Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Deadly Shaft
Heartchers · Published by Heartchers · Official site ↗
Content notice: This game may contain content that is not suitable for all ages or for viewing in the workplace: Frequent depiction of mild nudity, violence, blood or mutilation, General adult content.
Last updated 27 Sept 2026
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.
Action, Adventure, Indie, Strategy, Early Access, Casual · More free games
Explore the eerie corridors of Veilshore Island as you navigate through puzzles and shadows in Deadly Shaft. Use strategy to outsmart your captor and uncover the mansion's secrets in this indie adventure game from Heartchers.
About this game
Early Access Note
The trailer provides glimpses into various areas of the game. To ensure the highest possible quality, we are introducing Deadly Shaft in stages. At the start, the ground floor and the basement area will be 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.
A Technical Note on Development:
Deadly Shaft utilizes cutting-edge Unreal Engine 5 technologies (such as Lumen and Nanite). As the game is currently in Early Access, performance and optimization are being continuously developed and refined. Consequently, the game may not yet reach the final performance levels targeted for the full release on certain system configurations. Your feedback is invaluable in helping me continuously improve optimization for a wide range of hardware throughout the ongoing development process.
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.
HIGHLIGHTS
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.
Dynamic camera switching (third person and first person)
EARLY ACCESS – WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT NOW
Character starts inside the villa
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
GAMEPLAY
Follow the master’s strict instructions to remain undetected as part of the villa.
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.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 / 11 (64-Bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-9400 / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 / AMD Radeon RX 5700
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 20 GB available space
- Additional Notes: SSD required. Target: 1080p / 30 FPS on Low Settings. System requirements are based on the current stage of development and may change during development and optimization before the Early Access release.
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i7-12700K / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
- Memory: 32 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 / AMD Radeon RX 6800
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 20 GB available space
- Additional Notes: NVMe SSD recommended. Target: 1080p / 60 FPS on High Settings. System requirements are based on the current stage of development and may change during development and optimization before the Early Access release.
Supported Languages
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Dev-Blog #04
Hello everyone, You're probably wondering when the next patch is coming. It's a bit more time-consuming than I thought. The project "Deadly Shaft" is running, but I need a lot of time. To collect fine optimizations and ideas, because I work alone. I also come across some things that still seem unclear to me. I just wanted to let you know that it is still being worked on. I am currently working on Mission Objectives. The game will be released as soon as I think the game has a good gameplay. Best regards, HeartchersRead full article on Community Announcements (Heartchers)AnnouncementsOfficial
Dev-Blog #03
Hello everyone, I'm working hard on the next patch, which might take a little longer. (v.0.0.0.7). There will be a few changes to the mansion for the later course of the mission objectives and the player's tasks. Pick up delivery or take away garbage I have also planned to set up a delivery service in the backyard for the gameplay, where the player can pick up certain products. It is also possible to take the garbage away from this location. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43477541/32032b3cb7eb4b375cedb08a450f7295c01de0d3.png Loyalty bar of the house owner Some mission objectives, on the other hand, are divided into different areas in the villa, where the player can stay depending on the trust of the house owner. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43477541/182c779778e7253beb23ccf7ac56e48e32bb3500.jpg Areas of the Mission Zones. In the blue area zone (1), mission objectives are set where the homeowner has little trust in the player, while in the yellow area zone (2), mission objectives are set that are more trustworthy for the homeowner. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43477541/fac3624e11b17718c30238121f9d636cf40e2e2d.jpg A garage has also been added to the mansion near the entrance {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43477541/ee9e701ea7082ac6d1cc2e69a264bf22b9c373b1.png The store page and trailer will also be updated in the next patch, as changes have been made. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has supported my game. It is currently the Christmas season and I wish you all a Merry Christmas. I will keep you up to date. Cheers, HeartchersRead full article on Community Announcements (Heartchers)Patch NotesOfficial
Deadly Shaft | Alpha-Patch 0.0.0.6
Hello everyone, here is a new patch this month. There are new areas, as well as improvements and new features. Loyalty of the homeowner This bar of the house owner shows whether the player fulfills his expectations. If the player is rather trustworthy and fulfills his duties, the bar moves to the right. If the house owner is rather suspicious of the player, the bar moves to the left and the whole villa is on alert. Eagle statue {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43477541/385c20db9d6a243c64a168c4ccb4d7008f6ed284.png Hospital room {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43477541/04becc087011bc4581f67247dcb974beb5b36cff.png Tree trunks in the backyard {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43477541/102708ccaf0e608dd935fbd7e050b7522dd7b882.png Changelog: Added Loyalty of the homeowner has been added. UI: The homeowner loyalty indicator is visible to the player on the screen. Added tree trunks in the backyard. Added a secret passage in the basement. Added a mirror and a new toilet in the bathroom in the security zone. Added a sick room on the second floor. Added a security room with objects. Added a party room with objects. Added an eagle statue on the second floor. : Shadows Ray Tracing has been enabled, there might still be some graphics errors or flickering in the game. Changed / Improvements The intro has been changed at the start of the game. Textures and other light optimizations have been carried out. Better performance of the villa and the environment. The 4k textures of the player have been reduced to 2k. The bathroom in the safety zone for the player has been reduced in size. Replaced the glass panes above the stairs in the living room. Fixed A few walls of the villa had to be moved and changed. (Clipping error fixed) When Lumen was activated, stains appeared on some parts of the walls that were disturbing in the environment, this has been fixed. When the homeowner walked around, he was stuck at some doors, this has been fixed.Read full article on Community Announcements (Heartchers)Patch NotesOfficial
Deadly Shaft | Alpha-Hotfix-Patch 0.0.0.5.2
Hello, Patchnotes: Fixed Fixed an issue where the Audio and Graphics settings buttons in the options were stacked on top of each other. General UI improvements in the main menu and in-game options. The next patch will be another big patch. Cheers, HeartchersRead full article on Community Announcements (Heartchers)Patch NotesOfficial
Deadly Shaft | Alpha-Hotfix-Patch 0.0.0.5.1
Changed The loading screen has been revised and adapted. Fixed Fixed an issue that caused the FPS (frames per second) to be automatically reduced in the main menu.Read full article on Community Announcements (Heartchers)
