PAPERHEAD: Why does cardboard bleed?

There are plenty of horror games willing to throw monsters and demons at you. PAPERHEAD takes quite a different approach: it puts you inside a world made of cardboard and paper, gives you a pencil as a weapon, and then lets you figure out why does the carboard bleed. The game is a first-person shooter that mixes old-school boomer shooter movement with horror and adventure elements. The game is scheduled to launch on Steam on October 9, 2026. Despite its deliberately goofy visual style, there is considerably more going on here than simply shooting cardboard enemies.

A cardboard world hiding a disturbing secret

PAPERHEAD takes place inside an abandoned research facility where something has gone very, very wrong. Players must explore the strange environment, fight hostile cardboard creatures and uncover the mystery behind the game's most disturbing phenomenon: paper apparently has a circulatory system now. 

The game's unique visual identity is arguably its biggest selling point. The world is constructed around cardboard and paper cutout aesthetics, creating an unusual combination of deliberately simple characters, doodle-like designs and surprisingly gruesome effects. The developer studio wanted to create an art style that was relatively practical for a solo developer while still being visually distinctive. The result eventually became the foundation for the game's entire identit, and, believe it or not, it works like a charm. PAPERHEAD is somewhat like playing The Binding of Isaac as a first-person shooter, but with cardboard characters and more blood.

Underneath its bizarre presentation, PAPERHEAD is designed around frantic FPS combat. The game features high jumps and double jumps, with movement inspired partly by the speed and flow associated with classic arena shooters. The result is a shooter where simply standing still is probably not the best survival strategy. Insteand you are encouraged to blast enemies with a shotgun, kick explosive barrels, launch enemies into the air and even stomp on their heads. 

You are not John Wick, but a pencil is your best weapon

The least conventional weapon in the arsenal is the most important in the game. It isn't merely another firearm weapon. It is a tool capable of interacting with the environment. You can draw bombs with it and the kick those bombs towards enemies, for example and even doors by drawing them onto walls. This is where the game's visual concept becomes an actual gameplay mechanic rather than just an aesthetic gimmick. But if you aren't feeling creative, the shotgun provides a more traditional solution to cardboard-related problems. 

Why PAPERHEAD?

PAPERHEAD offers a bizarre and exhilarating experience with a cartoonish tint. The cardboard world of the game serves as an excuse to unleash destruction in very creative ways thanks to the pencil. Frankly, if a game can make you genuinely curious about why a piece of cardboard is bleeding, it has already achieved something most shooters never even attempt. If you are looking for this kind of experience, use our comparator to find the best deals for PAPERHEAD and get ready to fight.