The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation is a narrative-driven horror game rooted in Taiwanese urban legend, blending atmospheric exploration with puzzle-solving and stealth-based survival. Developed by Softstar Entertainment and released on Steam, it serves as an adaptation of the 2020 horror film The Bridge Curse, bringing a well-known local ghost story into an interactive format. The game’s strength lies in its cultural authenticity and dedication to psychological horror over gore or cheap jump scares. It delivers a deeply atmospheric experience that both honors its folklore origins and offers compelling, if at times uneven, gameplay.

Set on the campus of Tunghu University, the game follows six college students who decide to test a campus myth about a cursed bridge. According to the legend, a ghost of a woman haunts the stairs leading up to the bridge, with a mysterious “fourteenth step” that appears only under supernatural circumstances. Naturally, the students provoke the curse as part of their filming project, and what begins as a prank quickly escalates into a night of haunting terror and unraveling secrets. The story is divided into chapters, each placing the player in the role of a different student, giving a shifting perspective on the same unfolding nightmare. This multi-character structure enriches the narrative, slowly revealing the backstory of the ghost and the tragedy behind the curse.

Gameplay focuses heavily on exploration, environmental storytelling, and light puzzle-solving. Much of the experience involves traversing the university grounds, investigating locked classrooms, hidden notes, and haunted hallways, all while being stalked by the ghost. The game avoids combat entirely, instead favoring stealth mechanics and scripted chase sequences. Players must use hiding spots such as lockers and desks to evade the spirit, heightening the sense of vulnerability. The stealth elements are functional, though sometimes rigid, as the ghost’s AI can feel either too predictable or too unforgiving, leading to occasional frustration during trial-and-error sequences. That said, the tension of being hunted, especially with minimal audio cues, is well executed and adds to the atmosphere.

The environmental design is where The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation truly shines. The university campus is meticulously detailed, realistically capturing the mood of a deserted academic institution after dark. The game uses lighting, shadows, and ambient sounds to excellent effect, often creating a sense of unease even when nothing is happening. Sudden creaks, flickering lights, and ghostly whispers keep players constantly on edge. The cultural elements—such as ghost talismans, ancestral rituals, and Taoist references—add authenticity and differentiate the experience from Western horror games. The attention to local superstition and spiritual beliefs gives the game its identity, elevating it beyond typical haunted school tropes.

Visually, the game uses Unreal Engine to impressive effect. While character models and animations can appear stiff, the overall graphical fidelity is quite strong for an indie title. Lighting plays a major role in how the world is perceived, with dark corridors and flickering lanterns painting a haunting picture. Cutscenes are stylized and cinematic, enhancing the storytelling and pacing. Audio design is another high point; the sound effects, from echoing footsteps to sudden bangs in the distance, are immersive, and the musical score smartly knows when to pull back and when to ramp up tension. Voice acting is available in Mandarin, which maintains the authenticity of the setting, and subtitles are available in multiple languages for accessibility.

From a narrative standpoint, the game draws you in with its layered story. What initially seems like a typical urban legend evolves into a more complex exploration of guilt, grief, bullying, and the consequences of indifference. Each character has a distinct personality, and their interactions help build investment, even if not all of them are equally fleshed out. As the story progresses, supernatural events are intertwined with very real emotional trauma, providing an underlying sadness beneath the horror. The resolution brings a satisfying conclusion to the mystery, while still leaving a lingering sense of unease.

However, The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation is not without its flaws. Pacing can be inconsistent, especially during segments where you’re forced to backtrack through areas or wait for long dialogue sequences to play out. Some puzzles feel underdeveloped or lack clear logic, and a few stealth sections become repetitive after the initial thrill wears off. These mechanical limitations are offset by strong storytelling and presentation, but they may dampen the experience for players looking for polished gameplay systems. Additionally, the game is relatively short, with a runtime of 4–6 hours depending on exploration, which might feel brief to those expecting a more expansive survival horror experience.

Despite these minor shortcomings, The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation stands out as a unique and culturally rich horror game. Its strength lies in how it marries traditional folklore with modern storytelling and gameplay, crafting an experience that feels personal and haunting. It’s an example of how regional myths can be transformed into interactive stories that resonate with universal themes of fear and regret. While it doesn’t revolutionize horror mechanics, it succeeds in delivering a memorable journey through psychological tension, narrative depth, and the unseen horrors that linger in places once considered safe. For fans of atmospheric horror with an interest in Asian ghost stories, it’s a worthy and chilling ride.

Rating: 9/10