December 15, 2015 on Facebook, a visitor posted: “Thought the project was just cancelled. Couldn’t find any recent posts anywhere.”

Thanatophobia responded: “Definitely not cancelled! We haven’t posted for a long while, but we will start again a little closer to completion. Thanks for your interest!”

Thanatophobia is psychological term that means abnormal fear of death. This fear, as well as other phobias, help shape the game’s theme and setting, and provide a foundation for its gameplay mechanics.

Every character in the game has been alienated, abused, abandoned, tortured and/or killed. Main character Sam Dehaven, an ex-police detective, is no exception.

Sam has become obsessed with the kidnapping and murder of several young girls, allegedly perpetrated by a serial killer known as The Bear. Sam also has a personal stake in the case, and he wants revenge.

In a departure from typical survival horror games, Death Knell has disposed of the traditional health system and replaced it with a fear-based mechanic. Unless Sam’s fear is kept under control, all will be lost.

Thanatophobia will also be non-linear, feature a wide spectrum of puzzles and offer a classic inventory system. Further, the game will have combat, but will offer a choice to fight or evade malevolent enemies (yes, you’ll have weapons).

As far as I’ve been able to tell, the game will be released on PC/Windows at a date TBD.