Rules of the night shift
- i. Walk, don't run.
- ii. Don't drop anything.
- iii. And whatever you hear in here… don't answer it.
— Mrs. Vale
A first-person horror game · Your microphone is on
Silence is kept here.
Move your torch. Walk. Don't run.
The Job
The Hollow Lantern Library hires a new night keeper every few months.
Nobody says what happened to the last one.
Return the books. Light the reading lamps. Lock the archive. Find the tapes the last keeper left behind. Keep the rounds from midnight to six, alone, in a storm, in a building that was never empty at night.
On your first day, Mrs. Vale asks your name for the ledger. You say it out loud.
Later, in the dark, something says it back to you.
The Listener is blind
It hears you.
Really hears you.
It hunts by sound alone — footsteps, a door left to creak, a book slipping from your hands — and your own voice, through your real microphone. Gasp, laugh, swear at the screen: it hears that too.
Your microphone is off.
Nothing is recorded or sent anywhere: your voice is measured in this page, on your device, and forgotten.
The Cast
The ledger keeps a page for each of them.
Some pages are older than others.
The new night keeper
You
A man in his thirties who needed the job. You signed the ledger. You said your name out loud. Midnight to six, five nights.
The librarian
Mrs. Vale
Brisk, polite, and in a hurry to leave before dark. She has hired a lot of keepers. She leaves voicemails between your shifts — shorter every night.
Lives in the stacks
The Listener
Blind. Patient. Taller than the shelves. It learns your voice, and it remembers your name. It will call you by it.
The keeper before you
Elias
He left tapes all over the building. He grew tired of the silence. He started talking to it.
Trailer
Play with your microphone on.
Five nights
Every night the shift gets longer.
Every night it gets closer.
- I
Orientation
Learn the rounds. Something is listening… far away.
- II
Footsteps
It walks the stacks now.
- III
Lights Out
The power is failing.
- IV
The Archive
Whisper. Only whisper.
- V
Dawn
Don't make a sound.
- VI
…
Keep every night silent, and there is a sixth.
- Microphone horror. The Listener reacts to the real sounds in your room.
- A blind hunter. It tracks every noise you make. Walk, don't run.
- Your own name, whispered back to you from the dark — in your own voice.
- The Stacks. Aisles that loop and change. Spot what's wrong before it spots you.
- Hide. The old wardrobes, the doors left ajar, your breath held.
- Streamer Mode & No-Mic Mode. Talk to your chat, or play without a mic at all.
Found in the archive
Photographs the last keeper developed.
He kept taking them.
Coming soon
The library is hiring.
Steam
Coming soon
Wishlist it to hear the moment the doors open.
Wishlist on SteamEpic Games Store
Coming soon
Later, on Epic — the same library, the same rules.
Coming soonFree demo
Coming soon
The first night, free. Download it right here, or on Steam during Next Fest.
Download the demoWindows 10/11 · 64-bit · headphones recommended · a microphone optional
System requirements
- OS
- Windows 10 64-bit (minimum) · Windows 11 (recommended)
- Processor
- Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 · recommended i7-10700 / Ryzen 5 5600X
- Memory
- 8 GB RAM · recommended 16 GB
- Graphics
- GTX 1660 6 GB / RX 5600 XT · recommended RTX 3060 / RX 6700 XT
- Audio
- Headphones recommended. A microphone is optional (No-Mic Mode).
Questions at the desk
What new keepers ask Mrs. Vale.
What is Shhh.?
Shhh. is a first-person horror game where your real microphone is on. You play the new night keeper of the Hollow Lantern Library, working five nights from midnight to six. A blind creature called the Listener lives in the stacks and hunts by sound alone, so every footstep, dropped book and word you say can bring it closer.
Do I need a microphone to play Shhh.?
No. A microphone makes the game scarier, because the Listener reacts to the real sounds in your room, but it is optional. No-Mic Mode lets you play the whole game without one, and Streamer Mode lets you talk to your chat without the Listener hearing every word.
Is my voice recorded or sent anywhere?
No. The game only measures how loud you are, on your own computer, while you play. Your voice is not recorded, uploaded or stored. The microphone test on this website works the same way: the sound level is measured in the page, on your device, and forgotten.
When does Shhh. come out, and on which platforms?
Shhh. is coming soon to Steam for Windows PC, with the Epic Games Store to follow later. There is no release date yet. Wishlist it on Steam, or leave your email on this page, to hear the moment the doors open.
Is there a free demo of Shhh.?
A free demo of the first night is coming. You will be able to download it directly from this website, and on Steam during Next Fest. Leave your email on this page and you will get one letter when the demo is out.
What are the system requirements for Shhh.?
Minimum: Windows 10 64-bit, an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600, 8 GB of RAM and a GTX 1660 6 GB or RX 5600 XT. Recommended: Windows 11, an i7-10700 or Ryzen 5 5600X, 16 GB of RAM and an RTX 3060 or RX 6700 XT. Headphones are recommended.
Who made Shhh.?
Shhh. is made by Harfi Games, the one-person studio of Abdalla Emad Eldin, in Unreal Engine. The score uses Horror Music Free Sample and LAMENT, music by Magnality.