Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment

About

You and three others play as avatars exploring a crumbling 1893 Chicago World’s Fair haunted by a demon named Nicodemus. The goal is to avoid capture while uncovering secrets in abandoned exhibits. Players move through decaying environments, interacting with objects and solving challenges. Co-op play emphasizes teamwork as you navigate traps and evade the creature in real time. Set across two timelines, the story shifts between the fair’s closing days and a mysterious January night months later. Developed by The Void with narrative input from Tracy Hickman, the game features two distinct endings based on choices made during the experience. It ties into a transmedia project including a companion book that cross-references clues and lore. Released in 2018 for arcade platforms, it blends horror with interactive simulation. Community reviews highlight its atmospheric tension and creative use of physical spaces, though its niche format limits accessibility. The collaboration with Ninja Theory added polish to its eerie worldbuilding.

Storyline

In the summer of 1893, the World's Columbian Exposition - aka the Chicago World's Fair - was held on the south side of Chicago. Three days before the fair closed, a tragic demonstration in the Electro-Spiritualism Exhibit brought something terrible into our world. Word spread that an unknown creature was luring guests down to an 'Evanishment Room' - from which they never returned. The attractions were quickly and quietly closed. Workmen refused to dismantle the exhibits as the fair died around it. Two months later on January 4th of 1894, strange lights were seen coming from the abandoned exhibit hall. Through The VOID, travel back to that same night over a hundred and twenty years ago and the decaying Chicago World's Fair. In groups of four, you will have your choice of six personas (avatars) through which you will discover frights, trials, and adventure around every corner. You will explore, touch and interact with the decaying ruins of the once-hopeful fair. Your goal is simple: explore the abandoned exhibits and don't get caught by the demon - Nicodemus.