Do You See Sparky? sticks a creepy doll into the social-deduction genre

Do You See Sparky? is billed as a mishmash of familiar styles — first-person co-op horror with elements of social-deduction games like Among Us. What you really need to know is that the evil is inside one creepy-ass doll that’s inexorably stalking you.

The twist on Do You See Sparky?, by Bulgaria-based Clapperheads, is that one of 16 monsters is possessing the doll, and knowing which one it is is the key to your survival. Players (one to four of them) scurry about the haunted mansion and its grounds, gathering clues, solving puzzles, and generally making sure that they’re Not It when Sparky shows up to collect the rent.

That’s the thing — one player begins the game “marked,” which means Sparky’s coming for them specifically. Worse, they can’t see Sparky. (Hence the name of the game.) But if they’re clever, they can pass this mark onto someone else — somewhat like the popular strategy for escaping a bear. This likely requires keeping your trap shut or telling everyone you can see Sparky, even when you can’t.

Grid View

The only means of communication within Do You See Sparky? are the in-game walkie-talkie and visual cues. This obviously adds a layer of difficulty to the social-deduction process. Anyone eliminated by Sparky can still watch the game over its security-camera feeds, and even feed players info — helpful or otherwise — as the beast closes in.

Clapperheads and publisher Heart Core LTD invoked Phasmophobia and Poppy’s Playtime as inspirations for the game, along with Stranger Things for the game’s tone and visual style. Clapperheads developers are alumni of creepy-genre games like Hello Neighbor and Gripper, and the horror art of Adam Woodsmith accompanies their work.

Do You See Sparky? does not yet have a launch date. It’s coming to Windows PC via Steam.