By: The Abyssal Gazetteer Date: October 31, 2026
I chose to delete "The Smell of Rain." Instantly, the graphics shifted. A filter lifted. I realized the entire game had been tinted yellow up to that point, and I had never noticed. The world became blue. The game remembered what I sacrificed. Running on the new Void Engine 3.0 , the game is a paradox. On an RTX 5090, it looks like a PS2 game that is actively having a seizure. On a Steam Deck, it runs at a crisp 60fps but somehow looks photorealistic in the dark. I cannot explain the tech. I suspect Hollow Spectra is using actual occult geometry.
In the lore, the number represents the "Failed Ascensions"—the thirteen times the titular Tarzhard tried to rewrite his own origin. Unlike previous entries (which were reboots disguised as sequels), The Return 13 acknowledges all previous timelines as canonical failures. Tarzhard The Return 13
You wake up not as a hero, but as a —a parasite that feeds on the discarded timelines of Tarzhard’s psyche. You are playing as the garbage collector of a god’s trauma.
“Did you enjoy the dream where you drowned?” “Your save file from 2018 is still bleeding. Would you like to load it?” By: The Abyssal Gazetteer Date: October 31, 2026
Do you delete your first love to open the Western Door? Do you delete the memory of your mother’s face to unlock the Eastern Vault?
After a six-year silence following the controversial Tarzhard: Echoes of the Unmade , developer has dropped Tarzhard: The Return 13 onto Steam Early Access with zero warning. Having spent the weekend clawing my way through its first two acts, I am here to tell you: The nightmare is back, and it has learned new tricks . The "13" Is Not a Coincidence Let’s address the elephant in the blood-soaked room. Why 13 ? The world became blue
If you have photosensitive epilepsy, avoid this title. The "Strobe of Revelation" segment in Act 1 is not a glitch; it is a mechanic. The Verdict (So Far) Tarzhard: The Return 13 is not "fun." It is not "scary" in the jumpscare sense. It is haunting . It sits in your RAM even when you close the application. I have caught my desktop wallpaper shifting colors when I’m not looking.