“The Unholy Priest” is not your typical funeral service simulator. Developed by Grejuva, this darkly atmospheric game puts you in the shoes of a priest tasked with managing a haunted funeral home, where the dead don’t always stay peacefully buried. Part business management, part occult horror, this game blends morbid humor with genuine tension, creating an experience that’s equal parts unsettling and addictive.
Developer: Grejuva
Publisher: Grejuva
Release Date: April 4, 2025
Platform: Steam
Genre: Horror, Management Simulation
A Sinister Business
At its core, The Unholy Priest is about running a funeral service—but with a supernatural twist. Your duties include preparing bodies for burial or cremation, conducting exorcisms, and ensuring restless spirits don’t overrun your chapel. Each day brings new challenges: grieving (or suspiciously cheerful) families, corpses with unfinished business, and the occasional demonic possession.
Gameplay revolves around resource management—balancing finances, maintaining your chapel’s reputation, and keeping the supernatural at bay as well as keeping the buried happy. You’ll need to upgrade your facilities, hire staff (some of whom may have… questionable backgrounds), and decide whether to handle certain corpses with reverence or ruthless efficiency. The graves need to be kept clean or the corpses will rise and disappear or attack you.
Burial vs. Exorcism: Moral Dilemmas
One of the game’s most compelling mechanics is its choice system. Some bodies are just ordinary deceased, but others are vessels for vengeful spirits. Do you bury them and risk a haunting later, or perform an exorcism—knowing it might anger dark forces? You also have to decide if the family pays enough for you to deal with the corpse… The game doesn’t shy away from consequences; neglect a possessed corpse, and you might find your chapel overrun by spirits.
The exorcism sequences are a highlight, playing out as tense mini-games.
Atmosphere & Art Style
Grejuva nails the eerie aesthetic with a gothic, low-poly art style that feels both charming and unnerving. The funeral home is dimly lit, shadows flicker unnaturally, and the sound design—whispers, creaking floorboards, distant screams—keeps you constantly on edge. The writing is darkly humorous, with quirky characters and morbid jokes that prevent the tone from becoming too oppressive.
Final Verdict: Should You Play It? YES
Pros:
✔ Refreshing unique concept
✔ Achievements for Steam achievement hunters
✔ Good atmospheric moments
✔ Fun resource management system
✔ The game is still in Early access with a lot of potential
Cons:
❌ repetitive gameplay
❌ not enough scares/repetitive scares
Game score: 9/10
Horror score: 6.5/10
The Unholy Priest is a refreshingly original take on the management sim genre, blending business strategy with supernatural horror. It’s not without flaws—some mechanics can feel repetitive, and the difficulty spikes during exorcisms may frustrate some players—but its unique premise and strong atmosphere make it a standout title.
Available on Steam
Review made by Go_Boom44. If you want your game or indie game review to feature on South Africa Today then email: gobooom44 (at) gmail.com
