The holiday season is reserved for cherished reunions and get-togethers with our friends, loved ones, and the people we call “home.” But what happens if a seemingly harmless visit to a family member’s house takes a sudden turn for the worse?
In Balikaw, an eerie, student-made indie horror game, all roads lead to Lola Olet’s remote house, where you must bravely endure five days of intense scares and survival. The first-person video game won third place at this year’s Sugbuanon Saga: Game Jam in Cebu, which ran from September 20 to November 10, 2025.
Photo: Balikaw
As a traditional horror story, Balikaw incorporates Filipino traditions and beliefs into a spine-chilling tale that players will complete within Lola Olet’s haunted abode. The game will keep you up at night with suspenseful twists that turn everyday duties and household chores into creepy challenges that mess with your mind. There are multiple objectives to fulfill to beat the game. Staying alive for five nights straight is only one of them.
Are you ready to enter Lola Olet’s house? It’s time to face your fears and conquer the sinister forces that lurk in Balikaw.
A Filipino Horror Story That Will Give You Nightmares
Balikaw lets you play as Paulette, a teenager who receives a mysterious letter that prompts her to visit her grandmother, Lola Olet, at a rundown ancestral home in the province. As the weak elderly woman oddly disappears every sunset, you’re left with the responsibilities of keeping the house clean and finishing her chores through the night.
This is no ordinary nightly routine, though. As the sun goes down, cryptic secrets, disturbing truths, and ominous entities arise, and you’ll soon realize that Paulette isn’t the only one spending all-nighters at Lola Olet’s house. This time, every task matters—even the tiniest mistakes might cost you Paulette’s life.
A Glimpse Into Paulette’s Nightly Chores
Photo: Balikaw
The tasks and missions in Balikaw draw inspiration from Filipinos’ pamahiin, or superstitions that families abide by to protect their households from evil spirits and bad luck. Here are some of the simple yet crucial tasks that Paulette must complete every night before sunrise:
- Keep and cover all the food to dispel the unwanted energies.
- Cover every mirror in the house to prevent ghosts from trespassing.
- Clean the house’s statues to help protect its residents from evil.
A special third eye will help Paulette finish her tasks, locate new items, and stay alert for looming ghosts every night.
The more progress you make, the more challenging the game gets, so it’s best to take note of every mechanic, know your way around Lola Olet’s house, and memorize your nightly responsibilities by heart. Paulette’s fate is in your hands, and she might need your attention to detail more than you think.
The Imaginative Minds Behind Balikaw
Photo: Balikaw
Balikaw is a labor of love and creative freedom by eight students from the Cebu Institute of Technology – University (CIT-U), who call themselves Team 8-Log:
- Khryz Ortega,
- Jairus Espina,
- Aaron Jacalan,
- Zendy Mariel Dy,
- Yelzy Lovely,
- Shane Ong,
- James Michael Siton,
- Earl Francis Domingo, and
- Christian Luis Fernandez.
At the 2025 Sugbuanon Saga: Game Jam, the Balikaw team joined 18 other groups of rookie developers in showcasing their dynamic video game projects. After winning third place, the creators made Balikaw accessible online through their Itch.io page.
The informative website provides interested players with an extensive background on the game and exclusive features that enhance their experience. These include:
- Links for downloading the game,
- Models of Paulette and Lola Olet,
- Transcripts and translations of the game’s dialogues,
- A breakdown of basic controls, and
- Context of the Filipino superstitions that inspired the main gameplay.
Balikaw is still a work in progress. The developers had only two weeks to complete the first version, so they left plenty of room for additional improvements and updates in future editions.
If you want to step into Paulette’s world and try playing Balikaw yourself, the game is available on Windows and macOS.
You can also check out the rest of this year’s Game Jam entries on the competition’s website.
ALSO READ: This New Filipino Video Game Lets You Help Animal Shelters Just by Playing
What are your favorite Filipino video games? Share your picks with us in the comments below!
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