A fast-paced, ever-changinG survival game within haunted woods and dilapidated remains

Ghost stories are fun... but Goat stories are better. The Goatman Cometh is a short-story survival game (yeah, we just invented the genre... maybe) where the rules are simple and gameplay is quick: survive an ever-changing landscape long enough to escape the legendary Goatman of Hogback Ridge. Easy, right?

No. Wrong. You are completely mistaken sir/madam! It's pretty stinkin' hard.

The story takes place in rural West Bend, WI just after the end of the Civil War. A soldier of the North, Nathaniel Clayton, returns home to marry his sweetheart Sarah from years before the brutal conflict, and upon doing so, the two are married and set out to start their lives together on a homestead in the quiet countryside of Washington County, WI. But along their horse-drawn travels, a wagon wheel is damaged on the crudely-made Hogsback Road (a real road, still there today!) and the newlyweds must come to grips with their situation: Nathaniel needs to find help and fast.  Things go sour... and he doesn't return as the evening fades to a dim light, and then to darkness (pretty much the setup for any good haunted legend).

and that’s where your twisted tale of survival begins!

Welcome to old Hog’s Back Road

This is the strange, terrifying tale of a supernatural spook that supposedly still haunts the wild woods and rolling eskers which define the spooky landscape of Washington County, WI,. Careful though: right from the beginning, things get strange quickly…

leave your camp, seek out the keys

Each game starts after the initial night spent hiding in your broken-down horse-drawn carriage. As soon as the next-mornin’ sun rises, Sarah Clayton must set out on a fast-paced adventure to find the 3 ever-changing keys to escape the misty valley of Hog’s-back Road. Beware: rounds last a maximum of an hour… but you likely won’t make it that long anyway! The game is meant to be quick, tense, and always fun to replay.

dynamically changing “dungeons”

The game’s “dungeons” each hold an important key to leaving Hog’s-back road, as well as the location of the exit from the map. To keep things interesting, each dungeon is dynamically generated each time you play! No two play-throughs will provide the same dungeon labyrinths, and remember: the Goatman can follow you into the dungeons as well. The game isn’t so much about exiting the map…. as it is to see how long you might last.

where you are Always Being Hunted

A Relentless AI That Hunts for you

The core of the game: A relentless AI that actively uses clues to sniff you out of the woods. The Goatman’s unique hunting-based AI (it uses some fancy Q-learning mumbo-jumbo to figure you out) continually uses what you’ve left behind to find you. Accidentally brush-up against a gnarled briar patch? You’ll leave a trail of blood for a time, making it easier for him to find you. The wind even carries your sent... stay downwind from him if you want to survive. Cut rope-bridges to buy you time, knock rocks off cliffs to distract him, and find religious items to hold his dark presence at bay.... for a time.

Rotten Rowboats

If you can find one of the rotting piers nestled between the willow trees and cats-tails growing along the muddy shores, jump in a canoe and take your chances on the water. Beware... the canoes are pretty leaky. You only have so much time to find another pier, and if you hop out and swim for land... other things “live” beneath the surface.

Abandoned Cabin Challenges

ABANDONED CABINS: never great places to hide, and they usually end in tragedy. Do your best to survive 5 minutes while the Goatman does his best to eat you! Collect boards quickly and race to close-up holes found all around the rotting cabins. Keep up with the damage Goatman inflicts , and you might keep him at bay! If you don’t.... well, there’s always consequences on the frontier of Old Wisconsin.

the “Wilting Lilacs” Gardens

Beyond the bog, and up a hill, lies the long-forgotten Wilted Lilac Manor. A space created by Uncle Josepi, and left to you and your dearly-departed, the gardens include a greenhouse sheltering some... unusual flora. Take a chance to grab some extra weaponry and twisted secrets.

Spooky Side Quests…

Makers Hotel

Beyond the bog, and up a hill, lies the long-forgotten Wilted Lilac Manor. A space created by Uncle Josepi, and left to you and your dearly-departed, the gardens include a greenhouse sheltering some... unusual flora. Take a chance to grab some extra weaponry and twisted secrets.

Mine Train Escape

A large cavern full of dynamically generated pitfalls and fun on-the-rails shooting gallery events, Sarah will need to shoot targets while controlling the steam on the runway mine train... otherwise you might just fly off the rails!

Ghost Huntin’

No one loves being the prey ALL the time. So go on the offensive! Hunt for ghosts and ghouls in select locations to unlock further plot points as to why Uncle Josepi’s land is so incredibly cursed!