This past weekend, I sat down and had an early look at the expansive new demo for Curse of Resthaven. Thanks to the lovely folks over at Hilltop Studios and Digital Bandidos, who sent me an updated build, I was able to dig in and see more of the game, and I have to tell you, this is not your typical roguelite experience.
Your enjoyment of Curse of Resthaven will largely rest on one thing: whether or not you like point-and-click adventure games. If the pacing in The Curse of Monkey Island feels glacial to you, Hilltop’s new horror game will not persuade you otherwise, because while it does have roguelite elements and an interesting progression loop, this is an adventure game first and foremost.
What is Curse of Resthaven all about?
Curse of Resthaven has you playing the role of a man called Ambrose, who has accepted the post of Governor of Resthaven, an island colony many miles from the core of the Aurelian Empire. Your reason for accepting this posting in the middle of nowhere? Your niece, Amalia, has gone missing while visiting the island, and you’ve gone there to find her.
The people of Resthaven are a strange lot, and over the course of your time there, you have to start an investigation into Amalia’s whereabouts while also tending to the needs of the locals. To that end, you must deal with trade and arbitrate personal situations, while also exploring the sinister world around you.
The core loop of the game is built around its Groundhog Day-inspired premise, where a cataclysm resets the world around you, but not your memories. This gives Ambrose a fighting chance to work out what the hell is going on around him, and every time there’s a reset, you also get a powerful boon to help you in the next run.
The demo and the launch
The demo gives players a chance to experience a full six-day cycle, and then the next day of the second cycle, so you can see the impact of your actions and get a sense for how the game’s core loop operates.
Launching on October 8th, your progress in the demo will then transfer into the main game, so we’re essentially getting the opening of the game in the new demo – which is nice!
After that, it won’t be too long to wait for the full game to follow and with it, the rest of the story. Curse of Resthaven is out on PC (Mac, Win), PS5, and Xbox Series on October 29, 2026.
