HWTC is a mix of psychological horror and work simulation set in the fictional post-Soviet state, the Republic of Calvania. You’ll be exploring difficult themes that are part of our everyday lives - routine, negligence, and mental health - all while listening to the encouraging, Council-approved radio station.
Few things are said directly, but many are left for your interpretation. The warehouse, the notes, and the radio tell a story - but you’re the one who puts it together.
Getting most of the achievements and story elements will take around 2–3 hours, but the game doesn’t end there - you can complete as many shifts as you like.
Your working shifts are the core of the game - you check, pack, and send orders. Hard work and attention to detail are rewarded; carelessness, on the other hand, is noticed and punished.
Each day is an eight-hour night shift with no limit on the number of orders you can pack. Every shift, the conveyor configuration changes, making your tasks easier or harder.
Your time and space management will be thoroughly tested - you’ll need shelves to organize your work, an eye for detail to spot signs of electric fuses nearing their limits, and careful planning to stay sane throughout the process.
Work is demanding, tiring, and you’ve already suffered enough. The closer you get to a mental breakdown, the more unfriendly things become - whispers, flickering lights, silent conveyor belts. But don’t worry - the game isn’t about jump scares; it’s about a dense, dark atmosphere.
And if you’re careful, take your time while packing orders, relax in the armchair, or take your pills, you’ll be just fine. You might not even notice that something’s off.
The game is about all of us. We work more and more, often forgetting to take proper care of ourselves. We sleep less, eat worse, and stress more - all to survive, pay our mortgages, and put food on the table.
I wanted to take all of that and exaggerate it, but while creating the game, I couldn’t escape the feeling that Happy Worker Tool Company, though meant as satire, still mirrors the reality we live in far too closely.
I’d like to dedicate it to everyone who feels they work too hard.
