The Occultist is a game that manages to drag that tired “paranormal investigator looking for his missing dad” premise onto a creepy British island and make it work. You play as Alan Rebels. He’s not a terrified teenager armed with a dying camcorder. He’s a pro. And that subtle shift in perspective actually makes a massive difference when you’re staring down a vengeful spirit in a damp, 1950s cult compound.
Unique mechanics that hide in the shadows:
Pendulum Manipulation: Use a four-function mystic pendulum to alter the environment and crack occult puzzles.
Line-of-Sight Stealth: Zero combat. Sneak past physical threats and spirits using shadows and patrol tracking.
Investigation: Comb through a ruined 1950s island settlement to unravel a cult’s dark history.
The Pendulum and the Pacing
It’s best to set your expectations accordingly right from the beginning.In The Occultist, you’re walking very slowly through incredibly dark rooms. You’re holding a shiny rock on a string. And you’re avoiding confrontation at all costs.
The pendulum is cool.
It lets you manipulate the environment to solve puzzles, acting like a supernatural Swiss Army knife. It feels deliberate. And then the stealth kicks in. Alan doesn’t fight. At all. Which means you’re playing a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek with ghosts. When the tension works, it’s genuinely terrifying. You hold your breath. You track patrol routes. But you also have to accept the reality of a game built entirely around avoiding direct combat. If you get caught, there is no fighting your way out. It’s pure, old-school survival horror vulnerability, which is always a polarizing loop.
DALOAR’s Ambitious Gamble
DALOAR (previously known as Pentakill Studios) is a Spanish indie outfit. And they clearly poured their souls into the art direction and the historical fiction of Godstone. It is a massive undertaking for an indie team to build a AAA-looking title with this level of visual ambition. They nailed the macabre vibe, creating a stunning haunted house built on the back of 1950s occult rituals. it’s a joy to explore and you easily get immersed in the uniquely designed world.
In the Name of the Trivia:
Protagonist Alan Rebels is voiced by Doug Cockle, legendary for voicing Geralt in The Witcher.
The heavy, atmospheric soundtrack comes from renowned composer Pepe Herrero.
DALOAR (originally founded as Pentakill Studios), based in Spain, first went viral by posting their impressive Unreal Engine lighting tests on social media.
The Verdict from Godstone
We actually like what DALOAR tried to do here. They built a horror game that leans entirely into its investigative premise and refuses to hand you a weapon. Your mind becomes your greatest and only weapon here. You fight back by being smart (aka hiding). And of course, this will frustrate some players. But when you’re standing in the ruins of a macabre 1950s experiment, listening to the score swell as Alan grumbles about the occult, the ambition clicks. It’s a beautiful, tense thriller that fully commits to its mechanics.
Narrative (8/10) Having Doug Cockle (the voice of Geralt of Rivia) voice your lead is a cheat code. He elevates a standard spooky script into something highly listenable.
Gameplay Mechanics (7/10) The pendulum puzzles are clever and tactile. But pure “hide and sneak” without any combat options is an inherently divisive approach to horror.
Audio (8/10) Pepe Herrero’s original soundtrack is phenomenal. It anchors the tense exploration with a pure, suffocating atmosphere.
Graphics (8/10) Incredible art direction powered by Unreal Engine 5. It delivers on the “next-gen” promises they teased early on with gorgeous lighting.
Overall Score (7.5/10) A highly atmospheric thriller that succeeds on its phenomenal audio and refusal to compromise its vulnerable, stealth-driven core.
The Dossier
- Developer: DALOAR
- Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
- Engine: Unreal Engine 5
- Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
- Genre: Survival Horror / Narrative Adventure
Dev & Play Media 
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