HALDANE-4
by @denisbondare · Custom engine
A short horror ASCII story about a solo descent beneath the Antarctic ice shelf.
Learn to build
How to make a horror game with AI
Horror games don't need big budgets to be scary. Darkness, sound and a little uncertainty do most of the work, which makes horror a fun genre to build with AI. No coding needed. Paste a prompt into an AI coding tool such as Claude, Cursor, Bolt or ChatGPT and it writes a browser game for you.
Limit what the player can see. A small flashlight circle, a sound from somewhere off screen, a door that wasn't open before. Ask the AI for these on purpose, and keep jump scares rare so they actually land.
How to do it in 3 steps
- Copy the Starter recipe. Grab it with the Copy button below.
- Paste it into an AI tool. Paste into a new project and let it build.
- Play it with the lights off. Then tell the AI which moments weren't tense and ask for more darkness, sound or surprise.
Free Starter recipe
This is the Starter recipe from HALDANE-4. Copy it as is, or change the details to make it yours.
Read the full recipe
Build a short horror browser game inspired by "HALDANE-4": a solo descent beneath the Antarctic ice shelf, told through an ASCII-art operator terminal. Tech: a custom renderer that draws the world as ASCII characters on a canvas or in a monospaced grid. Single page; best on desktop with headphones, with drag controls on mobile. Controls: WASD to thrust, mouse to rotate, Space for the light, Shift to cut the engine (to stay quiet). Click to 'initialize the terminal' to start (and unlock audio). Gameplay: pilot a small sub through dark caverns, with the light revealing only a small cone of the world. Story beats come as terminal log messages as you go deeper. Something is down there; turning off light and engine to hide is part of the tension. Audio does the heavy lifting: low hum, sonar pings, distant sounds. Keep it short (10-15 minutes) with a clear ending. Steps: 1) ASCII renderer + movement, 2) light cone and level layout, 3) terminal story log, 4) the threat and hiding, 5) sound design, 6) your own twist. Make it your own: don't copy the original's name, art, text or code.
Heads up: Starter recipes are learning templates written by Vibe1Up, not the creator's own prompt.
Play real horror games made with AI
See what's possible before you build. Each one is listed on Vibe1Up with credit to its creator.
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Remix it: easy ideas to try
Once your first version works, paste one of these into the same chat:
- Give the player a flashlight with a battery that runs out
- Add footsteps that get louder when something is close
- Make the map change slightly every time you return to a room
- Add notes to find that slowly tell the story
- Make it cozy-horror: spooky but with no jump scares
FAQ
- How do I make a browser game feel scary?
- Use darkness, a limited view, sound and pacing. Ask the AI for a flashlight effect and quiet moments between scares.
- Do I need to make my own sounds?
- Not at first. Ask the AI to make simple sound effects with code, or leave sound for later.
- Is a first-person view required?
- No. Top-down horror with a small circle of light can be just as tense, and it's simpler to build.
Keep going
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