Fixed Camera Appreciation Society RSS Feed

FRESH ANGLES #16: Low angles and lower prices!

Reverend Speed — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 10:44:52 +0000

An occasional newsletter highlighting fixed camera games!

IIIIT’S THE STEAM SUMMER SALE! HIDE YOUR WALLETS!

And there’s plenty of great fixed multicam on sale - check out our curator and click on the DISCOUNTS tab[imgur.com] to find a wealth of awesome cinematic goodness going for very affordable prices!

The Fixed Camera Appreciation Society now has its own official DISCORD AND STOAT SERVERS

UPCOMING

Imagine… a world… beyond your imagination. And it’s a JRPG with prerendered backgrounds!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4446690/Harbingers_of_Destiny/
A low-fi psychological horror with a queer point of view, this looks very interesting!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4296480/They_Cry/
An immersive sim - but with a fixed camera approach?! Now there’s an unusual pitch…! (Demo available!)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2722660/Fraudulent_Idols/
Retro gaming goes wrong, as reality warps and twists into a strange, hostile world…!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3869290/Evil_Cartridge/

AVAILABLE NOW

A short but beautifully executed innocent walk through a forest (Free!)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2438960/Silent_Rooms__Chapter_1/
An interactive mood piece, with some very appealing visuals…!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3922050/Chilling_Silence/
A dystopian cyberpunk adventure - you are the author of our memories! (Demo available!)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4071280/Nocturne_for_CylHestia/
Light puzzle adventuring with a sense of humour in a sinister (?) underground lab. (Demo available!)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1936530/Subsequence/
(EDIT: OOPS! Credit to The Teratoma for pointing out that Fragile Reflection isn’t Fixed Multicam!)
Take another look at Sanguine - the dev has been providing a lot of updates! (Demo available!)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2825080/Sanguine/
The first act of this strange survival-come-Saw thriller! (Demo available!)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4152560/Perished_Truth

CLASSICS

So, Alone in the Dark came out in 1992, followed by sequels and promotional games in 1993. But these games all had (gorgeous) hand-painted backgrounds. The first fixed multicam game to feature pre-rendered backgrounds came out in 1994, developed by Andrew Spencer Studios, published by Psygnosis and… it’s an odd duck!

Ecstatica[ecstatica.fandom.com] mostly eschewed polygons in favour of gouraud-shaded elipsoids for the characters - and for much of the background environments! In theory, this produced a much more ‘rounded’ visual style than polygons of the time could achieve.

In reality, the game looks distinctly… ‘bobbily’, kinda kid-friendly, with characters looking a lot like rounded wooden dolls. The friendly effect is enhanced by the bright primary colours used for characters and many on-screen elements.

That impression is undercut by the subject matter - this is much closer to a Berserk or Dark Souls than the graphics would lead you to believe, with a medieval village overrun by bloodthirsty monsters who’ve tortured and killed most of the inhabitants.

Of special note is the inclusion of what appears to be the first ‘stalker’ or ‘shiki’ enemy in a fixed multicam game - the Werewolf! This creature will take damage, but heals it’s own wounds and appears to be immortal… and will track and ambush you at several points during the game, growling out, “STARRRRRRRRS!”

…Alright, maybe not that last one.

I think Ecstatica is also the first fixed multicam game to feature low-health walkcycles, where you're required to determine the health of your character by how they're behaving on screen.

Unfortunately, Ecstatica doesn’t appear to be on sale today, playable only through DOSBOX and online emulators[ecstatica.fandom.com]. There’s a great wiki devoted to the game and its sequel (and the unreleased, but fascinating ‘Urban Decay’!). A shame it’s not easily available - Ecstatica remains an important milestone in the development of fixed multicam.

NON-STEAM

In honour of the weather: Buying an AC because it's boku no natsuyasumi these days by Kuuki Yomi[kuuki-yomi.itch.io] I like the contrast of the sprites against the backgrounds…!
A fun but basic stealth game[sneakydaggergames.itch.io]
A straightforward escape-the-asylum game[noveriansoft.itch.io]
A ‘Clocktower’ where you race around an office floor, fixing servers…![howdystranger.itch.io]

_________________

I think that's it! Do jump into the Discord[discord.gg] or Stoat[stt.gg] - we’d love to talk to you. See you next week! --Rev

Cast your mind back to a time of dreams: the White Creek Kickstarter nears launch!

Reverend Speed — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 20:30:57 +0000

Here's an interesting one - White Creek, a mystery and investigation survival horror is about to launch their Kickstarter campaign. One of the interesting things about White Creek is that it's being developed... as a Dreamcast game!

I like the texture and modelling work that I've seen of this game so far - though the monster death yelp will take... some getting used to!

Check it out!

FRESH ANGLES #15: Lens Me Your Ears!

Reverend Speed — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 12:33:39 +0000

An occasional newsletter highlighting fixed camera games!

BIG NEWS!

The Fixed Camera Appreciation Society now has its own official DISCORD AND STOAT SERVERS

...with loads of resources and the friendly community you’ve grown to know and love (or at least tolerate).[discord.gg] Our backup Stoat server can be joined here![stt.gg] Drop by and chat with us about upcoming games, classic titles and wibble on about cinematic approaches and the future of fixed camera! See you there!

Hey gang! Heads up - IT’S DEMOGEDDON!

Normally we’d balance the games featured here between upcoming titles and games available to buy, but given the amount of great fixed camera demos out at the moment, below you’ll find an Upcoming section fit to burst with meaty, playable chunks!

A quick reminder to tag games as Fixed Camera on Steam[imgur.com] - atm it’s way too hard to find fixed camera games on Steam! Let’s hit that critical mass of games tagged ‘Fixed Camera’ so we can find more of them by searching with that tag! Only YOU can change Valve’s view!

(Disclaimer: Unless stated otherwise, the following are not reviews or recommendations!)

UPCOMING (All with demos!)

Descend into a strange orphanage asylum, populated by vicious, uncanny beasts, where you will learn the meaning of the word… eclosion!https://store.steampowered.com/app/3349520/Iris_Dissolution/
Go old, OLD school with pre-rendered backgrounds and a malevolent presence that hungers for your demise…!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4605350/Cornered_Cadavers/
Explore an Evil Residence as a lawman trapped in a horrific experiment of resurrection and twisted obsession!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4693140/Rebirth_Denied_Protocol
Use the Focus Meter to unleash multi-stagger combos, critical headshots and melee attacks in this action-focused horror adventure!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3851600/Pulsebreaker/
The odds are against you in the MetroBunker, where meat and mutation oppose you at every step!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4008240/FEAR_OF_SLEEP/
A children’s hospital! Aww. But a RANDOMISED children’s hospital riddled with anomalies, puzzles and a strange stalker…! Yikes!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4814230/Mr_Nice_Guy_Demo/
Bloody odd and full of personality with an interesting visual stop-motion style to boot - be sure you can pay when the rent is due…!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2168480/Janet_DeMornay_Is_A_Slumlord_and_a_witch/
Under water and over a barrel - can you survive the mysterious futuristic station filled with abominations and crazed AI?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3946040/Faithless_Water/
Cyber. Punk. CYBER. PUNK. CYBER! PUNK! Also, noir, survival horror and THE NINETIES!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4106800/Project_Titan_The_Redacted_Files/

AVAILABLE NOW

Atmospheric tale of an alchemist delving deep into a nightmare manse! Spells! Creatures. Mystery!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3935330/Curse_of_Argentum/

CLASSICS

Ahh, my beloved - this week we look at the all-time classic Resident Evil 2 (1998) from Hideki Kamiya and his team at Capcom. Resi 2 is an exceptional sequel, improving on Resi 1 in every way while leveraging the fixed multicam approach to deliver cinematic atmosphere and thrills as never before.

Bravely eschewing a straight follow-up, the opening introduces two new protagonists, punky biker Claire and fresh-faced rookie cop Leon and immediately builds momentum with zombies, chases, explosions and captivating new setting - the Raccoon City Police Station. Those pre-rendered backgrounds looked absolutely gorgeous, and are impressive even now.

Pitched by screenwriter Noboru Sugimura, the station setting (cribbing from John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13) combines a functional institutional flavour (contrasting deliciously with zombie carnage) with that classic Resi esoterism, justified in this instance by the building supposedly having once been a museum. So unlocking doors by positioning statues and hidden gems makes total sense.

So many elements and moments to savour! Duel protagonists mean a minimum of four playthroughs, with different enemies and puzzles depending on the path and resources you take. The debut of the now classic monster, the Licker! Mr. X! That corridor with the arms! An underground cable-car! THE NEST! WILILIAM BIRKIN!!! RE2 just bursts with brilliant setpieces and rotten guts.

Not to mention that this game is the closest Resident Evil got to one of its chief inspirations - Night of the Living Dead’s George Romero, who shot a television advertisement for the game that only aired in Japan…! Class. RE2’s brilliant use of fixed angles for cinematic storytelling was the game that cemented my interest in the approach, and it holds up today as an exercise in tension, horror and excitement. You need to have played this.

(And the remake’s not too shabby)

NON-STEAM

Hit the slopes - if the slopes were zombies and you were hitting it with a handgun.[jivinjimmy.itch.io]

Servicible survival horror with a great big spider boss![budget-unicorn-studios.itch.io]

Icicles aren't the only dangerous thing you're going to find in this frozen outpost![kierkiewicz.itch.io]

A short tale of a town invaded by strange forces, told from multiple viewpoints[deathjehuty.itch.io]

_________________

That's it! We'll see you next week! Maybe! Sure, look, it wasn’t half a year this time, was it? =P --Rev

FRESH ANGLES #14: Sprained Angle

Reverend Speed — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 20:50:16 +0000

An occasional newsletter highlighting fixed camera games!

Hey gang!

Whuff, it’s been a while! There’s a lot of great titles on their way at the moment, so I figured I should try and list a few that are tickling our eyeballs right now! And, b’god, it’s been so long since I put out a Fresh Angles that GROUND ZERO HAS LAUNCHED! Maaaan, I’m looking forward to diving into that gorgeous-looking Korean nightmare! (Currently 20% off!)

A quick reminder to tag games as Fixed Camera on Steam[imgur.com] - atm it’s way too hard to find fixed camera games on Steam! Let’s hit that critical mass of games tagged ‘Fixed Camera’ so we can find more of them by searching with that tag! Only YOU can change Valve’s view!

(Disclaimer: Unless stated otherwise, the following are not reviews or recommendations!)

UPCOMING

The new trailer’s been out a while, but it makes The Florist look fresh as a daisy!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3152440/The_Florist/
The new trailer comes with a soundtrack to make your pulse race!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3851600/Pulsebreaker/
As if Psychopass, Texhnolyze and Ergo Proxy brought up a child with Parasite Eve…!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3014650/45_PARABELLUM_BLOODHOUND__Cyberpunk_Active_Time_Action/
New details are on the Steam store page, promising an intriguing blend of coop and Malaysian survival horror!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2967220/yan_Parasomnia/
A Hill-sian approach to Resi survival horror - excited to see how this turns out!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2939450/Inherited_Shadows/
A new trailer, proclaiming 'vampire waifus in dark gothic fantasy'!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3212500/Vampire_Huntress__Lament_of_the_Sun/
Combining timer-based tactical combat with non-stop cardio, you owe it to yourself to try out the demo of Parasite Mutant!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3983000/Parasite_Mutant/

AVAILABLE NOW

Be it from zombies or the 8 tons per square inch of water around you, this game offers a high-pressure experience! Demo available!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3726370/Heavy_Metal_Death_Can/
A hugely anticipated title, which has been out for uh, a while now… Really excited to play this!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2340130/Ground_Zero/
I have you in my sights, you classic zombie hunt, you!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3316350/Flesh_Made_Fear/

CLASSICS

Like a dog smashing through a window, Resi 1 is suddenly available on Steam!
Now, I’m not sure anybody here will have heard of this one, but… Oh, you have? Really? It’s wonderful that Capcom have finally brought (with the help of the GOG porting team!) their classic 1996 Alone in the Dark clone to modern systems - and Steam in particular! (On sale now for 50% off!)

I didn’t start my Resi journey with this game (I stumbled into the Raccoon Police Station alongside Leon in 1998) but this founding title is dripping with equal amounts of polish, invention and interesting dialogue choices! And those cinematic, atmospheric camera angles… all the credit to Tokuro Fujiwara, Shinji Mikami, Hideki Kamiya and their team!

If you don’t own this game, I urge you to check it out. Alone in the Dark might be the founder, but without the execution and marketing of Resident Evil (Biohazard in its native Japan!), it’s doubtful that fixed multicam games would be as popular as they are today…!

If you’re looking for a comprehensive history on the making and legacy of this game, be sure and check out Alex Aniel’s excellent history, Itchy Tasty[www.goodreads.com]!

NON-STEAM

This is excellent! A wonderful ~20 minute video essay from Under the Mayo, which sums up a lot of my feelings on the benefits of Fixed Cam! (*cough* multicam)
Credit to the developer of Sanguine, who’s just put out a new patch!
If anybody’s interested in Camouflaj’s under-appreciated game Republique, I happened across some interesting tid-bits from its development…![www.david-mckenzie.com]
_________________

A quick note regards the curator… It’s a fantastic time for fans of fixed multicam games, with a surprising quantity of titles being released. In the past, I’ve tried to play through the entirety of these games before reviewing them on our curator, but due to time commitments and in the interests of protecting my sanity, I’m implementing a one-hour-minimum policy for when I’m reviewing a game.

In essence, this means that games I test in the future have about one hour to grab my interest - and if I don’t enjoy ‘em in that time, I’m going to give ‘em a negative review and label them as having been played for one hour.

At the moment, this seems fair to me - it’s fairly easy to pique my interest even if a game is a bit janky, but I’m not going to feel obliged to force myself through mostly unfinished, questionably written gameplay…! I hope you understand my decision to take this approach. =)

Right! That about wraps this up…! Let me know what fixed cam games you’re playing - and what are you looking forward to?

Fingers crossed - we’ll see you next week! --Rev

DOWN (Twenty Thousand Leagues) BUT NOT OUT: Heavy Metal Death Can LAUNCHES!

Reverend Speed — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:29:04 +0000

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3726370/Heavy_Metal_Death_Can/

Claustrophobic combat and depth-charged exploration in this gorgeous survival horror tribute to the classics! What a great setting - and some really inspirational UI details! Really excited to play this one!

(Friendly reminder: Steam only surfaces/promotes games in the store that are getting positive reviews IN THEIR FIRST WEEK, so IF you enjoy Heavy Metal Death Can, please make sure you drop 'em a nice review! Fixed cam rising!)

Steam Store Tags are updating - MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

Reverend Speed — Tue, 19 May 2026 01:37:47 +0000

Hey folks. I know, I know, long time, no-hear! Hoping to get back to some kind of regular release rhythm here BUT THERE'S NO TIME FOR THAT--!

Valve have just announced that they're reorganising the tagging on their Steam Store.

If you take a look at the link, you'll see that second-last Q&A is as follows...

Q. Why isn't my favorite tag on this list?
A. We are not all-knowing, so we sometimes miss stuff. Let us know in the comments. We also don't agree with the appropriateness of every tag that the community advocates for, so we may be unable to add every tag that y'all want.

o_o

...Go! GO! FUCKIN' GO GO GO! The iron - she is hot! Let us strike the iron! I've left my own note here, and I'd appreciate if you could drop in your own - let them know how much you want a 'Fixed Camera' tag.

The all-seeing camera of the Valve Software Corporation is temporarily looking in our vague direction.

It's now time to FIX that CAMERA!!!

...

Will be in touch again properly soon. Good god, there've been so many amazing games out recently, including some bonafide classics (I'm sure you know!) - I'm excited to get talking about 'em and playing 'em!

...

And we have Discord and Stoat servers...! Man. So much to catch up on.

But seriously, make your presence felt in that announcement thread...! Seize the day!

Alone in the Dark 1-3 for free on... Game Offer Giveaway...!

Reverend Speed — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:17:37 +0000

Hey gang! One of our incredible spies has noticed that Grand Organised Group has made the original Alone In The Dark trilogy a limited time giveaway!

Two and three aren't amazing games, though they both have something interesting to offer... but Alone In The Dark 1 (1992) both marks the birth of the fixed multicam approach and is a heck of a game in its own right!

Frederick Raynal's classic isn't as polished as Resident Evil (which came out 4 years later...!), but it's full of interesting mechanics, spooky exploration and mind-blowing (for 1992) graphics!

If you liked fixed multicam games, you owe it to yourself to give Alone in the Dark (1992) a try! Check out the offer here...![www.gog.com]

And the awards goes to - SORRY, WE'RE CLOSED!

Reverend Speed — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:34:27 +0000

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1796580/Sorry_Were_Closed/
Congratulations to Sorry We're Closed for winning the Indie Game Award for Debut Game 2025![www.indiegameawards.gg]
Wonder if The Duchess would accept this as a declaration of love...? =D

Congrats also to Tormented Souls 2 their nomination! It's great to see such beautifully made fixed multicam games getting wider recognition!

--Rev

PS: And in case I don't send another announcement in the next while, have a great Christmas, gang!

Time to wrap up warm - KRIOPHOBIA launches!

Reverend Speed — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 22:38:43 +0000

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1604630/Kriophobia/?curator_clanid=41127038

Cold war paranoia and classic survival horror wrapped up in some gorgeous illustrative shaders! It's time to uncover the past in this frozen Soviet bunker!

(Friendly reminder: Steam only surfaces/promotes games in the store that are getting positive reviews IN THEIR FIRST WEEK, so IF you enjoy Kriophobia, please make sure you drop 'em a nice review! Fixed cam rising!)

FRESH ANGLES #14: Duck and Take Coverage!

Reverend Speed — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 22:06:11 +0000

An occasional newsletter highlighting fixed camera games!

Hey gang!

We have an all-Steam absolute MURDERER'S ROW for you today, with some astonishing-looking fixed multicam games in development, along with the recent crop of top quality cinematic titles!

A quick reminder to tag games as Fixed Camera on Steam[imgur.com] - atm it’s way too hard to find fixed camera games on the platform! Let’s hit that critical mass of games tagged ‘Fixed Camera’ so we can find more of them by searching with that tag! Only YOU can change Valve’s view!

(Disclaimer: Unless stated otherwise, these are not reviews or recommendations!)

UPCOMING

Go into this looking for a Mother's Day bouquet and you might leave ready for your funeral!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3152440/The_Florist/?curator_clanid=41127038

Pregnant with tension, kicking with action - can't wait for this one's due date!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4102500/In_the_Belly_of_the_Night/?curator_clanid=41127038

Hello? Operator? Can you connect me to 555-nightmare mutation?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3722090/Parasensor/?curator_clanid=41127038

This looks so good, it's like time's standing still! Oh - that's the combat system...!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3983000/Parasite_Mutant/?curator_clanid=41127038

Ain't sure god's gonna be any help in this one - and not all of us are gettin' out alive!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1967440/God_Help_Us_All/?curator_clanid=41127038

The sequel that's a prequel to the semi-cel-shaded game without equal! Now, can we get a threequel?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3509140/Fear_Effect_2_Retro_Helix/?curator_clanid=41127038

Some bonus upcoming titles - Phase Zero, Agni: Village of Calamity, Background Bells and Ground Zero! Good grief! There's no room for more - instead, check out our Coming Attractions list!

AVAILABLE NOW

Oh Carolina gal prowl off, Gal yuh fi jump an prance (with tank controls)!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2464280/Tormented_Souls_2/?curator_clanid=41127038&curator_listid=152519

I Can't Believe It's Not Capcom! (May contain traces of zombie virus)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2173460/Echoes_of_the_Living/?curator_clanid=41127038&curator_listid=152519

Great game BUT IT SHOULD BE CALLED 'FEAR MADE FLESH' NNGH
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3316350/Flesh_Made_Fear/?curator_clanid=41127038&curator_listid=152524

Baby, it's cold outside... wait, is that an ice axe? Oh no, NO--
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1604630/Kriophobia/?curator_clanid=41127038
_________________

Just a thank you to everyone in the excellent Fixed Camera Appreciation Society group chat that suggested a game for this list! And check out The Teratoma and their excellent 3rd Person Survival Horror group/curator!

Additionally - did you see the new Personal Calendar that's been added to Steam? It's in beta atm, but you can currently access it - and it's a great way to keep an eye on upcoming fixed multicam titles. Of course, we host a far better option - the Coming Soon list in our community curator!

See you in the next shot! --Rev