{"rewrite":{"id":"r_81613a793dded745b8cd3bcf","clusterId":"c_32dde2e9f297a858fd27346b","slug":"survival-horror-tic-tac-twelve-o-clock-launches-on-steam","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Survival Horror TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock Launches on Steam","summary":"Two Cakes Studio released the survival horror game TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock on Steam on August 20. Developed by Ukrainian solo developer ARMAG, the game is set in Bluebird High School, a school closed by police after several students disappeared. Four friends investigate the closure, and one sneaks into the school at night, only to trigger supernatural events at midnight when hallways distort and vengeful spirits appear. The player must use security cameras to monitor hallways and rooms, manage a generator and fuses to keep power running, and learn each threat's behavior patterns and weaknesses to survive until morning. The game is influenced by cult horror works from the early 1990s and includes survival elements. It is priced at 1,200 yen, with a 20% launch discount running until September 3, bringing the price to 960 yen. The game supports Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and 13 other languages. Console versions for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch are planned for later release. Developer Valerii Darchenko said the game was made over many years and that reaching players means more to him than anything else.","whyItMatters":"The release marks the debut of a solo Ukrainian developer's long-gestating project, with a console rollout already scheduled, signaling a multi-platform push for a niche horror title.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eARMAG is a solo studio run by Ukrainian developer Valerii Darchenko, who spent years in CGI production making promotional content for international brands before moving into games.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eDarchenko taught himself game development through serious study of Unity and Unreal, and founded ARMAG partly for the creative freedom of acting as director, screenwriter, and cinematographer at once.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eTwo Cakes Studio, the publisher, also develops its own indie games across genres including action RPG, medieval colony sim, and strategy turn-based titles.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThe game\u0026#39;s trailer is available at https://youtu.be/fH-AdQcs54, and its Steam page is at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1490020/TICTAC_Twelve_oclock/.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eTwo Cakes Studio maintains accounts on YouTube, X, Bluesky, Discord, and TikTok.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThe developer\u0026#39;s comment, as quoted by Denfaminicogamer: \u0026#34;This game has been made over many years, through many changes, both personally and in the world around me. Finally reaching the hands of players means more to me than anything else.\u0026#34;\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eGame Spark notes the same quote with slightly different wording: \u0026#34;undergoing many changes\u0026#34; instead of \u0026#34;through many changes.\u0026#34;\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThe game\u0026#39;s official description emphasizes that sounds outside the player\u0026#39;s field of vision and presences in the darkness are as dangerous as the ghosts themselves.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Midnight hits, hallways distort, and ghosts hunt you. TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock is out now on Steam, and it's all about watching cameras and keeping the generator alive.","twitterPost":"A solo dev's horror game about surviving a haunted school with security cameras and a generator is now on Steam. Console ports are coming later.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock, a survival horror game from solo developer ARMAG, is now available on Steam. Manage cameras and power to survive a haunted school, with console versions on the way.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260820e\",\"title\":\"Survival horror game 'TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock' released today on Steam. Checking the gradually approaching ghosts via security cameras in a closed school's guardroom at midnight is too scary\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/20/170940.html\",\"title\":\"Survival Horror 'TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock' Launches, Where You Survive the Night with Surveillance Cameras and Generators - At Midnight, the School Hallways Begin to Distort\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":11731,"outputTokens":1314,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1787195402,"createdAt":"2026-08-20T03:05:58.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T03:06:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-20T03:05:58.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_32dde2e9f297a858fd27346b","canonicalTitle":"監視カメラと発電機で夜を越すサバイバルホラー『TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock』配信開始―深夜0時、学校の廊下が歪み始める","representativeArticleId":"a_a14d714ad66572641a6eac71","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-20T00:00:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-20T00:00:35.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-20T03:06:44.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260820e","title":"サバイバルホラーゲーム『TIC-TAC: Twelve o’clock』Steamで本日配信。深夜0時の廃校の警備室で、徐々に迫りくる幽霊を監視カメラでチェックするのが怖すぎる"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/20/170940.html","title":"監視カメラと発電機で夜を越すサバイバルホラー『TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock』配信開始―深夜0時、学校の廊下が歪み始める"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["TIC-TAC: Twelve o'clock launched on Steam on August 20, 2026, priced at 1,200 yen with a 20% launch discount until September 3.","The game is developed by Ukrainian solo developer ARMAG and published by Two Cakes Studio.","The game is set in Bluebird High School, closed after several students disappeared, and features survival horror gameplay with security cameras and generator management.","Console versions for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch are planned for later release.","The game supports Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and 13 other languages."]}