A Place, Forbidden
Released Jun 2020
A Place, Forbidden is a first-person, lo-fi horror-puzzle game set in the Library of Ouroboros, a seemingly innocuous library that, rumor has it, contains knowledge not meant for the eyes of mortal man. We hope you enjoy your visit.
84% positive · 461 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to get it
Free on Steam
Evaluation
A Place, Forbidden launched as a free, complete horror-puzzle game on June 25, 2020 — originally created as a demo for the 2020 Haunted PS1 Demo Disc. The store description explicitly states the game "is and shall remain completely free," and it launched as a finished standalone experience rather than a game with a planned post-launch content roadmap.
The only post-launch update was a bug fix on June 26, 2020, addressing achievement unlocking issues and minor bugs shortly after release. No major content updates for this game have ever been released, and no future content has been announced for it.
The developer's posts from September 2022 announce a separate new game — There Swings a Skull: Grim Tidings — not additional content for A Place, Forbidden. These posts confirm the studio moved on to a new project rather than continuing development of this title. The last communication touching on A Place, Forbidden in any way was that September 2022 announcement, and even that was simply a cross-promotion. There has been no developer communication of any kind since September 2022.
Evidence
Store description states the game 'is and shall remain completely free' and describes it as a complete experience. No mention of planned updates or additional content.
There Swings a Skull: Grim Tidings released. Framed as a new project, not as content for A Place, Forbidden. Last developer communication on this game's store page.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Poison The Inkwell
Achievements
10
Platform
Windows
Controller
partial support
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Single-player
About this game
NEW FROM THE LIBRARY: THERE SWINGS A SKULL - GRIM TIDINGS
Existential terror never looked so HOT
A DARK AND EMPTY PLACE
A Place, Forbidden is a first-person lo-fi horror-puzzle game that takes place in a cursed Library. It is and shall remain completely free, and features a variety of puzzles and no small amount of reading. Though the notes and books are not always imperative to gameplay, skipping them will detract from the experience.
AN UNPLANNED STAY
The Library of Ouroboros. You awaken here with no memory of how you've arrived - though faint recollections of searching, of the Library's name, stick in your mind like scraps of torn paper.
The reek of dust, of old wood, and of something... more difficult to place hang in the air. Is that a distant ringing you hear, or merely your imagination? And why do you feel so strange? So hot? Like a pair of eyes - no, much more than a single pair - are watching your every movement, reading your every thought, like words on the yellowed pages of an ancient book...
A Place, Forbidden was initially released as a demo on the 2020 Haunted PS1 Demo DIsc.
CREDITS:
Conor Walsh, Writing and Design
Dennis Müller, Scripting and Design
Gábor Papp, 3D Modeling and Materials
Aidan Cushing, Scripting
Existential terror never looked so HOT
A DARK AND EMPTY PLACE
A Place, Forbidden is a first-person lo-fi horror-puzzle game that takes place in a cursed Library. It is and shall remain completely free, and features a variety of puzzles and no small amount of reading. Though the notes and books are not always imperative to gameplay, skipping them will detract from the experience.
AN UNPLANNED STAY
The Library of Ouroboros. You awaken here with no memory of how you've arrived - though faint recollections of searching, of the Library's name, stick in your mind like scraps of torn paper.
The reek of dust, of old wood, and of something... more difficult to place hang in the air. Is that a distant ringing you hear, or merely your imagination? And why do you feel so strange? So hot? Like a pair of eyes - no, much more than a single pair - are watching your every movement, reading your every thought, like words on the yellowed pages of an ancient book...
A Place, Forbidden was initially released as a demo on the 2020 Haunted PS1 Demo DIsc.
CREDITS:
Conor Walsh, Writing and Design
Dennis Müller, Scripting and Design
Gábor Papp, 3D Modeling and Materials
Aidan Cushing, Scripting
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 25, 2026
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