What to expect from Haunted Paws

Fan of funny and scary stories alike Scooby-Doo, House of Monsters, The nightmare before ChristmasAND Frankenweenie might have a surprise with the upcoming game Infested paws. Developed by two-man company Lazy Flock, Infested paws will be the developers' second game following 2022's 2022 pixelated, arcade twin-stick shooter Empty Prison. While Empty Prison focuses on an unknown warrior who fights aliens with a floating gun before being consumed by an invading void, Infested paws is a 3D cooperative horror game. Here, players will play the role of two dogs attempting to rescue their human friend from inside a haunted mansion where more horrors await.

What players can expect from Haunted Paws

Infested paws will open with the dogs' human friend suddenly disappearing after briefly playing with them. The two dogs must then use their noses to follow the human's scent to the haunted mansion and rescue them. However, this is no ordinary haunted mansion full of ghosts. Instead, players will encounter a variety of spooky creatures including giant spiders, zombies, scarecrows, skeletons, werewolves, and more. However, not all creatures will be hostile, as players can interact and speak with some skeletons that inhabit the mansion, such as Wizbone. Others will feature more complex gameplay mechanics, such as a cat that can transform into a crow killer or an owlman that serves as one of Infested paws' bosses.

In game terms, Infested paws will allow dogs to perform a series of actions to help save their human friend and others. Most areas of the palace will require solving puzzles to progress, such as finding buried keys or clues to open locked doors and chests. Dogs can not only carry keys in their mouths, but also axes, guns, books, sticks, flashlights and food to complete tasks. However, unlike popular survival horror games like Resident Evildogs will not be able to defeat the monsters easily and will often have to run away and hide in boxes, washing machines and other furniture before it is safe to move on.

Customization options in Haunted Paws

Not everything is too terrifying Infested paws however, as players can customize and change the appearance of their dogs through several comical cosmetic options. Players can select the type of breed they want their dog to be, including but limited to bull terriers, huskies, Basenjis, schnauzers, and pugs. From there, players can change their dogs' fur pattern, tail shape, and eye color to present unique dogs, such as a spotted bull terrier with green eyes or a red husky with blue eyes. Later the dogs can be outfitted with fun outfits to further distinguish themselves from their partner, such as sunglasses, chef hat, witch hat, unicorn hat, umbrella hat, wizard hat, Nemes headdress, bows and collars of any color. .

Infested paws
will include both free online co-op and split-screen modes.

The potential future of Haunted Paws

No official release date for Infested paws' has yet to be announced, but there may still be a lot in store for fans. This Halloween, Lazy Flock will release a free demo for players to try the game for themselves. Here, players will be able to create their own pet and attempt to escape from a prison cell and solve some puzzles without being caught by the owl man. Fans can also visit the Lazy Flock website to register Infested paws beta closed on February 28, 2025 to test the game before its official release on Steam.

While Infested paws' the first gameplay trailer was just released, Lazy Flock has continued to add new features to the game and will likely continue to do so before the beta begins. Lazy Flock recently introduced an action wheel to the game, and while only three actions were shown in the wheel, it's likely that Lazy Flock will add more before the game's release. More customization options have also been added, including the hat selection wheel, which allows players to change hats as more are unlocked by solving puzzles or helping NPCs. Based on this, Infested paws will likely feature more aesthetic options in the future.