Matilda

Matilda is a short first-person psychological horror game created by the solo developer Red Cap Games. The player controls a five-year-old boy whose parents leave home to celebrate their anniversary. He remains in the house with his older sister, Matilda, and must complete his responsibilities before going to bed. The situation changes when Matilda discovers an unfamiliar game beneath her bed.

The New Friend Game

The siblings decide to play “The New Friend Game,” although neither of them understands its purpose or possible consequences. Their actions allow an entity to enter the house. Matilda then begins behaving differently, leaving her younger brother to determine what happened and survive until his parents return. The story is presented through conversations, scripted events, environmental details, and changes inside the family home.

Exploration and Objectives

Gameplay takes place from a first-person perspective and combines exploration with objective-based horror. Players move through rooms, examine important objects, follow instructions, and search for items required to continue. The main actions include:

• exploring the house with the keyboard and mouse;
• interacting with doors, furniture, and marked objects;
• completing tasks shown during the story;
• using the radar to locate the entity;
• hiding or running when the entity approaches.

The radar system becomes important during the hunting section. It helps the player estimate the entity’s location, but the player must still watch the surrounding rooms and plan a safe route.

Structure and Progression

Matilda does not contain separate levels or a large campaign. It is structured as one linear chapter with several objectives and changes in gameplay. Early sections focus on household tasks and interaction with Matilda. Later sections introduce dark rooms, entity hunting, hiding, and chase sequences. Secrets and optional details can also be found while exploring the house.

A full playthrough usually takes between 30 and 45 minutes. Progress depends on completing objectives in the correct order and avoiding the entity during dangerous sections. The game uses PSX- and VHS-inspired visuals, English dialogue, subtitles, and keyboard-and-mouse controls. Matilda is available for Windows, and its story continues directly in Matilda 2. The first game therefore functions as the opening chapter of a larger story about the entity and the consequences of the siblings’ decision.