Explore Lovecraftian Horrors in ‘Dread Meridian,’ Launching Today on Meta Quest

Posted by Phil Hornshaw

Jan 22, 2026

Isabella is missing. Her sister, Daniella, sets out to find her. She soon finds herself tracing Isabella’s steps to a strange facility on a remote Arctic island and discovers it’s been wracked by catastrophe — something that should have stayed beneath the ice.

Dread Meridian, launching today on Meta Quest, is a survival horror game that puts you in the role of Daniella as you arrive on the island of Oglanbyen in 1930, hoping to find your sister and discovering much, much more than you bargained for. You’ll need to carefully make your way through to find Isabella, solving puzzles and facing off against strange horrors with only your wits and the few weapons and tools you can scavenge.

Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s horror novella At the Mountains of Madness, Dread Meridian channels some of the classics of the survival horror genre. Making your way through the frigid, dark halls of Oglanbyen, you’ll also work to uncover the mystery of what happened on the island, solving puzzles and gathering documents in hopes of finding clues that can lead you to Isabella.

A big part of that survival horror formula is carefully managing your tools — weapons are few and far between, and ammo is scarce. You’ll need to scour Oglanbyen for anything you can use to improve your weapons, as well as the bullets you’ll need to make them useful. Whenever you raise your weapon, you’ll know that every bullet fired now is one you won’t have later if and when you need it. If you want to make it out alive in Dread Meridian, you’ll have to plan ahead and think carefully under pressure.

You’ll put your survival skills to the test, not only against the monsters of the single-player campaign, but also against other players. Dread Meridian uses the survival horror formula in a multiplayer mode as well, in which players take on the roles of both humans fighting to stay alive and the monsters hunting them. Planning becomes all the more important when the monsters lurking in the dark are other players, each with plans of their own.

To celebrate the launch of Dread Meridian,we sat down with publisher Level Infinite’s Head of Development Ossin Wu, discussing the game’s Lovecraftian inspirations and how it balances player fear with their ability to fight back against the horrors.

Dread Meridian sees players venturing to an Arctic research facility in 1930 in search of their sister, but can you tell us any more about the story you’re trying to tell?

Ossin Wu: We can’t give away too many details without spoiling the fun, but Daniella’s story is one of perseverance through insurmountable odds. The player sees her experience unimaginable dangers and overcome terrifying threats, all in pursuit of finding her lost sister. Along her path, she discovers what really is happening on the island of Oglanbyen and that, perhaps, some secrets are best kept hidden.

On the Dread Meridian store page, it mentions that “planning is the key to survival” — what does that mean for players and combat?

OW: We wanted to emphasize the “survival” in “survival horror,” so as players prepare for the terrors that await, they must consider that resources are limited and beyond each challenge may lie an even greater one. On top of this, skillful aim and tactical gameplay is rewarded by saving the player supplies.

It seems like there’s a fair number of weapons for players to use, including guns and even a chainsaw. What can we expect for tools for fighting back?

OW: Players will not only be able to wield two melee weapons, but also multiple guns, including a pistol, SMG, and shotgun. Players can also find weapon attachments throughout the game to modify and upgrade their guns to suit their playstyle.

A key element in survival horror is balancing the player’s ability to fight back against enemies and monsters and keeping players somewhat underpowered to create fear. How did you approach finding that balance?

OW: Through a combination of pacing, resource management, environmental design, and monster design, we tried to strike a balance between encounters being challenging, yet still feeling possible to overcome through a combination of skill and strategy. We wanted players to truly feel like they don’t know what challenge may be around the next corner, but still be excited to find out what it is.

One of the major inspirations for Dread Meridian is H.P. Lovecraft’s novella At the Mountains of Madness. What drew you to that story, and how did it influence the creation of the game?

OW: We drew inspiration from many sources, including multiple tales from H.P. Lovecraft. We felt this genre of atmospheric horror wasn’t fully explored and that there were still many unique stories that could be told within it. As a genre, it brings many unique elements to horror gameplay in general that we were able to use as a toolkit to make exciting encounters.

Are there any other stories or games that inspired you, or anything that you wanted to bring to the survival horror genre in Dread Meridian?

OW: We don’t want to give away our secret sauce, but we drew inspiration from many sources of media, including movies and TV shows as well. We wanted to ensure dark, atmospheric horror resonated with players, but that we were also bringing something new to the table.

You were recently testing a multiplayer mode with players — what will that be like?

OW: We received a lot of feedback from players saying they would love to experience this dark, foreboding horror atmosphere together with their friends. We set out to create a multiplayer mode where players can not only survive against terrifying monsters together, but also play as the monsters themselves! In our multiplayer PvP mode, teams of two players take turns playing as the humans trying to escape or the monsters trying to hunt them down. We really think players will love the unique monster gameplay available in the multiplayer mode.

Do you have plans for Dread Meridian’s future after launch?

OW: For Daniella’s story, we will have to wait to see what the future holds in store for her. We’re waiting to see what players will enjoy most after launch by closely listening to feedback and community discussions. We hope to bring more of what players love most about Dread Meridian.

Is there anything you want to bring up or add that we didn’t ask?

OW: We apologize in advance for the frightened screams your neighbors may hear! Thank you so much for the opportunity to share more about Dread Meridian, and we’ll see you in Oglanbyen!

Try to uncover the secrets of Oglanbyen in Dread Meridian today — it’s available for $19.99 USD on the Meta Horizon Store. Just remember that it might be better for some mysteries to stay buried….

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