Easter Sunday is tomorrow, and Steam has timed the occasion — or tried to. An Easter to Remember, a survival horror indie from solo developer William Jacob, launched April 3 with a premise that writes itself: you’re a kid trapped in a locked-down school, hunted by a chainsaw-wielding maniac in an Easter Bunny suit. Run, hide, or die. No weapons, no defense, just pure slasher tension.

At $4.79 during its 20% launch discount, the pitch is tempting. The game supports single-player, online co-op for up to four, and even split-screen. HorreurNews compared it to an ultra-concentrated Dead by Daylight or Outlast, and the demo generated buzz during Steam Next Fest. The developer has been actively patching — adding an Easy mode, extended tutorials, and tweaking the killer’s behavior.

But early reception is wobbling. Three user reviews sit at 67% positive, and the top negative review pulls no punches. After nearly two hours of playtime, one user wrote: “The killer is completely unbalanced. Other than him opening doors, his music, and the rare shadow you see, you have no way of knowing where he is because he’s completely silent. No footsteps sounds for him or any other sound que[ue].” They called it “an interesting time, and in a bad way.”

An itch.io player echoed the frustration, noting the killer disappears when you hide and materializes behind you on what feels like a meta timer rather than organic patrol logic — making stealth feel pointless. The developer acknowledged the issue and promised updates.

Six concurrent players at the time of writing isn’t a blockbuster launch. But for a $5 indie horror game from a solo dev, the feedback is loud. The premise is sharp, the price is right, and the dev is responsive. Whether the killer gets tuned into something fair is the real question.

Sources