The cult classic existentialist horror game I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on March 27, taking it out of PC exclusivity for the first time since launch 30 years ago.
Considering it’s 30 years old and not necessarily widely known about, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is a 1995 video game based on the 1967 short story by Harlan Ellison of the same name. The game and story follow five different survivors making up the whole of humanity in a post-apocalyptic world devastated by a sentient supercomputer named AM. The late Ellison himself co-designed and co-wrote the game adaptation, and he also provided the voice for AM.
I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream – Console Announcement Trailer | Nightdive Studios – YouTube Watch On
If it wasn’t clear from the basic premise and unnerving title, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream deals in some incredibly heavy themes including existential dread, the threat of AI, genocide, severe mental illness, suicide, and sexual assault. Gameplay-wise, it’s a pretty standard point-and-click adventure game where you use action prompts to direct your character to explore, talk to characters, collect items, and use them. There are also puzzles and a morality system that judges you based on your choices.
Fittingly, the retro torchbearers at Nightdive Studios are bringing the cult classic game to consoles for the first time, and you can check out the creepy trailer for the port just above.
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream may not be remembered as one of the best horror games of all time, but its relatively short playtime is worth experiencing if only for the novelty of a 1995 game exploring such difficult themes. And now that there’s an added layer of preservation with the upcoming console port, now’s a good a time as ever to do so.
And now looking forward, here are the upcoming horror games to keep on your radar.
For 30 years, PC gamers have been keeping this cult classic horror game based on a 58-year-old short story to themselves, but next week it’s finally coming to consoles
