7 Minutes In Hell puts a Squid Game twist on multiplayer horror, and you can play it now

7 Minutes in Hell is a new horror game from Goose Goose Duck makers Gaggle Studios, and it puts a Squid Game twist on multiplayer mayhem

Gaggle Studios

7 Minutes in Hell is a new horror game from Goose Goose Duck makers Gaggle Studios, and it puts a Squid Game twist on multiplayer mayhem. It’s also out now in early access on Steam, so you can check it out alone or with friends if you’re keen.

7 Minutes in Hell unfolds like a livestream show, where contestants desperate for money and lucrative rewards take on heinous challenges where they have a chance to grab valuable loot. Whether they can make it out alive with that loot is another matter. The arena is filled with traps, monsters, and other deadly surprises, all courtesy of showrunner JRDarkX who just wants to provide the most entertaining experience possible for his fans.

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“Launching Goose Goose Duck during the pandemic was a whirlwind where we had to move fast and break things to put out a game that our soon-to-be community would love,” Shawn Fischtein, Gaggle’s co-founder and CEO, said in a press release. “Since then, we’ve continued that fast-paced momentum, but we’ve also had a chance to step back with 7 Minutes in Hell, bringing in game elements that take us back to some of our roots like horror and IRL escape rooms, all while merging it with the thing we most value – prioritizing social connection and having fun as a community.”

7 Minutes in Hell lets you play alone or team up with friends, who you can work together with – or betray at the last minute. You get a small selection of items to help you stay alive – including some special bonuses if you pick a good sponsor before the match – but smart resource management is key. Challenges only grow deadlier the longer you’re in the arena. Arenas and obstacles are different every time as well, so you won’t have any inside knowledge before a round begins.

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It sounds like a smart, dark adaptation of modern culture and the co-op extraction trends from recent years. Spending time in matchmaking queues is not my ideal way to spend a free evening, so I’m especially keen to try this knowing that it has a solo mode.

Gaggle Studios plans on keeping 7 Minutes in Hell in early access until at least January 2025, and they plan on updating the game with more threats, arenas, unlockables, and even mod support before it fully launches.