Death is no more than passing from one room into another.

WHAT IS GRAVEHOLDER?

A top-down strategy action game set in a haunted graveyard. You play the Graveholder, protector of a cursed cemetery where the undead rise each night and march toward the gate. Your task is simple: hold them back. Armed with sacred light, you defend against relentless waves of the undead.

LIGHT = WEAPON AND SHIELD

Light is your weapon, and your shield. Use sacred light to stop the undead from reaching the gate. Place candles, torches, and lamps wisely to adapt, advance, and survive.

GRAVEYARD SIGHTSEEING

Crooked headstones, iron gates, and rolling fog. Each night, Walkers, Runners, and massive Brutes rise and push towards the gate. The gate of the cemetery must remain sealed, because if the undead escape, the world beyond will not survive the night.

HOW TO PLAY

(Press F1 in the game to get help)

CONTROLS

Play the way you prefer. GRAVEHOLDER allows you to freely customize your controls and bind the keys that feel right for you. Whether you play with a keyboard or a gamepad, the choice is yours. Full controller support is included, so you can experience the night exactly the way you want. Simple controls. Precise movement. Total control of the light.

UNDEAD

Each night, the dead rise from their graves. The cemetery is haunted by various undead, each with its own behavior and threat. Walkers move slowly but relentlessly, pushing forward step by step. Runners are fast and aggressive, rushing toward the gate without hesitation. Brutes are massive and brutal, powerful creatures that will try to break through your defenses. All of them share one goal: To escape the cemetery. And they will do everything they can to reach the gate.

GRAVEYARDS OF CHOICE

After completing the tutorial, three different graveyards await you. Your journey begins on a quiet, rain-soaked summer evening, where you learn the basics of holding back the dead. From there, the night grows darker. In The Outsider Graveyard, an autumn landscape filled with fog and fallen leaves, something terrible has already happened. The dead roam freely here — and they are not alone. Strange creatures wander the cemetery, and survival becomes the only objective. This graveyard can also be experienced at night. But beware: when darkness deepens, the danger grows. The third location is Burton Cemetery, a cold and melancholic winter graveyard covered in snow. The silence is heavy, the air frozen, and the dead do not rest, even beneath the ice. Each cemetery brings a new atmosphere, new challenges, and new ways to survive the night.

FOLLOW US FOR UPDATES

Follow the development of GRAVEHOLDER – It’s Getting Dark. You can stay updated here on itch.io, or follow us on Instagram and Bluesky for new builds, devlogs, artwork, and updates from the graveyard.

HPNG itch.io

INSTAGRAM

BLSK

TEAM

Malte Schubring // Team Lead, Game Design, Music

Sebastian Seitz // Game Engineering

Alexander Fechner // Game Design, Level Design, Art Direction, Additional Production

Benjamin Rother // 3D Game Art, Animation, VFX, SFX, Music

Hannes Kurth // Production, UI/UX, Game Design

Sven Peper // 3D Game Art and Character Design

Morrison Augwie // 3D Game Art, Environment Design

Topor Raskoldin // 2D Game Art, Concept Art

* This is a school project in the first semester at S4G with a project duration of 10 weeks.