A Place, Forbidden

About

A Place, Forbidden is a single player and multiplayer casual simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by BanzaiBonsai and was released on June 25, 2020. It received very positive reviews from players.

The Library of Ouroboros. You awaken here with no memory of how you've arrived - though faint memories of searches, of the Library's name, stick in your memory like scraps of torn paper. The reek of dust, of old wood, and of something... more difficult to place hang in the air. Is that a distant ringing you hear, or merely your imagination? And why do you feel so strange? So hot? Like a pair of e…

Skip User Reviews

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 323 reviews

atmosphere54 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

Excellent atmospheric horror experience with a strong Lovecraftian and cosmic horror vibe.
Challenging but fair puzzles that encourage thought and exploration without being frustratingly difficult.
Free to play with well-executed PS1-style graphics, immersive sound design, and compelling storytelling through environmental cues and in-game texts.

Some players find the puzzle hints sparse and certain puzzles obtuse or unintuitive, occasionally requiring external guides.
Performance and optimization issues reported by some users, including frame rate drops and screen tearing without VSync option.
The heavy reliance on reading and lore may not appeal to all players, and the slow pacing with lack of action might feel boring or tedious to some.

atmosphere
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
28%
4%
The game is widely praised for its immersive and unsettling atmosphere, characterized by a chilling, dread-filled vibe rather than relying on jumpscares. Its PS1-style graphics, eerie sound design, and Lovecraftian influences effectively create a unique, haunting environment that deeply engages players through exploration and puzzle-solving. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout element, enhancing the horror experience with a slow-building, memorable sense of unease.
- “The gameplay is simple yet effective, the atmosphere is thick and well-done, it's very polished, the writing is fantastic, and it creates the deepest dread I've experienced in a long time.”
- “The atmosphere drowns you in immediately, as you wake up not knowing how you got here and what follows is your spiral into the neverending library, followed by an inscrutable sense of dread until you either swing wide the gates of knowledge the human mind was never supposed to comprehend or fail miserably, doomed to an eternal oblivion somewhere between the walls of realities.”
- “The visuals, the audio, the atmosphere... everything about this was gripping and memorable.”
- “It says it's Lovecraftian, but for me, it clearly fails to capture the atmosphere, instead being a lot more comparable to PT (but way less scary), from which it clearly draws inspiration.”
- “There's no atmosphere, just things that were being set up to be creepy.”
- “[b] [i]Soundtrack:[/i] [/b] It’s there, adds to the atmosphere, I don’t recall anything that stands out.”
story
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
57%
4%
The game's story, set in a mysterious, progressively darker library, is praised for its immersive, Lovecraftian atmosphere and clever environmental storytelling, largely conveyed through notes and books that players must read to piece together the plot. While some find the narrative captivating and well-written with rewarding puzzles integrated into the overarching mystery, others note it can become convoluted or obscure, requiring patience and attention to detail. Overall, the story is considered a strong, intriguing element that hooks players without relying on jump scares, appealing especially to fans of atmospheric, lore-rich horror.
- “Bit by bit, you piece together a complete story, leafing through the pages of scholastic memories and fragments of searches related to this particular library.”
- “Story-wise you can uncover the perfect amount of information: enough that you aren't completely divorced from what's going on, but not so much as to remove that feeling of dread found in horror that draws from the fear of the unknown and unexplainable.”
- “The story behind it all was captivating and I seriously suggest you read every bit of information you come across; it paints a brilliant picture.”
- “Don't get me wrong -- I can tell a lot of effort went into it, and there is certainly potential, but I felt that the story got too convoluted in the end.”
- “I think I managed to piece together the protagonist's backstory, but it seemed like something so straightforward shouldn't have been dragged out so much.”
- “Most of these hints were over the top and cliché so that all I could expect is the usual haunted building story.”
graphics
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
57%
9%
The game features intentionally low-poly, PS1-style graphics that effectively create a creepy, atmospheric, and nostalgic horror vibe, enhancing the storytelling and overall mood despite not being photorealistic. While many appreciate the retro aesthetic and its fit with the Lovecraftian themes, some players report motion sickness and performance issues, particularly frame rate drops, which can impact the experience. Overall, the graphics are praised for their distinct art style and contribution to immersion, though they may not appeal to everyone.
- “The PSX-esque graphics do a wonderful job of environmental storytelling, showing you just enough so you know what everything is, but your brain fills in the rest of the nitty-gritty details.”
- “An impressive game that really nails the pixelated Lovecraft-horror art style!”
- “The graphics in A Place, Forbidden are reminiscent of PS1 horror games; the atmosphere is immersive and adds to the nostalgic experience.”
- “Personally, I can run Portal 2 very nicely, but I can hardly get more than 5 frames when walking, which made the Cluttered Room 3 practically unplayable with an Intel i7 graphics card.”
- “Graphics are awful (not really to blame, it was a stylistic choice I presume), and yet my CPU and GeForce went up to 70°C at least the whole time.”
- “Lofi-graphics made it hard to find some items, but good game.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
50%
15%
Gameplay is simple and puzzle-focused, blending basic exploration with atmospheric, suspenseful elements that enhance the horror experience without relying on cheap scares. While some puzzles can be tricky or occasionally frustrating, especially without guides, the overall mechanics are polished and well-balanced with the setting. The gameplay shines most during the first playthrough, delivering a chilling vibe and deep dread through effective storytelling and environment.
- “The gameplay is simple yet effective, the atmosphere is thick and well-done, it's very polished, the writing is fantastic, and it creates the deepest dread I've experienced in a long time.”
- “Which, to my surprise, did not affect gameplay too much and gives the game a 1990s PC game feel, yet burns the brain with lots of tough logical puzzles.”
- “Subsequent playthroughs (probably necessary for the true ending/100% achievements unless you're really thorough the first time) lose a bit of the fear because you understand the game mechanics better, but the first playthrough is magic.”
- “The scariness is in a more atmospheric way, as the vibe is chilling but the gameplay is not that scary.”
- “As the setting of a library may suggest, most of the game's gameplay, horror and story happens through books, so it will be a lot of reading and solving puzzles and riddles.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is widely criticized for poor optimization, causing lag even on high-end PCs that run more demanding titles smoothly. Despite its low-fidelity visuals, it requires unexpectedly powerful hardware, reflecting significant inefficiencies.
- “I only wish the game was better optimized, because a computer able to run RE2 Remake without issue shouldn't have a game like this lag.”
- “Very unoptimized, needs a way better PC than how it looks (yeah, I know, low-fi... even worse then!).”
- “I usually enjoy these types of games, but dear lord, is this game unoptimized.”
- “I usually enjoy these types of games, but dear lord is this game unoptimized.”
- “I only wish the game was better optimized, because a computer able to run RE2 remake without issue shouldn't have a game like this lag.”
- “It's clearly very poorly optimized.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally stable with no significant bugs or glitches reported. Minor issues like occasional typos and rare instances of getting stuck on objects occur but do not impact overall gameplay. Users find the stability solid enough for a smooth experience, especially for horror fans.
- “It's an ok walking simulator, I guess, but buggy.”
- “As for bugs, glitches, controls, and things of that nature, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary aside from a few typos and a couple times where you might get stuck on an object, but that was mainly from me messing about trying to climb over or on top of places I shouldn't be.”
- “I didn’t find any glitches.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game offers moderate replayability, mainly driven by its multiple endings and rewarding puzzles, though its relatively short length and puzzle solutions limit long-term replay value after initial completion.
- “Beautiful retro art style, original and rewarding puzzles, and multiple endings means decent replay value.”
- “The game has at least 2 endings to my knowledge, presumably depending on how many puzzles you solved and how much forbidden knowledge you found, so there is some replay value, too!”
- “Replayed once to snag all of the achievements because it's pretty short once you've already worked out all of the puzzles, but not much replay value past that.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The music effectively contributes to the game's atmosphere but lacks memorable or standout tracks, making it a solid yet unremarkable aspect of the overall experience.
- “The soundtrack is present and adds to the atmosphere, even though nothing in particular stands out.”
- “Soundtrack: it's there and adds to the atmosphere, but I don’t recall anything that stands out.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes a strong emotional experience with a mysterious and immersive first half that feels like exploring a forbidden library, but the rushed and disjointed second half diminishes the overall impact. Players appreciate the unique feelings it generates despite the uneven pacing.
- “The first half of the game is really mysterious and made me feel like I'm really exploring some old and forbidden library, while the second half just seems really rushed and almost feels like a different game entirely.”
- “I enjoy new experiences and I loved the way this made me feel.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is well-infused with cosmic horror themes and includes clever, relatable references, such as nods to Office Space, which add an enjoyable layer of wit to the game.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is described as tedious, particularly when aiming for 100% completion, but the overall atmosphere helps maintain player interest.

Skip Game Offers

Buy A Place, Forbidden

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like A Place, Forbidden

82%1.6kreviews

No one lives under the lighthouse

2020

Simulation

73%738reviews

Left Alone

2016

Survival Management

86%3.6kreviews

We Went Back

2020

Survival Simulation

85%4.1kreviews

Stories Untold

2017

Shooter

82%1.8kreviews

Reveal the Deep

2015

Casual Platformer

More games like A Place, Forbidden

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

A Place, Forbidden is a casual simulation game with horror theme.

A Place, Forbidden is available on PC, Windows and PlayStation.

A Place, Forbidden was released on June 25, 2020.

A Place, Forbidden was developed by BanzaiBonsai.

A Place, Forbidden has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its atmosphere but disliked it for its optimization.

A Place, Forbidden is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include No one lives under the lighthouse, Left Alone, We Went Back, Stories Untold, Reveal the Deep and others.

A Place, Forbidden

Platforms

About

Buy A Place, Forbidden