A couple of months ago, I caught the demo announcement trailer for Glasshouse, a feudalpunk CRPG with turn based combat. If you have played Disco Elysium or Pathologic, the atmosphere and gameplay style here might feel familiar.

The free demo dropped on Steam and GOG last week, and I immediately jumped in. It left a lasting impression on me, so much so that I ended up replaying it a second time.

Politics as a Core Mechanic

However, explaining what goes on in Glasshouse is a complicated and intriguing undertaking. Basically, the progression of your character is not driven by physical strength or similar skills, but by your political ideology (now that might scare a lot of people already). At the start of the game, you allocate points across various political views ranging from colonialism to holisticism, feudcratism, or confeudcratism. The points you invest heavily dictate and influence your interactions and conversations with NPCs.

Glasshouse does not shy away from a complex premise. The world is a heavily politicized sphere where everyone holds radical views. Throughout the game, you will find plenty of books and notes that dive deeper into the fascinating history of the Lundonstoch fiefdom-a London inspired dystopian setting within a post-capitalist, feudalpunk world plunged into a nuclear winter. With humanity on the brink of a world war, its inhabitants are, for obvious reasons, intensely political.

The demo took me around two hours to finish. Glasshouse is developed by Flat28, a small indie studio that worked on the project in their spare time, completely without a budget. All the gameplay takes place within an enclosed, locked down apartment building. Interestingly, as creative director and writer Giacomo stated in an interview, the idea for the game was born during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Murder and Isolation in Lundonstoch

You play as Wealdmaer, the deputy head of the complex, who is suffering from late stage cancer. These tragic circumstances fuel his obsession with how he will be remembered, as his primary goal is to leave behind a righteous legacy.

As you are stuck in the apartments, you investigate the murder of 3 inhabitants. The characters surrounding you are entangled in political intrigue, they challenge you to ideological skill checks, and possess their own political compasses. Inside your apartment, you have a workbench to craft essential items like lockpicks or bandages. Much like in Disco Elysium, you are never truly “alone”: your internal thoughts are narrated by two separate entities-the Director and the Choir. The Director narrates your story as if it were a scripted play, while the Choir represents the raw, internal voices of your ego.

Honestly, there is already a lot going on in this demo. It is a game that demands your focus, interest, and attention. From an atmospheric standpoint, it features a brilliantly subtle and melancholic soundtrack, incredible and I mean incredible voice acting, and an aesthetic heavily inspired by Dishonored (give me as many Dishonored inspirations as you want).

What sets Glasshouse apart is the way it handles politics. It doesn’t shy away from the brutal, ugly, and often desperate reality of its world. Everything is political, and ethical or moral dilemmas are a constant presence. The developers at Flat28 are remarkably direct in this approach, asking very uncomfortable questions and even including dialogue options I’d rather not spoil here-leaving you to discover them for yourself.

Navigating these complex dialogues can sometimes unlock puzzles, quick time events, or escalate into a fistfight. Combat is turn-based, giving you the option to talk your way out or fight on each turn, utilizing items to influence the outcome. Classical dice rolling dictates your attacks, and dialogue checks scale based on your political compass, which can also be dynamically influenced by items you’ve crafted or found in the world.

My experience with Glasshouse left me highly impressed by what the team is building. I deeply admire their brave approach to not shy away from heavy topics. While your movement is restricted to a single locked-down apartment complex, an immense amount of creative work and thoughts has gone into the storytelling, narrative, and world building.

Stage Plays and Pitch-Black Humor

Glasshouse often feels like a theatrical play-which comes as no surprise, given that creative director Giacomo spent a long time in filmmaking before transitioning to actual game development. You can observe that background in every scene. It is dramatic, emotional, intensely melancholic, and set in a dark, depressive world that somehow still finds room for pitch black humor. I encountered several jokes and scenes where I felt almost guilty for laughing-and as someone with an exceptionally dark sense of humor, that is saying something.

Disco Elysium is a cult classic, and if you enjoyed that game back in the day, you should definitely check out the free demo of Glasshouse on Steam or GOG. I am personally very excited to follow this project and see what the developers do next. It left me surprised and deep in thought-a rather rare feat for a demo.