Bahnsen Knights brings a doomsday cult to the Pixel Pulps visual novel series

Delving into the realm of the pulp novel is the upcoming Bahnsen Knights, for a trip through a shadowy doomsday cult.

Lightning strikes

It’s the 1980s, and there’s a tide of brutal storms raging across the United States. Could it tie into a coming apocalypse, or is the doomsday cult called the Bahnsen Knights just taking advantage of the situation for monetary gain? Either way, it’s a story that’ll play out in this October’s follow up to Mothmen 1966 and Varney Lake.

Not a direct sequel to either of those games, nonetheless Bahnsen Knights does take place in the same universe as them, and definitely keeps with their overall theme. And if you haven’t been following along with the Pixel Pulps, its a series that melds “mid-20th century pulp fiction and ‘80s home computer graphics”.

The result is something that seeks to encapsulate the feel of both elements, and deliver some thrills and chills. In this specific case though, those frights are tied to men, not supernatural creeps.

Bahnsen Knights serves as the latest chapter in the Pixel Pulps anthology, a series of interactive fiction tales Inspired by 1950’s pulp fiction with its over-the-top tales and art inspired by 1980’s home computer graphics. While each title in the anthology tells a standalone story, each Pixel Pulp takes place in a shared universe with recurring characters like paranormal investigator Lou Hill…who’s locked in a trunk by a doomsday cult.

Undercover detective Boulder must get to the bottom of this and the fate of his old friend Cupra who went missing while investigating the Bahnsen Knights. Cult leader Toni, a former car salesman, preaches Hell is not below us but above. With his fleet of 1983 Ford Sierras, the Bahnsen Knights perform “route exorcisms” while a string of biblical storms rip across the country. 

Guide Boulder through a hostile cult-filled landscape to dig into Toni’s monetary motives while balancing a “suspicion” system to avoid potentially fatal conflicts — or worse. Investigate small local hotspots like Danny’s Bar, solve thought-provoking puzzles, and play minigames like solitaire in the unnatural melancholy of an apocalyptic landscape.

Chorus Worldwide press release

You can get a hint of it at the close of that trailer, but Bahnsen Knights will offer up some replayability as well. Branching paths will offer the opportunity to affect different outcomes, and even unlock secret parts of the narrative that you might not have seen on previous play-throughs.

One to watch if you’re on the hunt for some autumn scares, Bahnsen Knights will be arriving for the PC, Switch, and Xbox and PlayStation platforms this October 26th.