I’m pretty claustrophobic. I’m also not a massive fan of the dark, so the idea of spelunking in the darkness with no immediate escape feels like a literal hellscape. I’ve seen The Descent, and encountering the potential horrors that lurk inside underground caves isn’t worth the risk.

But some love the idea, and I respect that bravery and enthusiasm. The idea that a hole can not only be conquered, but you can enter one end and spend hours reaching the other feels like a massive achievement to plenty of people. To me, it’s the stuff of nightmares and never a challenge I’d take on because I know, deep down, I wouldn’t be capable.

This picture inspired a little video game I'm making. https://t.co/CKsl5E4kjX pic.twitter.com/peB4ytTv2G

— pirxOS | FUMES (@piotrkulla) August 31, 2024

So why not do the next best thing and play a video game about exploring cave systems as a curious explorer. That’s exactly what indie developer Piotrkulla is doing, sharing clips of their still-untitled project in response to a viral meme depicting a person trapped in a cave system with no means of escape. The footage itself is styled similarly to QWOP and Get Over It as you control points on the human body to pull it through a restrictive set of tunnels in pitch black darkness. It looks terrifying, and has definitely provided the desired result.

The player character has a heartbeat, oxygen metre, and audible cues which represent the sense of rising panic an individual in this situation might feel in reality. Your goal is to find a way out or presumably meet a dead end and perish. A win and fail state that most video games have, but here it feels tied to relatively recent real world tragedies that make me a bit uncomfortable.

Nutty Putty Cave is a geothermal cave located in Utah, and over the years has grown into a popular destination for experienced explorers thanks to its narrow passageways along with a diverse layout ideal for repeat visits. Unfortunately, it was permanently closed in 2009 and sealed off with concrete after 26-year-old John Edward Jones went in search of an area of the cave known as ‘The Birth Canal’ only to find himself in an unmapped fissure without a means of escape.

He was stuck upside down in a fissure that measured 25cm by 46cm for just over 27 hours, with his unorthodox position putting pressure on his internal organs that made it hard to breathe, let alone move or try to figure out an escape. When an attempt to pull him from the cave failed, rescue workers made a difficult decision to seal off the cave forever as it would simply be too dangerous. Jones’ body is still down there, and the cave remains as a harrowing monument to how dangerous this activity can be if you aren’t careful.

The meme I brought up earlier is a rough diagram of Jones’ position in the cave when he entered the passageway, and precisely what this indie project takes inspiration from. The reactions online have been a mixture of enthusiasm and derision. Some believe that such stark subject matter is a recipe for success, and it could easily become a horror hit, while others feel like directly referencing a very obvious tragedy is in poor taste. Why not chase something more abstract, make it less realistic, or not incorporate gameplay mechanics in which claustrophobia is such a core component? If I died while exploring a cave and ten or so years later some stranger on the internet decided to make a game about me, I’m not too sure how I’d feel, and maybe that’s the problem here.

Maybe I’m overreacting, and it simply capitalises on both a primal fear I have of similar situations and immensely grim true stories in which people find themselves in a grave predicament with no escape, but it seems in poor taste.

A game inspired by the Nutty Putty Cave incident feels weirdly exploitative, and as soon as the unsettling fear of being trapped inside a cave wears off, we’ll be left with something that feels tasteless and uninspired. Piotrkulla obviously didn’t begin development of this project to offend or disrespect the dead, but that’s an unfortunate byproduct of something that hits this close to home.

Next: Tears Of The Kingdom Should Have Felt So Much More Alive