Haunted House Review (PS5)

The 80’s represent a golden era for video games with many unsung heroes that fell into oblivion either because their platform went extinct, or because publishers prefer battle tested IPs. Such a gem is Haunted House, a game of the Atari era, that although originally relied on sprites and the imagination of the players, managed to scare the living ghost out of us. Can the modern graphics combined with the old gameplay deliver the same results?

The Atari 2600 may be gone, but the developers are keen on bringing back games that can turn a profit thanks to their nostalgia factor. The results vary in quality as we have seen in manty reviews posted this year, and sometimes the remake is actually a remake of a remake of the original, since the idea of dusting off older games is neither new, nor uncommon. Haunted House falls in this very category, first being released back in 1982, then rereleased in 2010 and now for a third time 13 years later.

This time around we are talking about more of a remake than a remaster, the developers from Orbit Studio trying to present us a horror game that features a roguelike gameplay, that is different from the previous releases. Also, there is greater attention to details in order to make the limitations of the gameplay even more panic inducing, but also in par with the expectations of modern-day players.

The story remains the same, featuring a haunted manor assaulted by a group of pesky kids trying to find the missing archeologist uncle of our hero. Of course, the otherworldly entities do not take kindly to this intrusion and most members of the happy camper group end up missing just like the old timer. It is up to the player to go through the more than detailed tutorial and after that find their missing companions.

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Equipped with a flashlight you will explore the entire manor, room by room, exterminating the various threats along the way. There is variety in this task, but the game always gives precise indications about what needs to be done. Sometimes it is enough to return a misplaced item or to capture an escaped animal, but other times you will feel like a true Ghost Buster hunting down the spectral apparitions and blasting them with a concentrated light beam.

During your incursion it is recommended to tread lightly, since your movement generates noise that brings unwanted attention. Many of the ghosts you will face are hibernating and you can deal with them only if you sneak up on them. If you run around like Rambo, ignoring your noise meter you will wake them up from their undead slumber and the game will turn into a hilarious cabaret piece in which you try to outrun the ones chasing you.

Another important element is the objects you will find scattered around the game world. The food will recharge your hit points, while other objects will serve as diversions or even traps for the unfriendly ghosts. In some rooms you will also find residents that will task you with retrieving special objects. These together with the gems that can be used to upgrade your hero’s stats are the only ones that do not disappear after an unsuccessful run.

Being a roguelite game means that once you seriously misstep, Haunted House will put you back at the beginning for you to try over. Once you find yourself at the entrance you can use the aforementioned gems to increase your stamina or your HP, you can improve your flashlight and even make your steps quieter.

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On your quest to retrieve the four keys necessary to unlock the basement and free your trapped friends, you will also have the opportunity to upgrade the various furniture and amenities of the manor. But for this you will need a lot of self-motivation, since many times, your hero, Lyn will meet her demise in extremely unfair conditions. The gameplay overall is challenging and can be frustrating, and the perceived unfairness of the game can be hard to get over.

Once you manage to free your friends, they become playable characters, each with their own stats. This would be a good motivation if the traps wouldn’t be so unforgiving, if the time needed to complete some QTEs wouldn’t be more than the time needed for the enemies to kill you, and in general the designers putting in every cheap trick they could think of.

The isometric point of view and lack of lighting due a great job in bringing to life the haunted house atmosphere, but actively work against the players success. The visual style and graphics can be misleading, making it extra hard to cross rooms since you cannot identify correctly openings between furniture pieces.             There are also plenty of bugs that raise even further the frustration of the player. Beyond the bugs related to various opponents and bosses, HP being displayed incorrectly, gadgets not working as they are supposed to, often the map itself refuses to show the layout of the rooms. In a game that even the smallest mistake can cost you dearly, these are unacceptable errors. Especially that they can render futile attempts that lasted a good few hours and were building up nicely, just to be crushed unfairly.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion