The Game In The Woods: MachiaVillain
Fun, wholesome teenage murder.
Ooo, I've been kicking around the idea of a game based off Joss Whedon's fantastic Cabin In The Woods in my head for ages and it looks like small French indie studio Wild Factor are making it a reality. MachiaVillain [official site], which I don't think I'll ever successfully spell on the first attempt, is about being in control of a haunted house and using various horror movie tropes to kill the unsuspecting teenagers that show up. The kicker is you must follow the rules of only killing them when they're alone ("unless they're having sex, then you can slaughter those degenerates") among others. It all span off a Ludum Dare game called The Villain's Rules from 2012. There's a prototype trailer below, and some thoughts on that first version of the game.
It's an interesting take on a strategy game and the concept should carry it far. Things do look quite simple at the moment, but it's easy to see the complexity ramping up as more monsters and traps are introduced while the number of teenagers to extract vengeance upon increases.
You can still play the Ludum Dare version, though it has fewer features than the current prototype. Place and activate items by dragging them into rooms, and hope the rudimentary AI lets you take them out alone. Don't kill the dog, whatever you do. That'd be a crime.
Release is some way off and according to the official site they're planning a run on Kickstarter at some point in the future. It's also going to be on the show floor at Rezzed, if you happen to be going. I am!