Forget $80 games, this $10 indie RPG is being hailed as "one of the best if not the best" cosmic horror games ever, and thank Cthulhu, it only takes "10-12 hours" to beat

There's a new horror game quietly making waves on Steam with "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews ranking it among the top of several very different genres.

"Easily one of the best Survival Horror RPGs ever made."

"One of the best if not the best cosmic horror experiences that you can have in gaming."

"Look Outside is quite simply put one of the best turn based RPGs made in the last years."

"This game belongs in the podium of best turn-based indie RPGs ever made, alongside Omori and Undertale."

"Look Outside deserves to feature in conversations alongside gaming horror greats like Silent Hill 2 or Resident Evil."

"The Best $10 You’ll Ever Spend"

Scanning player and critic reviews for new indie RPG Look Outside, you might be wondering how it's possible for an independent game released completely out of the blue to draw comparisons to some of the finest games ever released in at least three different genres, and I'll be real with you, I'm very curious myself. So curious that, in researching this story, I pulled the trigger and added it to my Steam library and plan on digging into it this weekend.

The premise for Look Outside is horrifying and deliciously simple: Taking place in a single apartment building, a mysterious plague turns everyone who looks out of the window into one of 150 hand-crafted Lovecraftian abominations with eyes where they shouldn't be and gleeful expressions that sometimes belie serious wounds to their bodies. As the recklessly brave person you are, you take it upon yourself to leave the safety of your locked apartment room and explore the building for food, supplies, weapons, and hopefully, clues to what the hell is going on.

When you've returned to your private dwellings, you've entered the saferoom where you can review found materials and "recuperate by playing games, making dinner, crafting tools, and getting to know your neighbors turned allies."

Yes, Look Outside gives you the chance to recruit some of the creatures you find to follow you around and fight alongside you like some sort of grotesque Pokemon. You'll also be able to use items you've found and assemble makeshift weapons to defend yourself in turn-based battles across the game's roughly 10-12 hour campaign, which is such a sweet spot in today's overcrowded gaming landscape.

If nothing else, I just need to see how a game can invoke comparisons to Lovecraft, Undertale, Omori, Silent Hill, Fear & Hunger, Junji Ito, Lisa, and Earthbound, and not wind up a disjointed, tangled mess. It's an early Halloween in the Gerblick house, gang.

The debut project from indie developer Francis Coulombe, Look Outside is only on Steam right now.

Only time will tell if it truly deserves a spot on our list of the best horror games.