The Game Boy Camera was never meant to be scary — which makes Encryptid all the more unsettling.
Announced by Autumn Knight (Morph Girl, Dark Nights with Poe & Munro), Encryptid is an FMV horror game built around real footage captured using the original Game Boy Camera, and it’s heading to our screens in 2026.
If you haven’t seen it yet, the teaser trailer does a great job of selling the lo-fi dread:
Inspired by monster-taming games from the mid ’90s and early 2000s, Encryptid twists the familiar “catch them all” formula into something far more uncomfortable. Instead of colourful creatures and cheerful routes, you’re dealing with cryptids, missing persons, and grainy monochrome footage that really shouldn’t exist.
It’s 199X, and something went wrong
Set in a deliberately vague 199X, Encryptid begins when you discover a strange camera in the woods. It once belonged to a well-known cryptozoologist, and the footage stored inside proves that some local legends are very real.
Earlier recordings show successful encounters with nearby cryptids. The later entries — the ones that might explain the cryptozoologist’s fate — are missing, corrupted, or worse. What remains is labelled simply:
ENCRYPTID.
Using the camera’s disturbing FMV footage, you’ll identify, locate, battle, and capture cryptids across multiple locations, slowly piecing together what happened while feeding a growing obsession of your own.
FMV certainly seems to be enjoying a renaissance right now, thanks to games like Blippo, so this is interesting to see.
Lo-fi horror the way it used to be
Everything in Encryptid is built around authentic Game Boy limitations. The visuals are harsh, murky, and aggressively low-resolution, while the audio leans into the kind of minimalist sound design that lets your imagination do most of the work.
Crucially, this isn’t just Game Boy–styled — it’s an actual Game Boy game. Encryptid is designed to run on original hardware, emulators, and modern systems alike (although it’s coming to Steam first, Steam Deck compatibility is unknown), making it a genuine throwback to an era of portable games known for their strange atmosphere, urban legends, and playground rumours.
Features
- Creepy, authentic Game Boy–inspired visuals and audio
- Live-action FMV filmed using the original 1998 Game Boy Camera
- Catch cryptids and pit them against each other
- Multiple endings to unlock
- Horror inspired by real-world and digital urban myths
- A true Game Boy experience, not just an imitation
- Runs without needing a ridiculous amount of RAM
Encryptid looks like the kind of game that would’ve spread via whispered rumours, dodgy screenshots, and half-remembered stories in the late ’90s — the sort of thing you weren’t sure actually existed.
If that sounds appealing, Encryptid is available to wishlist now on Steam.
eal footage captured using the original Game Boy Camera, and it’s heading to our screens in 2026.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
