⠤⠱⡝ ⠰⣈⠒⡌⠒⠤⣉⠢⣭⢾⣧⣾⣿⣷⣿⣿⢑⡘⠻⡿⣿⣿⣯⣽⣿⣖⠣⡘⢰⢘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⢌⠒⡌⢢⠑⡌⠒⡌⡘⠤⡑⢌⠩⢡ ⡑⢄⠣⢌⡑⠢⢄⢃⣿⢻⣇⣿⣿⣿⡿⢁⠆⡌⠱⢘⡿⠿⡟⣉⣫⠇⡒⢡⢢⡅⢊⡋⣿⠻⢿⣿⠠⢃⠜⡠⢃⠌⡱⢠⠑⢢⠑⡌⢂⡓ ⢌⠢⡑⠢⢌⠱⡈⢆⠻⠿⠿⢿⣿⣿⡇⠎⣐⠸⢷⡾⣿⣶⣷⢿⣇⢜⠠⣣⣜⣻⠤⢸⡿⠷⣏⣿⡘⢄⠊⡔⢡⠊⡔⢡⠊⣄⠣⡘⠤⠱ ⠢⡑⢌⠱⡈⢆⠱⡈⢌⠱⢸⡚⣹⣿⠡⢃⡄⢣⣼⣷⣟⣷⣽⣸⣾⣟⣿⣽⣿⣽⣅⡣⢌⣷⣿⠣⡘⢄⠣⡘⢄⠣⡘⢄⠣⢄⠣⡘⢄⣓ ⡑⢌⠢⡑⠰⡈⢆⠱⡈⢦⣽⣷⣾⡇⠜⡰⣨⣿⢿⢜⣧⣙⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡸⣷⢼⣾⢟⡁⢆⠱⡈⢆⠱⡈⢆⠱⣈⠒⡌⢢⠑⠢⠼ ⢌⠢⡑⢌⠱⡈⢆⠱⡈⢜⣟⣿⣿⠑⡌⠔⠿⣿⣿⢿⣯⣧⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⢂⢾⠟⢢⠘⡄⢣⠘⡄⢣⠘⡄⠣⢄⠣⡘⠤⡉⢆⠱ ⢢⠑⡌⢢⠑⡌⢢⠑⡌⢬⡇⣿⣿⢨⠐⡩⢘⢻⣿⣞⢷⣿⣦⠾⣝⡟⣿⠿⢿⢣⠉⠆⡌⢡⠊⡔⢡⠊⡔⢡⠊⡔⢡⠊⡔⢡⢂⠱⡈⠦ ⢂⠱⡈⢆⠱⡈⢆⠱⡈⡿⣿⣿⣿⠠⢃⠔⡡⢊⣿⣯⡿⣿⣿⢶⢬⡉⢍⣩⣩⡴⣟⣶⣈⡡⢊⠔⡡⢊⠔⡡⢊⠔⡡⢊⠔⡡⢊⠔⡡⢒ ⠌⢢⠑⡌⢢⠑⢌⠂⡍⣧⣵⡿⢫⢸⣤⣣⣶⣟⣿⣷⣿⣿⣿⣌⢻⠛⡚⠹⢋⠄⣋⢫⡿⣿⣷⣮⣴⣁⣊⡔⢡⠊⡔⢡⠊⡔⢡⠊⡔⢡ ⢘⣀⣣⣼⣶⣾⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⢾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⢿⣦⢍⠰⡑⢌⠒⡄⠢⢌⢏⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣶⣾⣦⣕⣈⣂⠱⣈⠲ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣻⣿⣿⡐⠌⣿⡆⣱⡌⢢⠑⡌⠱⣈⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣦⣚ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣏⢻⣿⣦⠑⡌⢿⢿⠇⡅⢊⠔⡡⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣖⣰⠈⢿⠠⣉⣦⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⣵⣾⣻⣿⡿⣿⣿⣯⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢿⣿⣟⢿⣿⡏⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣽⣬⣾⣿⣷⣤⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
Very good
Been walking in circles for the past 30 minutes. Help
Amazing game. The ambiguous AI recognition adds to the overall dread.
PROXIMATE is a short narrative horror title developed and published by Cain Maddox that proves atmosphere and creativity can be more effective than constant action or jump scares. Set inside the isolated Neuras deep-sea research facility, the game casts players as a contracted investigator sent to uncover the truth behind a mysterious incident that left an entire team missing. What initially appears to be a routine assignment quickly evolves into an unsettling journey filled with uncertainty, corporate deception, and psychological tension. Rather than relying on conventional horror formulas, the game builds fear through limited information and the player's growing distrust of the technology they depend on. The centerpiece of the experience is an experimental AI visor that serves as the player's primary way of interacting with the environment. Instead of presenting the world directly, the visor identifies nearby objects with labels and interpretations generated by artificial intelligence. This unusual mechanic creates a fascinating layer of uncertainty because players are never entirely sure whether the information being presented is accurate. Everyday objects can appear suspicious, while potentially dangerous situations may be disguised behind harmless descriptions. The result is a constant sense of unease that transforms even simple exploration into a nerve-racking experience. Few indie horror games manage to make basic observation feel so engaging and unpredictable. The game's setting contributes significantly to its effectiveness. The underwater laboratory is a naturally claustrophobic environment, filled with dark corridors, abandoned workspaces, and signs that something has gone terribly wrong. As players progress deeper into the facility, they gradually uncover details about the people who once worked there and the experiments they were conducting. Environmental storytelling plays a major role, allowing the world itself to reveal clues about the catastrophe. Every room feels like part of a larger mystery, encouraging players to investigate carefully rather than rush through the experience. Beyond the horror elements, PROXIMATE contains a surprisingly thoughtful narrative centered on labor exploitation, corporate ambition, and the ethical dangers of unchecked technological advancement. The story revolves around a company attempting to solve workforce shortages through controversial experimentation involving AI and human consciousness. This premise gives the game a strong science-fiction foundation while also providing meaningful social commentary. The writing handles these themes with intelligence, using the mystery to explore larger questions about profit, humanity, and the consequences of treating people as expendable resources. Character development is delivered primarily through logs, messages, and records scattered throughout the facility. These communications help transform the missing researchers from anonymous victims into believable individuals with their own concerns, relationships, and conflicts. The conversations feel authentic and help establish emotional investment in the unfolding events. The inclusion of diverse characters and relationships is integrated naturally into the narrative, strengthening the world-building without distracting from the central mystery. One of the game's most impressive qualities is its balance between dark humor and horror. Corporate communications and managerial interactions often contain absurd reassurances and detached responses to alarming situations, creating moments that are simultaneously amusing and disturbing. This satirical approach reinforces the game's criticism of corporate culture while making the setting feel more believable. The humor never weakens the tension; instead, it highlights the frightening indifference of the organization responsible for the disaster. Audio design is another major strength. Since visual information is intentionally restricted, sounds become an essential part of the experience. Distant noises, environmental ambience, and subtle audio cues keep players alert and constantly questioning what might be nearby. The game understands that anticipation is often more powerful than direct confrontation, and it uses sound effectively to encourage players to imagine threats that may or may not exist. The relatively short runtime may be the only significant drawback for some players. Most players can complete the adventure in roughly two hours, and the intriguing setting and concepts could easily support a longer experience. However, the concise length also prevents the core mechanics from overstaying their welcome. The story remains focused, the pacing stays tight, and the mystery reaches its conclusion before the novelty of the visor system begins to fade. PROXIMATE succeeds because every aspect of its design supports its central idea. The AI visor is not simply a gameplay gimmick but a tool that reinforces the themes of misinformation, technological dependence, and uncertainty. Combined with strong writing, immersive atmosphere, memorable world-building, and effective psychological horror, it creates a distinctive experience that stands out among modern indie horror releases. Players looking for a story-driven horror game that values tension, mystery, and creative mechanics over constant combat will find plenty to appreciate here. Rating: 8/10
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