Latest news with #AbdullaAlHamad
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Aunt Fatima': Saudi horror game brings Gulf folklore to global fear fans
The eerie interiors in Aunt Fatima draw heavily from Gulf culture, replicating elements like incense burners, old telephones, and vintage decor from real Saudi homes/Image: Internet The Gulf is rich with folk tales, some filled with bravery and hardship, others drenched in fear. Saudi YouTuber and indie developer Abdulla Al Hamad turned to the terrifying end of that spectrum for inspiration for his first-person horror game, Aunt Fatima . The game draws from the Emirati jinn legend of Umm Al Duwais , a supernatural entity that lures and kills weak-willed men. In Aunt Fatima , players enter an empty home haunted by a similar malevolent being. Once inside, they must solve puzzles while evading the creature that lurks in the shadows. Al Hamad says he was intrigued by people's obsession with fear. 'I realised people genuinely enjoy being scared—it's fun for them,' he told local news outlet The National . 'I wanted to create something simple but effective. Horror games don't require massive development, they require just five or six core mechanics. The rest is all about creativity in the story.' About the Game Launched in October 2024, Aunt Fatima quickly gained traction as regional content creators showcased their playthroughs. It has since reached audiences in East Asia and Turkey, cultures that Al Hamad says share similar folklore roots. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cervecería Nacional CFD: Calcula cuánto podrías ganar invirtiendo solo $100 Empieza a invertir hoy Empieza ahora Undo Played in first-person, the game immerses players into the shoes of the protagonist exploring what initially seems to be a deserted house. But it becomes clear something sinister is watching. Players must solve puzzles and navigate the space while avoiding the wrath of the ghostly Aunt Fatima. While comparisons have been made to Resident Evil 7 and Hideo Kojima's P.T. , Al Hamad says those weren't direct influences. 'I scare easily, I don't even watch horror films,' he laughs. 'But somehow, I ended up making a horror game.' Instead, his true inspiration came from his own surroundings. He based the haunted house in the game on his grandfather's home and also visited abandoned areas in Al Khobar, which locals claim are haunted. 'For example, the clock that chimes every quarter hour? That's from my grandfather's house. The telephone, rugs, bed, and lamps all of them are real details I grew up with,' he said. That authenticity gives Aunt Fatima a distinct regional identity. One scene even features a mubkhar (incense burner) on a table, filling the house with aromatic smoke which is an iconic feature in Gulf households. Despite being a solo project, Aunt Fatima includes over an hour of gameplay and is powered by Nvidia's DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) system. The AI-powered rendering enhances visuals without sacrificing performance, giving the game a polished feel that rivals major studio titles. 'To make a horror game work, you need quick reaction time, and DLSS really made that possible,' Al Hamad said. 'Seeing Aunt Fatima listed on Nvidia's site next to God of War and Marvel Rivals made me incredibly proud.' With Gulf folklore and nostalgic authenticity woven into every shadowed corner, Aunt Fatima is setting a new standard for regional horror games and is gaining international recognition while doing it.
The National
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Saudi horror game Aunt Fatima uses Gulf folklore to deliver bone-chilling experience
The Gulf is rich in folk tales. Some speak of bravery and adventure, while other tell stories of hardship and turmoil. For Saudi YouTuber Abdulla Al Hamad, it was the scary folk tales that drew him when he was looking for inspiration for his first-person horror game, Aunt Fatima. Adapted from an Emirati jinn story about an entity called Umm Al Duwais that ensnares weak men to their death, the game follows a being inhabiting an empty house that stalks anyone who enters. Al Hamad says he was pushed to create a horror game when he realised how much people like the genre. 'I realised people genuinely enjoy being scared – it's fun for them,' he tells The National. He also wanted to create something simple yet effective, he adds. 'The games don't require loads of development. You only need to develop about five or six things, really simple stuff, and the rest is all about creativity in the story.' Since its launch in October 2024, Aunt Fatima has grown in popularity as more regional YouTubers began playing it on their channels. Al Hamad is also encouraged by feedback he's received from gamers in other parts of the world. 'When YouTubers picked it up, that's when things took off, horror is perfect content for creators,' he says Al Hamad. 'I discovered people were playing the game in East Asia and Turkey – we have similar cultures when it comes to folklore.' The game is played in first person, meaning the gamer is the eyes and ears of the main character. Upon entering what looks like an abandoned house, it quickly becomes clear that someone, or something, is lurking – watching every movement and reacting. The character is then tasked with solving puzzles around the house while also evading capture, and certain death, from the malevolent being known as Aunt Fatima. Some who play might be reminded of Resident Evil 7 or Hideo Kojima 's P.T., but despite the parallels, Al Hamad says those popular games were not on his mind while creating the game. 'I did play P.T. back when it first came out, but honestly, no – I wouldn't say it was an influence. I scare easily, and I don't like horror games at all. I don't even watch horror films. But somehow, I ended up making a horror game.' His main objective was to make a game that drew from the Gulf's culture, and paid tribute to it. He even went to a delipidated area in his city Al Khobar, which was believed by the locals to be haunted. His grandfather's house also served as the blueprint for the haunted house in the game. 'For example, you might notice the clock in the house chimes every quarter of an hour – that's directly inspired by my grandfather's house, which had a clock that did exactly that,' Al Hamad says. 'Or the old telephone, that's another thing that still exists. The rugs, the bed, the lamp, the light switch – all these little details are things I grew up with. I visited these places again just to recapture the feel.' Those details are instantly noticeable when playing Aunt Fatima. At one point, players come across a table with a mubkhar on top of it, bellowing incense smoke in the house, something that can be seen in most homes across the Gulf. Despite being developed and published by one person, Aunt Fatima is no small game. It clocks in at more than an hour of gameplay and uses Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling system, or DLSS, to enhance its capabilities. DLSS is AI-powered technology that renders fewer pixels and then upscales the image to a higher resolution, allowing a smaller-budget game like Aunt Fatima to look and feel like a game developed by major studios. The use of DLSS has allowed gamers to enjoy it exactly how Al Hamad envisioned it and has also allowed it to be highlighted by chips maker Nvidia alongside some of the biggest video games in the industry. 'To make a horror game work, you need quick reaction time, and that's why DLSS made a real difference,' he says. 'Seeing Aunt Fatima listed on Nvidia's website alongside games like Marvel Rivals and God of War made me incredibly proud.'
