We receive a steady stream of pitches at Game Informer, and while many deserve attention, time limits the number we can showcase. Every so often, though, something arrives that feels worth spotlighting — The Florist is one of those projects.

Developed by Wellington, New Zealand studio Unclear Games, The Florist is the team’s first commercial title and is slated to launch on PC and consoles in 2026. From the studio’s reveal trailer and an interview with founder and CEO Phil Larsen, the game appears to be a modern homage to classic survival horror — especially the fixed-camera, puzzle-forward experiences of the Resident Evil lineage.

Watch the reveal trailer:

The game centers on Jessica Park, a courier whose routine delivery to the lakeside settlement of Joycliffe sets off a catastrophic cascade. The town succumbs to rampant, unnatural floral growth that turns the landscape and its inhabitants hostile. Players will confront lethal flora, solve interconnected puzzles, and piece together a disturbing plan for life reborn by unnatural means.

Larsen says the team draws from a wide range of horror influences, but the 2002 Resident Evil remake in particular shaped the studio’s ambitions — its tight design, deliberate tension, and map-first approach informed many early decisions. For Unclear Games, fixed cameras aren’t just a stylistic choice; they help control pacing, framing, and player focus while simplifying some production constraints.

“I sketched maps, imagined locations and puzzle flows, and kept returning to the classics,” Larsen told us. “Fixed cameras let us shape each scene deliberately — what to reveal and what to conceal — and that feeds into how we design encounters and puzzles.”

Where The Florist seeks to differentiate itself is in its botanical motif. Flowers aren’t typically frightening, but Unclear Games uses growth, color, and scale to make the familiar feel uncanny. Levels are set during the early stages of the outbreak, letting environments evolve as the story progresses — new growth alters routes, opens puzzle possibilities, and changes combat scenarios.

“Working with flowers gives us visual variety and dynamic environmental storytelling,” Larsen explained. “We design each plant — its movement, size, and placement — by hand. That lets us introduce surprises and craft new gameplay moments as the world transforms.”

Sound design is equally deliberate. The team blends earthy woodwind and brass textures with occasional synth flourishes to create an unsettling auditory palette. Larsen notes they’re not leaning heavily on strings or piano — instruments often associated with supernatural or undead horror — because The Florist’s tone is grounded in a different kind of biological menace.

Interestingly, the studio’s real-world research included florist experience: two team members have previously worked as florists, lending authenticity to how plants are imagined and handled within the game. Larsen credits the team’s diverse talents for bringing the concept to life.

The Florist is expected to launch sometime in 2026 for PC and unspecified consoles. If you’d like to keep tabs, you can add it to your Steam wishlist: Wishlist The Florist on Steam.

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