Filipino Horror Game Ligaw Follows a Delivery Rider With Strange Visions at Night

(SPOT.ph) It’s rare to hear about a Filipino horror game, but even rarer for one to function without the traditional superstitions (think pagpag and tabi-tabi po) and mythical creatures (think aswang and kapre) that often saturate our media landscape of terror. In the case of four student developers, inspiration struck from an unexpected source—the delivery riders during the pandemic.

Ligaw is a Filipino-made horror game by Raven Studios with the objective of delivering packages in Caloocan City. You can play as a delivery rider confronted by strange visions and startling noises while walking through eskinitas. Delivering packages is the name of the game. It's straightforward enough, until one recipient insists on having his package dropped off inside his house while he is away. This is how Chapter 1 starts.

The player is instructed to locate the house keys in the nearby sari-sari store: “Ito ‘yung susi. Ibalik mo na lang mamaya.” Once inside, the lights turn off because, as the player would find, there is a power interruption notice from Oclarem (read that backwards) posted on the refrigerator. Beer racks litter the back of the house, a framed picture of the Divine Mercy sits on top of a plastic cabinet, the row of blue water containers peeks from below the kitchen sink.

Any content creator would be remiss not to say, “Pinoy na pinoy talaga ano?” while playing Ligaw.

“By opting for a realistic setting and foregoing fantastical elements, Ligaw aims to create an immersive and authentic experience that resonates with players on a profound level,” one of the developers, John Rhys Pereyra, wrote in a post. Still expect lots of jump scares, though.

Also read: More Than Tips, Food Delivery Riders Need Help Coping With Stress

Filipino horror game Ligaw is more than its jump scares

Behind Raven Studios are thesis mates Pereyra, Romel Nadong, Kevin Fajemolin, and Edrich Nambio. They started and submitted Ligaw as a capstone project to the University of Caloocan City in 2022. Since it was launched to the public following the submission, Ligaw has been downloaded over 6,000 times.

How Ligaw was even conceived in the first place goes beyond the surface of horror. It weaves a narrative that resonates with the impact of specific livelihoods on workers—in this case, a delivery rider. Delivery riders served as the backbone of Philippine society at a time when no one could go out—Raven Studios found a story worth telling in that, with a particular focus on their mental health.

"Sila 'yung naging way natin para makaconenct sa labas, kumilos," Nadong told SPOT.ph. "Napapagod sila. Hindi rin biro 'yung nararanasan nila."

Through the game, Raven Studios hopes to make players realize that delivering packages is no easy task, especially when exhaustion strikes by night. It's a creative glimpse into the daily life of who we once hesitated to call essential workers.

Also read: Live the Life of a Jeepney Driver in This Viral Game by Two Old Classmates

The devil is in the details

Ligaw has been around for a while now, but it's currently resurfacing on TikTok for its attention to detail. It’s almost always what keeps them engaged within the Ligaw realm. The jump scares might feel cliché, but the environment in which the story is set in feels refreshing with how unapologetically Filipino it is.

"Naliligaw siya sa pinupuntahan niya, sa eskinita, sa kanal, sa basketball court...pero 'yung Oclarem ang true horror ng buhay," Nadong joked. "Makakarelate ka talaga sa game."

The team also took on the challenge of placing voiceovers and background noises to bring the character—and the environment—to life. They drew inspiration from local horror movies like Sitsit and Wag Kang Lilingon, as well as other distinctly Filipino sounds like barking dogs and scurrying rats: "First time ng mga players makarinig ng voice acting in Tagalog, kasi usually subtitles lang."

Chapter 1 is the only storyline in Ligaw so far, which will only take about 30 minutes of gameplay (a delivery rider can't be lost forever). No succeeding chapters follow this viral start.

When asked why, Raven Studios admitted Chapter 1 was all they could manage at that time as graduating seniors. Four of them are now working as full-time graphic artists, which leaves little time for Ligaw. Monetization efforts are another thing.

The fate of the game remains up in the air. Whatever happens, Raven Studios likes to believe they are successful in putting the spotlight on delivery riders through the lens of horror. They say reality is scarier than fiction, after all.

“Ligaw serves as a haunting reminder that there are horrors in this world far more unsettling than ghosts and ghouls, and they can be battled only through understanding, acceptance, and compassion,” Pereyra wrote in a post.

Ligaw is available for download on desktop.

Also read: Grab Rider in Lugaw is Essential Fiasco Says 'We are Frontliners'