indiegame.fan
Red Balloon header art

Red Balloon

A first-person psychological horror experience. Explore, solve puzzles, and make decisions as you descend through 66 levels to save your little brother. How far are you willing to descend for him?

Steam Page
Developer
Publisher
Release
Coming Soon
Steam Reviews
No reviews yet

Does this feel indie?

Vote based on whether this game feels indie to you. You can change your vote at any time. Results earn an IGF score after 10 accepted votes.
No votes yet
Vote on More Games
Game contextLatest: IGF Team
ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan.Status
Notes
Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes
Search Google: Who developed Red Balloon?Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer.
Search Google: Who published Red Balloon?Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher.
Search Google: Is Red Balloon self-published or published by Tenzou Studio?Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified.
Search Google: How is Red Balloon and Tenzou Studio funded?FundingThe known source of funding behind the game.
Search Google: Who controls the creative direction and IP for Red Balloon and Tenzou Studio?Creative controlWho appears to retain creative control of the game.
Search Google: What is the release status of Red Balloon?Release statusWhether and how the game has been released.

Media

6 items

About the Game

GAME MECHANICS

Red Balloon is a first-person horror experience shaped by your decisions.

šŸŽˆ Descent: progress through 66 unique levels into the depths of Hell.
šŸŽˆ Observation: every scene is a threat; what you notice —or fail to notice— can save or kill you.
šŸŽˆ Items: find objects that open paths, reveal clues, or alter the situation.
šŸŽˆ Simple puzzles: movement, logic, and timing under constant tension.
šŸŽˆ Choices: your decisions determine your route, encounters, and consequences.
šŸŽˆ Controls: the entire game is played with the mouse.
šŸŽˆ No text: the story is told through image and sound — no language barrier.
šŸŽˆ No save: you can’t reduce the fear by saving every two seconds.
šŸŽˆ Permadeath: maximum tension throughout your descent.
šŸŽˆ Low requirements: designed to run on most modern PCs.
šŸŽˆ Multiple endings: different fates await you and your brother.

You will soon be able to try the experience in the demo.

THE DESCENT

You and your younger brother find an old video game hidden in the attic.
Its cover bears only one number burned into the plastic: 666.

You launch it out of curiosity… and something goes terribly wrong.

Your brother defeats the final boss. He kills the Devil.
But killing the Devil means claiming his throne.

Now he is trapped in the deepest level of Hell, seated on a throne that consumes him,
slowly becoming the very thing he destroyed.

And you are the only one who can reach him.

Descend 66 levels to save him.

Each one darker, more twisted, and more unforgiving than the last.
Each level knows your fears, your guilt, your cracks… and will use them against you.
Every floor brings you closer to your brother.
But with every descent, darkness claims your heart… and your soul.

YOUR CHOICES SHAPE YOUR DESCENT

This is a game built on decisions.

Decisions that weigh.
Decisions that hurt.

Will you sacrifice a defenseless animal in a ritual you don’t understand?
Will you harm someone to obtain the information you need?
Will you accept the pacts Hell whispers to you?

How far are you willing to fall?

Your decisions shape your path, your descent… and your fate.

The ending you reach depends on what you allow Hell to do to you.
There are multiple endings, and you can discover them all…
if you’re willing to pay the price each one demands.

āš ļø WARNING

Red Balloon is designed to make you uncomfortable.

The sound is disturbing.
The visuals are unsettling.
The choices are cruel — and some will follow you long after you close the game.

The game features permadeath, and sometimes its consequences may feel unfair…
but they are part of the descent.

This is not a light adventure or a casual pastime.
It is a lonely, oppressive, visceral journey where you will discover
what you are willing to sacrifice for the person you love.

If you want something light, this is not your game.
If you seek an experience that stays with you for days…

Take the first step downward.