Haunted PS1’s Madvent Calendar returns with 24 micro-games that’ll put you in the horror-holiday spirit

I can only assume that Halloween’s proximity to Christmas is the reason as to why there is so much winter holiday horror media. Perhaps it’s even just as simple as the fact that people like it when Christmas is a little bit messed up! Either way, I do actually enjoy some Chrimbo horror, so I’m pleased to see the return of Haunted PS1’s Madvent Calendar this year, which just so happens to have launched today.

For those that need the rundown on how the whole thing works, it’s essentially a package of 24 different games, all vaguely horrory and Christmassy in one way or another. This year’s iteration, Madvent Calendar 5: Post Mortem, is no different, bringing with it a gaggle of goodies that, I should note, are varying degrees of polished. Expect the kind of bits you might see in a game jam, basically.

You can play every single game on offer as soon as it’s been downloaded, though that technically defeats the point of an advent calendar. Still, to give you an idea of what to expect, I’ll run you through a few of the games on offer. Spoiler warning I suppose? Stand clear if you want to discover them for yourself!

Day one puts you in a fuzzy, pixelated world where you can do two things: rip, and knock. It throws you in with little context, making it genuinely quite unnerving. Sort of felt like I was being born at one point? Weird stuff! Another entry puts you in the role of a zombie girl who has been recruited by an eye-patch wearing Santa to help with the war on Christmas. This one’s kind of a cross between Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, and is just quite a little neat 3D platformer that with some extra finessing could feature some solid movement mechanics.

I’m always a fan of all the Haunted PS1 demo discs, their Madvent Calendars, and the odd one of projects too. It’s a real boon of bite sized creativity, and well worth dipping into if the holiday season feels just a tad too cheerful for your liking. You can pick it up for free on itch.io right here.