The Graveyard Shift from Hell
I have sifted through my fair share of indie horror games that promise a terrifying “night shift” experience, only to deliver a generic haunted-house experience with a flashlight that dies every 12 seconds. It takes a lot to stand out in the crowded indie horror market.
Enter Untold Memories: Potter’s Field.
Developed by the two-man team of Huseyin Onur and Arda Onur, this cinematic psychological thriller skips the supernatural cliches in favor of something much darker: the crushing weight of human guilt. Allegedly inspired by real events, the game drops you into a sweltering, hyper-realistic cemetery to face the consequences of a past you desperately tried to bury.
Currently sitting at a “Mostly Positive” rating on Steam, this budget-friendly title packs enough genuine dread and expertly timed jumpscares to make you instinctively grab your nearest Gengar plushie for emotional support. Grab your snacks, turn up your headphones, and let’s clock in.
Running on Fumes and Regret
You step into the very high-heeled shoes of Mark, a deeply withdrawn, debt-ridden man whose life has been consumed by silence following a tragic accident. Years ago, Mark was the driver in a fatal hit-and-run that claimed the life of a young girl. He fled the scene, leaving no trace behind, and has been rotting in a dingy apartment ever since.
Facing eviction from an angry landlord and drowning in unpaid utility bills, Mark jumps at a highly suspicious, too-good-to-be-true job offer: a temporary night-shift cemetery worker pulling in $3,000 a week. All he has to do is patrol the grounds of the abandoned Potter’s Field, monitor the security cameras, and keep the property maintained.
The narrative setup is fantastic. By tying the horror to a deeply grounded, horrific real-world crime, the developers ensure that the player feels a constant, gnawing sense of unease. You know Mark deserves whatever is coming to him, but you are still forced to guide him through the dark.
The Gameplay Loop: He’s a Runner, He’s a Track Star
Untold Memories is built on Unreal Engine 5, and the environmental fidelity is deeply impressive for a game at this price point. The cemetery is vast, atmospheric, and oppressively dark.
Your shifts dictate a specific routine. You start in the relative safety of your cabin, monitoring camera feeds for any anomalies, before eventually heading out into the dark to complete tasks. You will find yourself trudging to the woodshed for firewood, checking the chapel, fixing the breaker box when the lights inevitably fail, and even digging a fresh grave at 5:00 a.m.
The movement mechanics are surprisingly fast. Mark’s sprint speed is borderline Olympic—he is an absolute track star when he needs to be. This speed is a blessing when you are trying to outrun whatever is stalking you through the tombstones, but it does highlight one of the game’s minor flaws.
The “job” portion of the game can occasionally feel a bit drawn out. Walking back and forth across the massive cemetery to check off patrol markers sometimes verges on becoming a repetitive walking simulator. While the ambiance is top-notch, trimming a bit of fat from commute times would keep the tension taut.
The Horror: Boars, Birds, and Bad Audio Mixing
Where Untold Memories truly succeeds is in its oppressive atmosphere. The cemetery is not empty. Aside from the psychological torment of Mark’s fractured mind, the grounds are teeming with wildlife. You will frequently be jumpscared by the sudden screech of a hawk, the rustle of a wild boar, or the eerie silence of a nearby well.
The game does a phenomenal job of making you question what is real and what is a manifestation of Mark’s trauma. The moment you pull back a sheet in the chapel and come face-to-face with your own sins is a masterclass in psychological horror pacing.
However, the immersion takes a slight hit due to some rough audio mixing. While the ambient sound design and the voice acting are genuinely excellent (the interactions between Mark and his boss, Thomas, are stellar), some of the sound effects are blown completely out of proportion. Specifically, the music that plays when Mark sits down to record his thoughts in his diary is deafeningly loud. You’ll likely find yourself scrambling for the volume slider to save your eardrums during these narrative breaks.
The Payoff: Standing on Business
Without giving away the entire finale, the narrative payoff in Untold Memories: Potter’s Field is exceptionally cruel and deeply satisfying. The revelation surrounding your mysterious employer, Thomas, and the way the game strips away your ability to run when the consequences finally catch up to you, is brilliant.
The game transitions from a slow-burn patrol simulator to a frantic, high-stakes cat-and-mouse game. When you finally realize that the grave you were forced to dig earlier in your shift was meant for you, the terror shifts from psychological to brutally physical.
The Good, The Bad, & The Buried
| The Good | The Bad | The Ugly |
| The Narrative: A deeply grounded, grim story about a hit-and-run driver facing his horrific past. | Audio Mixing: The volume spikes—especially during the diary sequences—are jarringly loud. | Pacing Issues: The walking simulator elements during the graveyard patrols can feel a bit drawn out and repetitive. |
| The Atmosphere: The UE5 environments, dynamic lighting, and creepy wildlife create constant, suffocating tension. | ||
| Voice Acting: Surprisingly strong performances that elevate the cinematic storytelling and make the twist land perfectly. | ||
| The Price: At under $10, it is a highly polished, bite-sized thriller with excellent production value. |
Should You Buy It?
Yes, if: You love story-rich psychological horror, you appreciate games with hyper-realistic graphics, and you enjoy slow-burn tension with a devastating narrative twist.
No, if: You hate “walking simulators,” you get easily frustrated by repeating mundane tasks (like fetching firewood), or you demand combat mechanics in your horror games.
Recommended for fans of: Fears to Fathom, Chilla’s Art games, Firewatch, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Visage.
Untold Memories: Potter's Field: Untold Memories: Potter's Field is a testament to what a small, dedicated indie team can achieve with Unreal Engine 5 and a strong narrative vision. Yes, the audio mix needs a patch to balance out the blaring diary music, and the patrol sections can occasionally feel a bit padded. But the core story is fascinating, the voice acting carries the emotional weight perfectly, and the jump scares are genuinely effective. For less than the price of a fast-food meal, Huseyin and Arda Onur have delivered a chilling reminder that some secrets refuse to stay buried. – ColdMoon
