Affected: The Manor
- October 3, 2017
- Fallen Planet Studios
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Affected: The Manor - Complete Edition" is a virtual reality horror game that takes you through an abandoned manor filled with terrifying experiences. It includes the original haunted house walk-through, a speedrun mode called "The Gauntlet," and a new "Darkness" mode where you navigate through unseen areas with only a candle for light. The game also offers achievements, inclusivity options, and personalization features.
PC
Virtual Reality
Windows
Oculus Quest
Oculus VR
PlayStation
PlayStation VR
PlayStation VR2
Reviews
- The game offers a genuinely creepy atmosphere with excellent sound design and graphics, making it immersive and engaging.
- It provides a fun experience for introducing friends to VR, with effective jump scares that can elicit strong reactions.
- The game is short but well-crafted, making it a good value for those looking for a quick horror experience.
- Many players found the game to be too short, lasting only about 20 minutes with minimal interaction and no real gameplay mechanics.
- The legacy version of the game has significant issues, including controller binding problems and missing files, leading to frustration for players.
- Some reviews criticized the reliance on predictable jump scares and a lack of narrative or deeper gameplay elements, making it feel more like a tech demo than a full game.
- graphics30 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the immersive and detailed visuals that rival AAA titles, while others express disappointment over downgraded graphics in newer versions, particularly for the Quest platform. Many users appreciate the atmospheric design and quality of the graphics, noting that they enhance the horror experience, but some feel that the gameplay suffers due to limited interaction and a lack of engaging content. Despite the criticisms, the game's visuals are often highlighted as a strong point, contributing to an intense and immersive experience.
“Very pretty graphics, and wonderfully creepy ambiance, but I wouldn't exactly call it a game.”
“Unlike most VR titles, with Nintendo-esque polygon graphics, this game is as lush and detailed as a AAA game.”
“These are some of the best graphics/audio I've seen in VR.”
“Bring back the old version I paid for on Steam - you will never get us to buy the newer game you are working on when you robbed us of what made the game initially great. We paid for the good version and you forced the watered-down 5th grader graphics version.”
“But then sadly it got updated and questified, meaning, the graphics have gotten much worse.”
“There was a bunch of backlash over the game's graphics being butchered in order to make it work on the quest.”
- story21 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 24 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its absence, with many users noting that it lacks any meaningful narrative or objectives, reducing the experience to mere exploration without depth. While some appreciate the graphics and atmosphere, they express a desire for more interactive elements and storytelling to enhance engagement. Overall, the consensus is that the game feels incomplete in terms of narrative, leaving players wanting a more polished and cohesive story experience.
“Liked the graphics and wasn't confused by too many options or an overly complex story line.”
“The alternate paths is a cool idea, I just wish there were more than only two paths, and that there might be a little visual storytelling to piece together what is happening rather than random rooms.”
“The game does have jump scares (which I am normally against, I tend to find jump scares a cheap trick of modern horror that lacks the creator's ability to tell an engaging horror story or create a genuinely creepy atmosphere), but in the manor, the jump scares are part of what you are seeing, very little is done just for the sake of doing it, and flows very well with the overall tone and experience itself.”
“There's no story and not much interaction to be had.”
“The game has no story nor objectives and it was never meant to; just march forward and enjoy!”
“The lack of interaction with objects in the world itself is also a huge limitation, and there is no story or lore whatsoever really.”
- atmosphere17 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie music, detailed graphics, and effective use of jump scares, creating a genuinely terrifying experience. While some players feel that the lack of interactivity and creativity in scares detracts from the overall immersion, many agree that the game's atmospheric effects and sound design significantly enhance the horror experience. Overall, the game successfully establishes a creepy and engaging environment, though some players wish for more depth and interaction.
“The environment and atmosphere this game projects is terrifying and unforgiving at the same time.”
“The atmospheric effects and the music are blended exceptionally well.”
“A quality but short horror experience with beautiful graphics, excellent sound and of course a perfect horror atmosphere.”
“Had this eerie music or these bumps occurred suddenly in isolation after wandering around for a while reading things and taking in the atmosphere, I really do believe I'd have been much more spooked, and it would have felt more natural. But to be honest, a lot of VR horror games are making this mistake (scary game needs lots of scares).”
“It doesn’t relay even ten percent of the atmosphere the developers built into the VR realm.”
“The game does have jump scares (which I am normally against, as I tend to find jump scares a cheap trick of modern horror that lacks the creator's ability to tell an engaging horror story or create a genuinely creepy atmosphere), but in the manor, the jump scares are part of what you are seeing. Very little is done just for the sake of doing it, and it flows very well with the overall tone and experience itself.”
- music10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Reviews of the music in the game highlight a mixed reception; while some praise the atmospheric effects and the effective blending of music and sound to enhance the experience, others criticize the reliance on generic horror tropes and the failure to build tension through sound. Many feel that a more subtle and gradual use of music could have heightened the fear factor, suggesting that the current approach detracts from the overall immersion.
“The atmospheric effects and the music are blended exceptionally well.”
“Being an on-rails experience, they can craft the music and effects timing to be exactly what they want.”
“It is really well done, the music, the graphics, the atmosphere, everything.”
“I personally think with experiences like this, a slow build-up of fear through clever use of sound and music would have been much more effective.”
“Had this eerie music or these bumps occurred suddenly in isolation after wandering around for a while reading things and taking in the atmosphere, I really do believe I'd have been much more spooked, and it would have felt more natural, but to be honest, a lot of VR horror games are making this mistake (scary game needs lots of scares).”
“But no, the music really destroyed a lot of the experience... cannot recommend.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the gameplay is a mixed experience, with some players noting a lack of depth and reliance on jump scares, while others praise the smooth movement mechanics and immersive sound design. The game is considered a good value for its price, particularly for VR users, and its mechanics are seen as potentially influential for future titles.
“Good graphics and scary gameplay.”
“What I like the most is that it's not oversaturated with ambience and slow gameplay to where you scare yourself psychologically, waiting for a stupid jump scare.”
“The movement mechanics in this game are on point and I guarantee will be used in future games to come.”
“I expected some gameplay.”
“So to conclude, let me say that viewing the gameplay itself in a YouTube video is useless.”
“You should only see the gameplay from inside VR.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it lacking due to a linear experience with minimal variation, others appreciate the multiple paths and endings that encourage replaying for different outcomes.
“The game offers multiple paths and endings, which significantly enhances its replay value.”
“With various choices and outcomes, I find myself coming back to explore different storylines.”
“Each playthrough reveals new secrets and experiences, making it hard to put down.”
“You just walk a path and get spooked; there's no replayability.”
“There are multiple paths and endings, but the replay value is lacking.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews depict grinding as a brutal and relentless process, likening it to a visceral experience where players are metaphorically consumed by the game's mechanics, resulting in a chaotic and messy outcome.
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, with users reporting no issues during gameplay.
“It's very well optimized, as I did not encounter any issues.”
“The game's performance is impressive; everything runs smoothly without any hiccups.”
“I appreciate the attention to optimization; it really enhances the overall experience.”
- stability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates excellent stability, running smoothly on a GTX 1080 even with settings adjusted to 1.6, providing a seamless experience for players.
“Runs great on the GTX 1080 even with the settings on 1.6... butter smooth!”
