PROs:
✅ Classically atmospheric with nice visual design
✅ Puzzle solving is pretty enjoyable for the most part, giving off old RE vibes
✅ Object interaction is very satisfying
✅ Solid tension balance; exploration and puzzles let your guard down for the horror elements
✅ “Mirror/tape” feature is a neat way to expand exploration and puzzles
❔ Massive amount of objects and locations to remember (need a good memory or notes)
❔ Multiple endings; make a save after activating the generator (or maybe after hammer guys)
CONs:
❌ Voice acting is horrendous
❌ Not a fan of the finite save system
❌ No quick toggle for equipment (must manually equip from inventory every time)
❌ Certain puzzles have “moronic” design, requiring real-life knowledge not found in-game
❌ Horror elements feel weak
❌ Linear puzzle progression within large mansion feels lackluster
Comments:
It’s a great classic puzzle-horror game that reminds me of the older Resident Evil or Silent Hill titles. There are plenty of amazing, animated, interactable objects, along with cool house design and great grotesque creature designs. The story itself is okay for the most part—a bit cheesy and stereotypical, but it fits the theme. It’s your typical “human experimentation by crazy cultists gone wrong” with a few interesting twists.
Most of the downsides are related to quality of life or technical choices. Personally, I wish the map system was better, like in modern RE games (auto-focusing on your current location, for starters). But at least it offers something, so I can’t complain too much. Equipment swapping is tedious, as you have to constantly dig into your inventory to switch between a lighter and a weapon.
Also, I’m not a big fan of having a limited number of saves. This is especially annoying since I often play in short sessions (1-2 hours) and like to save after every bit of progress due to my potato memory and lack of patience.
Speaking of potato memory… if you have one, make sure you take a lot of memos or notes on where objects are and where you found unsolved puzzles. This game involves a LOT of back-and-forth running. I actually had to look up hint-based guides on the web just to remember where anything was for a while. Later, I started taking screenshots and notes, which helped a lot.
Although for saves workaround was for me just using debug menu.
All things considered, I think this is a pretty enjoyable classic puzzle-solving horror game that takes those amazing old-school features and presents them in a fairly fun manner. As far as indie games go, it’s a pretty good one. Yeah, it has some questionable design choices and horrid voice acting, but overall I had fun.
🌟 Total score: 7/10 🌟
Game status:
✅ Finished
Reviewing info: How I review/rate & other info on my website through my profile. (desozone)