Image: Red Rust Rain

Every year, it seems there's more and more Chinese and Korean games popping up that I want to play, but can't, as they've not been translated yet. A sign of the changing times and new dominant markets, but also of ideas bleeding across national bounds. Cradle of Nightmare: Flowers to You from indie developer Red Rust Rain has been on my wishlist for a while now, due to it seemingly drawing inspiration from both the Fear & Hunger series of horror RPGs (cult hits from Finland) and the transgressive Black Souls games from Japan. And this week, it's finally available to play in English, after racking up plenty of praise from its native Chinese audience.

As with both of its major inspirations, Cradle of Nightmare is obviously made in the eternally popular RPG Maker, and while some of the game's effects and audio do seem to be stock materials or from familiar libraries, what really makes the game immediately stand out is the deliciously dark, gothic art. Every enemy is a big, detailed sprite (often with multiple forms), each character is distinct, and the modern urban setting is covered in detailed sprite-work and bespoke clutter and graffiti. Low-effort this ain't.

The tone of the game is also strange and dreamlike, from the little I've seen so far. Yes, there's all manner of truly horrific creatures (pulling no punches in their warped anatomy), but with more than a little whimsy to the writing. The game follows Yue Qing, a sardonic goth teenager who finds her life completely upended in a day, going from blushingly holding hands with her best gal-pal to being handed a weapon, pulled into a strange nightmare realm, and fighting alongside a glowing wisp against a soul-devouring shadow monster, and she handles it in stride. Things only get worse from here.

Everything seems to have something to do with the nature-worshipping cult that's been gaining popularity in town, and the mysterious fungal plague that seems to have sprung up alongside the rise of legions of horrible monsters. There's plenty of mysteries to be unraveled, strange characters around, and cryptic Souls-like notes scribbled on the ground. These are all hand-placed by the developer, of course, but share the tone and whimsy of Dark Souls. Even in the darkest of hells, people want to get a little silly with it.

While some will immediately be on guard at the invocation of Fear & Hunger and Black Souls, while there is some non-sexualized nudity in the monster designs, it doesn't seem like Cradle of Nightmare is nearly as extreme in its content and the horrors it inflicts upon its characters. The game definitely doesn't have the Adults Only tag that those other games do.

Another difference is that this is not a Fear & Hunger-like experience in learning through pain. The combat and monster design is clearly similar, but save points are regular, progression is Souls-inspired (letting you pour XP into progression quite easily), and some grinding is expected. The horror here comes from the concepts, rather than a willingness to flatten you instantly. That said, there are some instant deaths in the overworld for those careless enough to walk into clear traps.

The game also has three difficulty settings, so you shouldn't be obliterated right from the start. Enemies can and will hit hard if you don't pay attention to their tells (usually described in combat text), but one-hit deaths and dismemberment seem unlikely. But again, I've barely scratched the surface of this one, and hope to put in some hours with it once I've got other games off my plate.

The English version of Cradle of Nightmare is out now for a quite reasonable £5.89/$7, and will prompt you when you launch it whether you want to play the English or Chinese version.