Power. Isolation. Submission.

📢 TRANSMISSION: VOICE ACTORS WANTED (CASTING CALL)

For the voice-over (German & English) of Deadly Shaft, I am looking for talented voice talent for the following roles:

Interested? Under “Criticism / Opinions” you’ll find the form, including a field for voice actor portfolios!

About the Game

Deadly Shaft is a psychological survival-horror thriller. Imprisoned in a dark mansion and watched by the unpredictable Landlord, you fight for your freedom. Break through your mental blocks, remain unnoticed in the shadows, and uncover the truth about Veilshore Island.

Early Access Note

The trailer shows impressions from various areas of the game. To ensure the highest possible quality, we are introducing Deadly Shaft in phases. At launch, the ground floor is fully explorable, while the upper floors are still in development and will be unlocked for you throughout the Early Access phase.

I have consciously chosen this path because I do not want to offer you a half-finished or unpolished experience – every area must meet my high graphical and gameplay standards in Unreal Engine 5 before it is made accessible to you.


About the Game

NOTICE

This product is currently in a very early Alpha phase.

INTRODUCTION

Deadly Shaft is a claustrophobic survival-horror experience that combines the psychological pressure of total surveillance with the struggle for personal freedom. Trapped in a luxurious yet sinister mansion on the remote island of "Veilshore," you are at the mercy of the enigmatic "Landlord."

When Ashley, a 21-year-old gothic woman from "Emberwick" with powerful supernatural abilities, falls victim to a devious trap, she wakes up in this living nightmare. Stripped of all her powers, she realizes the unpredictable landlord has injected her with an artificial serum.

Now, it is up to you: Find a way to break through these mental blocks through focused meditation in the shadows, reclaim your stolen abilities piece by piece, and uncover the mansion's dark secrets to find a way out of this nightmare.

Deadly Shaft combines stealth gameplay with strategic resource management – in a world where your greatest weapon is not violence, but wits and concealment.

GAMEPLAY

Take control of Ashley and face an ominous adventure. Explore the threatening mansion, slip past guards unnoticed, and discover the dark truth behind your imprisonment. Overcome the mental blocks caused by the serum through meditation and make wise decisions to escape the Landlord's relentless grip. 

FEATURES

  • Atmospheric, complex mansion with many hidden areas

  • Real-time surveillance through a relentless camera system

  • Focus on stealth, psychological immersion, and strategic survival

  • Social Status System of the House Master.

CURRENT FEATURES

  • Character starts inside the villa

  • First-person / third-person camera

  • Interactive objects (e.g. carrying and moving canisters)

  • Dynamic day-night cycle with accelerated sleep phases

  • Rest mechanic: use benches to restore energy

  • Hide in closets to escape the House Master

  • The House Master monitors the estate around the clock and reacts to your actions

  • Security zones in the courtyard and backyard

OBJECTIVES

Collect items and master the Master's tasks.

STRATEGIC TIME MANAGEMENT

Use short work breaks on benches to regenerate your focus and observe your surroundings unnoticed.

ESCAPE AND HIDE FROM THE MASTER

Move silently. When the Master is hunting, a hiding spot is often your last resort.

CAMERA SYSTEM

In the luxurious mansion, you are constantly under surveillance.
Learn to use the camera system to your advantage.

DAY & NIGHT CYCLE

Time is working against you. Use the night to secure your energy reserves for the coming day.

PLANNED FEATURES – [COMING SOON]

  • Expanded tasks and behavior patterns of the House Master

  • Increased threat from security AI

  • Additional hiding spots and interaction options

  • Locked areas with keycode mechanics

  • Detailed inventory system

  • Meditation system to overcome mental blocks and unlock abilities

  • Behavior-based AI reaction system

  • The island of “Veilshore” as an expanded game area

  • Multiple story endings

  • Localization into additional languages

  • Steam achievements

UNLOCK MAGICAL ABILITIES [COMING SOON]

Fulfill the Master's demands to gather experience points unnoticed. By uncovering the secrets of the mansion and overcoming your traumatic blocks, your true, magical powers will gradually awaken within the talent tree.

Official Surveillance Footage (Trailer)

Gameplay Screenshots

Live feeds captured directly from the villa's surveillance system:

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Game Details & Rating

PEGI
0

Due to intense psychological pressure, captivity, and dark thematic elements.

  • Developer: Heartchers
  • Engine: Unreal Engine 5
  • Platform: PC (Steam)
  • Genre: Psychological Survival-Horror / Thriller
  • Steam Release: Coming soon
  • Early Access: Yes (Early Access Phase)

Test Reports & Gamer Feedback

Did you survive the test phase? Leave your uncensored reports about hardware performance and your honest opinion.

Total Community Rating: ⭐ 5 / 5.0 (1)
Heartchers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 27.05.2026 - 03:13
CPU: Intel i9-13900K GPU: RTX 4070 TI RAM: 32 GB DDR5 FPS: 60

Gamer Benchmark Screen

EN: The concept behind Deadly Shaft breathes new life into the survival horror genre. The premise – that you, as the rebellious goth girl Ashley, must carry out everyday household chores to keep the overbearing master of the house from becoming suspicious – creates an incredibly intense psychological tension. The constant balancing act between obedient routine and risky infiltration of the estate is handled in a mechanically thrilling way. In particular, the dynamic AI system, where mistakes don’t simply lead to ‘Game Over’ but result in psychological and mechanical consequences, takes the terror to a whole new level. DE: Das Konzept von Deadly Shaft bringt frischen Wind in das Survival-Horror-Genre. Die Prämisse, dass man als rebellisches Gothic-Girl Ashley alltägliche Hausarbeiten verrichten muss, um das Misstrauen des übermächtigen Hausherrn niedrig zu halten , erzeugt einen unglaublich dichten psychologischen Druck. Die ständige Abwägung zwischen gehorsamer Routine und riskanter Infiltration im Anwesen ist mechanisch extrem spannend gelöst. Besonders das dynamische KI-System, bei dem Fehler nicht stumpf zum Game Over führen, sondern psychologische und mechanische Konsequenzen nach sich ziehen, hebt den Terror auf ein ganz neues Level.

⚔️ THE DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP ⚔️

🟡 IN DEVELOPMENT: THE FOUNDATION

🩸 THE CORE LOOP

Take on the first two nerve-wracking work routines on the ground floor. Beware of the Master's gaze.

👁️ THE SHADOW IN THE HALL

The Master patrols unpredictably through the corridors. Full immersive soundscape.

🗝️ ESCAPE & CONSEQUENCE

Mechanical escort system: If caught, the Master will physically drag you into the basement.

🚀 FUTURE CONTENT

Phase 1

ROUTINES EXPANDED

New work routines for Ashley on the ground floor. The first hidden lore documents are revealed.

Phase 2

THE ASCENT

Unlocking the middle floors of the villa. New guards challenge your stealth skills.

Phase 3

TOOLS OF RESISTANCE

Develop active distraction maneuvers to manipulate the Master's AI routines.

Phase 4

SHADOWS OF THE PAST

Deep story fragments and a visual overhaul of character animations.

Phase 5

THE MASTER'S REALM

The top floor becomes accessible, featuring highly dangerous and dynamic AI behavior.

Phase 6

COMMUNITY WAVE 1: BALANCE

A major patch based on your feedback regarding AI difficulty and atmosphere.

Phase 7

VOICES FROM THE SHAFT

Expanding the audio landscape and introducing complex, procedurally generated sound events.

Phase 8

PSYCHO-MECHANICS

Introduction of the meditation system to control Ashley's trauma levels.

Phase 9

DEPTHS OF MADNESS

The final secret: access to the deepest, darkest shaft is unveiled.

Phase 10

COMMUNITY WAVE 2: WISHLIST

Implementing the most requested features directly from community feedback.

Phase 11

THE FINAL POLISH

High-end graphics polish, DLSS optimization, and lighting tuning.

Phase 12

VERSION 1.0: EMPOWERMENT

All floors, all endings, achievements. The shaft finally opens its gates.

Wishlist on Steam