What Is 'Awaria' And Who Is Zmora? The New 'Ghost Kissing' Game By The Creator Of 'Helltaker' Explained

A few years ago, the indie puzzle game Helltaker took social media by storm, becoming a massive hit for developer vanripper.

Now, the Polish game dev has released his new game Awaria that's all about fixing broken generators and kissing ghosts and in just a short few days, it's garnered a huge online fandom.

So what's the deal with Awaria and why is it so big right now? Here's what you need to know.

What Is 'Awaria?'

Awaria is a short, free indie action game by Polish developer vanripper, aka Łukasz Piskorz. Piskorz is most known for his game Helltaker, which was released in 2020 to massive online appeal for everything from its gameplay to its character design. Naturally, fans became obsessed with the game for a while, inspiring tons of fan art and content.

Awaria came out on December 16th, 2024 for free on Steam and Itch.io, making it readily accessible to anyone who wants to play it. The game has players fix broken generators in a series of underground maintenance tunnels while dodging green ghosts. While the game is short it's also difficult, offering players a decent challenge mixed with vanripper's signature style.

How Are People Reacting To 'Awaria?'

The game quickly garnered an online fanbase following its release thanks to its memorable characters, fun gameplay and interesting story. Many fans latched onto the ghost-girl character Zmora, who has already inspired a ton of fan art. Players are also having a lot of fun with the "ghost kissing" aspect of the game, where, at the end of a room, you can sometimes kiss a ghost.

Despite being about ghosts, the whole game is very lighthearted at its core, rather than taking a spooky approach like most ghost games. If you're a fan of tough indie games, or if you're a Helltaker fan, this might be worth a try.

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For the full history of Awaria, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.