CHWÆST: A Creeping Parasite Horror

CHWÆST — Feed the Biomass Core to progress
A late-90s inspired retro 3D horror where progress is biological.
You don’t unlock doors. No keys — you feed the Biomass Core.

CHWÆST takes place inside a living organism. Passages overgrow, corridors tighten, and the environment reacts to your presence.

At the center lies the Biomass Core (the Core) — the only way forward.

Your goal: complete simple objectives, bring offerings back to the Core, and push deeper until you find a way out.

How progression works

The entire environment is a single organism that depends on the Biomass Core being fed.

• When the Biomass Core is hungry — passages are blocked
• When you feed it — the organism retracts and reveals new paths

Doors are replaced by tendrils. Keys are replaced by food for the Biomass Core.

The core gameplay loop

find → grab → return → feed the Core

• objects hidden in darkness that must be carefully spotted
• small creatures crawling along the floor
• organisms that hide or escape when approached

In the game, you are given clear objectives such as:

Active outgrowth: Mushrooms → Feed the Core (Mushrooms 0/6)

FEED THE BIOMASS CORE — RETRACT OUTGROWTHS (0/5)

Every trip deeper into the tunnels becomes a decision: how far can you go before you must return to the Biomass Core?

One location. Constantly changing paths.

• item placement changes each playthrough
• you never fully know what you will encounter when you return to the Core

Visual style: how you remember it, not how it looked

• low internal resolution scaled sharply
• limited color depth and dithering
• classic 50/50 transparency effects
• subtle geometry artifacts that make the world feel unstable

This is not meant to be pretty. It is meant to feel unsettling and unsafe.

What to expect

• a short, intense horror experience (30–60 minutes)
• a unique mechanic centered around feeding the Biomass Core
• exploration of dark, organic tunnels
• minimalist rules and clear in-game objectives

If you enjoy horror that is mechanical, raw, and unpredictable — CHWÆST is exactly that.

If you purchase the game on itch.io, you will receive a Steam key.
If Steam keys run out, please let me know in the comments or contact me at info@airem.pl.