The PC horror game facing repeated bans isn’t as shocking as it seems.

To navigate this world is to face a spectrum of degradation. As a child, you’re often scolded by adults who bombard you with perplexing rules. You’re branded a sinner in your community. You toil away for bosses who treat you like a cog in a machine. Your identity is scrutinized by politicians who wield their power to undermine it, attempting to legislate it out of existence. The frustrations of youth only amplify as you age, leading to a broader scale of humiliation. Survival becomes a quest to reclaim your life from those who seek to strip it away.

InHorses, a provocative new title that has faced bans from several PC gaming platforms, this struggle morphs into a surreal nightmare. Various storefronts have provided vague justifications for the game’s removal, and the developer’s appeals have seemingly gone unanswered, leaving many to question just how offensive the game truly is. After experiencing it, it’s clear that whileHorses ventures into unsettling territory, it doesn’t warrant a complete ban.

The three-hour narrative unfolds on a quiet farm in the Italian countryside, which transforms into a prison for “horses” yearning for freedom from the relentless abuse of a domineering farmhand. While the game’s themes are broad, it effectively turns the mundane horrors of daily life into a deeply uncomfortable experience designed to provoke your instincts.

The story centers on Anselmo, a 20-year-old who takes a two-week job on a small farm. He lives in isolation with the farm’s owner and his dog, adhering to a strict daily routine. Each day begins in his cramped bedroom, followed by breakfast, dog care, and a list of chores. Players have no freedom to deviate from this tight schedule, as the game is confined to a small area with limited exploration. Anselmo is even barred from entering a mysterious cabin on the property. The only choice players have is to respond to their boss using emojis that influence his tone.

Even then, Anselmo is stripped of his voice—quite literally. Horses is designed like a silent film, featuring striking black-and-white visuals and dialogue presented through vintage title cards. Sound is sparse, with occasional music and effects that feel like they’re being performed live off-screen. This artistic choice creates a maddening atmosphere, as players grapple with cabin fever, trapped in the monotony of daily tasks.

While the routine is rigid, the chores are straightforward: pick vegetables, chop logs, feed the horses. However, the horrifying twist is that the “horses” are not horses at all. A fenced area contains what appear to be nude humans with horse heads, standing silently and blankly staring into space, waiting to be fed, hosed off, and occasionally punished for disobedience. The most critical rule? No fornication.

This is where the horror intensifies. Each day, Anselmo is compelled to report any transgressions, assist in brutal punishments, and witness the degradation of others. Two weeks stretch into an eternity of torment, as he enforces the farmer’s rules without understanding the full scope of the situation. The game echoes the unsettling themes of Ari Aster’sMidsommar, as players are drawn into grotesque behaviors presented as normal.

Horses draws on various cinematic influences. Its black-and-white aesthetic and focus on mundane labor evoke Italian neorealism, reminiscent of Vittorio De Sica’s works that portray everyday struggles in an unforgiving world. Strip away the surreal horror and you’re left with a grounded tale of a young worker trying to survive under an abusive boss. It serves as a fitting companion to this year’sMafia: The Old Country, which explores Italy’s labor history.

A more apt film comparison is Pier Paolo Pasolini’sSalò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. This controversial film faced significant censorship upon its release in 1975, adapting the Marquis de Sade’s novel into a harrowing critique of Italian fascism through shocking imagery. A group of wealthy libertines kidnaps teenagers, subjecting them to horrific degradation. While disturbing, the film aims to confront viewers with the extreme horrors of fascism, illustrating how such movements thrive on the debasement of ordinary people.

Horses attempts to translateSalò into a video game, albeit in a more subdued manner. Genitals are blurred, and violence occurs off-screen, making its bans across platforms like Steam seem even more absurd. The game takes a softer approach to its themes, broadly addressing power struggles in everyday life. It starts as a sharp satire of labor but eventually meanders into simplistic commentary on topics like religion, culminating in a revelation about Anselmo’s boss that feels juvenile and fails to deliver on the disturbing imagery that precedes it.

The bans onHorses from multiple storefronts inadvertently strengthen its underexplored message. Who determines what art is acceptable? How can developers adhere to guidelines that can change at any moment? Santa Ragione finds itself in a humiliating position, as storefronts wield their power to punish the studio for creating uncomfortable art. Yet, outsider art has a way of persevering. History shows that controversial works likeSalò eventually find their place in the canon. Like the prisoners trapped in its digital farm, Horses will one day break free, though it must endure significant degradation to do so.

Horses is currently available on Windows PC. The game was reviewed on Windows PC via an alternative platform.