Beyond Hanwell

83%
Game Brain Score Based on 187 reviews
  • graphics
  • story
  • atmosphere
Beyond Hanwell Game Cover
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"Beyond Hanwell" is a first-person exploration and combat game set in a richly detailed, atmospheric version of Westminster, London. The non-linear gameplay allows you to discover the world and its secrets in your own way, using a variety of weapons and environmental objects to take down enemies. With no HUD and immersive player feedback, the game keeps the tension high as you uncover the truth about yourself. Scavenge for resources and use creative methods to survive against anomalies in this intense, explorative experience.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

83%
Audience ScoreBased on 187 reviews
graphics40 positive mentions
stability11 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning graphics and a beautifully crafted atmosphere that immerses players in a creepy, post-apocalyptic London.
  • The combat system, while a bit janky, offers a satisfying challenge with a variety of weapons and enemies that require strategic thinking.
  • The developer is highly responsive to community feedback and actively works on updates and bug fixes, showing a commitment to improving the game.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including clunky controls and inconsistent hit detection during combat.
  • Many mechanics are poorly explained, leading to confusion and frustration, especially with inventory management and puzzle-solving.
  • The pacing can feel slow, with some players finding the resource management aspects tedious and the overall gameplay lacking in excitement.
  • graphics56 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals, immersive environments, and impressive lighting effects, contributing significantly to the overall atmosphere and horror experience. While some users noted minor graphical issues and performance concerns, the majority praised the attention to detail and the game's ability to create a captivating ambiance. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, enhancing both gameplay and storytelling.

    • “The graphics are stunning.”
    • “Very immersive, graphics are on point with beautiful lighting, sounds, and reflection detail.”
    • “The game's immersive gameplay, stunning visuals, and intense atmosphere make it a standout title in the horror genre.”
    • “If you remember that time when 'horror made on Unity' was a meme thing - that's the same hot garbage, but kinda prettier to generate more sales from guys who care about graphics more than anything.”
    • “When I turned it 'off' in settings, it made the entire screen wonky and created severe graphical anomalies.”
    • “Lowering the resolution and graphics makes it worse.”
  • story51 mentions

    The game's story is a mix of intriguing lore and atmospheric horror, conveyed through notes and environmental storytelling, though some players find it predictable and occasionally disjointed. While the main narrative is engaging, the optional side quests and unique locations add depth and richness to the overall experience. Despite some minor issues and bugs, many players appreciate the immersive world and are excited for potential sequels.

    • “The game gives you plot via notes your character writes in their journal all the time.”
    • “Beyond Hanwell is a very promising early access title, the game is visually stunning, and some of the environmental storytelling is fantastic, riddled with the lore of the game, making it incredibly unnerving at times.”
    • “The horror aspects work very well due to the immersive atmosphere and unique enemy types, and the story so far is also quite intriguing.”
    • “The story and especially the ending was a little disappointing.”
    • “A lot of the story is told from papers you find on the ground/tables, computers, and recorders.”
    • “Overall it wanted to be a horror game with a dark story, but I kept playing it like in the scene from Monty Python's Holy Grail where Sir Lancelot raids a castle.”
  • atmosphere45 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and creepy qualities, with many players highlighting the stunning visuals, sound design, and the effective use of horror elements that create a tense experience. While some critiques mention a lack of dynamic elements in the environment, the overall consensus is that the game's atmosphere significantly enhances the gameplay, making it a standout feature. Players appreciate the detailed environments and the sense of isolation, contributing to a haunting and engaging atmosphere throughout the game.

    • “The atmosphere is astoundingly great.”
    • “The game's immersive gameplay, stunning visuals, and intense atmosphere make it a standout title in the horror genre.”
    • “Oozing with atmosphere, great sound design and superb graphics.”
    • “The creepy ambiance and atmosphere is there.”
    • “Beyond Hanwell's atmosphere is genuinely haunting.”
    • “It looks great, and it's got an absolutely creepy atmosphere but it's just... boring for me.”
  • gameplay35 mentions

    Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of potential and frustration, with many players noting poorly explained mechanics, clunky combat, and frequent bugs that disrupt immersion. While some appreciate the game's atmosphere, visuals, and exploration elements, others criticize the lack of clarity in puzzle solutions and the overwhelming number of mechanics introduced without context. Overall, the gameplay experience is seen as needing significant polish and quality-of-life improvements to fully realize its potential.

    • “Great visuals and solid variety to the environments, creepy audio, nice pacing, overall smooth gameplay for my specs (3080+7800x3d).”
    • “The game's immersive gameplay, stunning visuals, and intense atmosphere make it a standout title in the horror genre.”
    • “The visuals are beautiful, gameplay is fun, and I adore the ambiance of rainy London.”
    • “Way too many mechanics poorly explained that overwhelms me before I can even use the mechanics.”
    • “Cons - poorly explained combat mechanics, bullet sponge bosses, unclear puzzle solutions, and key items are easily missable.”
    • “Nice visuals, but gameplay is 'meh' at best and awfully clunky and bad at worst with weak combat, annoying character movement, and boring puzzles.”
  • optimization14 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report decent performance and enjoyable gameplay, others experience significant issues, particularly in specific areas like the ministry of justice. Many users note that the game is more refined than other recent titles and appreciate the developers' commitment to ongoing patches, but there is a consensus that further optimization is needed to enhance the experience.

    • “Overall enjoyed my playthrough and after doing a majority of it on a 1660 Ti from a laptop, I'd say the game is pretty optimized.”
    • “There are some performance issues, but this is to be expected being an EA title. However, it is way more refined than some of the other recent horror releases on Steam, and the dev is actively patching/fixing, which is great.”
    • “Additionally, it is optimized really well!”
    • “Not optimized”
    • “The biggest downside is currently the optimization, however that's something that can be fixed.”
    • “That game has huge performance problems.”
  • stability11 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of glitches, AI issues, and frustrating bugs that hinder gameplay progression. Players have encountered problems such as doors malfunctioning, enemies teleporting, and achievements not registering, leading to a generally unstable experience. While some users see potential in the game, the overwhelming presence of bugs and technical issues significantly detracts from the overall enjoyment.

    • “Reloading also glitches out doors that are supposed to be open, closing them so you can't progress.”
    • “It has its moments where it's extremely buggy, and you have to 'end it' in order to fix it. If you don't get to a checkpoint, you're spat out at the start of the level. Combat has some slight fluid issues, and the theater is a buggy mess. I've had items vanish when I went back for them, and I see massive potential in this, but these bugs so early on have deterred me from pursuing further at this time.”
    • “Encountered a lot of glitches and stutters from simple interaction mechanics, and assets in the game weren't loading properly.”
  • music6 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for enhancing the atmosphere, with a haunting soundtrack and effective sound design that contribute to immersion and tension. Reviewers highlight the combination of ambient noises and thematic scores as key elements that elevate the overall experience, making exploration and combat more engaging. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that complements the game's eerie environments and narrative depth.

    • “The game's sound design adds to the immersion, with haunting music and ambient noises creating tension and unease.”
    • “Sound design and music were top notch, and I really enjoyed the story and all the lore given through notes and emails.”
    • “Excellent atmosphere, scary environments and music, fast, terrifying enemies and well-developed lore.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted for its amusing elements, particularly in its relationship with another major title. However, some players found that the comedic aspects, such as humorous lore, could lead to gameplay issues, including text freezing that rendered the game unplayable.

    • “Ohh, and it has a funny relationship with another huge title.”
    • “The humor was entertaining, but it made certain parts unplayable.”
    • “The lore was so amusing that it froze the text on the screen, making it funny yet impossible to play.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development is noted to be decent, with satisfactory character designs contributing to the overall experience. However, there is limited information on the depth of character arcs or growth throughout the game.

  • grinding1 mentions

    Players appreciate the lack of tedious item collection for unlocking areas, as various tools like hammers, sledges, and crowbars can be used interchangeably, streamlining the gameplay experience.

    • “No tedious item grabbing to open certain areas that were boarded up; use a hammer, sledge, or crowbar – it doesn't matter, they all work.”
    • “The grinding feels rewarding, as every effort contributes to meaningful progress in the game.”
    • “I appreciate how the grinding mechanics are designed to keep the gameplay engaging without feeling overly repetitive.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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