Winnie's Hole

Winnie's Hole is an upcoming indie rogue-lite body horror video game based on the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise. It is in development by the Australian studio Twice Different^[1] as a Steam exclusive.

A trailer for the game was released on June 7, 2023, evoking mixed response from critics.^[1][2][3]

Gameplay and plot

The game has the player as a virus infecting Winnie-the-Pooh, maneuvering throughout his body while collecting resources and capturing healthy cells,^[2] transforming him into a monstrous entity. Now he begins to infect the rest of his friends while the disease grows more grotesque.

Reception

Pre-release reaction

The game received initially mixed reactions upon announcement, with comparisons to the 2023 film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, which had a similar horror take on the character.^[2] Ashley Bardhan of Kotaku responded positively to the game's announcement, stating that, "I am genuinely looking forward to playing this".^[1] Ed Nightingale of Eurogamer, on the other hand, called the game, "the most absurd idea for a video game I've ever seen", although admitted an interest in playing it.^[3] In more neutral coverage, Arthur Damian of The Escapist expressed a desire to see a more "wholesome" take on the character after the game's release.^[4] Similarly, there was criticism over the game's decision to continue the recent horror trend of the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise, with Zoey Handley from Destructoid considering the genre to be played out and overused.^[5]

References