A missing child is every parent’s worse nightmare, and any person in this situation would do anything to find their child. Nothing is too dangerous or excessive to a worried parent when their child’s life is at stake. Hariti takes this real concept and places you in the position of a mother desperate to find her daughter.
Finding your daughter is even harder than it seems, it leads to you a hospital that seems to be rotting from the inside out. It’s an eerie place that holds horrifying secrets within its walls that you will unravel on your journey. As if the hauntingly authentic setting of an “abandoned Chinese-style medical facility” wasn’t enough to create the feeling of unease, there are grotesque creatures roaming the halls that stem from ancient folklore. But, a mother’s love transcends all obstacles imaginable.
Developer Ghostcase takes inspiration from Buddhist mythology for this frightening tale. Hārītī was a child eating ogress who’s habits created sorrow amongst parents. Her being a mother of 500 children herself did not stop her from her cannibalistic ways, Buddha himself is who forced her to face the reality of her actions by hiding the youngest of her children under his begging bowl, thus causing her to understand the harm she was causing parents and become the opposite of what she was. Rather than continuing to hurt the children of others, she became a protectress of all children. She is typically represented by holding a pomegranate, cornucopia, or a child (like the protagonist in the trailer is). She gained a following who traveled to Central Asia and China, where she is regarded and worshiped for being a guardian of children and women in childbirth.
Hariti is now available to play on Steam if you’re brave enough to take up the challenge.