Beyond Hanwell

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 366 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

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 366 reviews
graphics76 positive mentions
stability21 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning graphics and a genuinely terrifying atmosphere that keeps players on edge.
  • The open-world design allows for exploration of unique areas, providing a sense of freedom and discovery.
  • The combat system, while basic, is satisfying and the variety of enemies adds to the challenge.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and graphical glitches.
  • Combat mechanics can feel clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating encounters with enemies.
  • The inventory system is unintuitive, making it difficult to manage items and resources effectively.
  • graphics107 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and immersive atmosphere, significantly enhancing the horror experience. While many players praise the beautiful lighting and detailed environments, some report minor graphical issues and performance concerns, particularly during level loading. Overall, the game's visuals are considered a standout feature, contributing to its appeal in the horror genre.

    • “The game's immersive gameplay, stunning visuals, and intense atmosphere make it a standout title in the horror genre.”
    • “Beyond Hanwell immerses players in a chilling post-apocalyptic London, crafting a terrifying world filled with realistic graphics and open-world exploration.”
    • “Oozing with atmosphere, great sound design, and superb graphics.”
    • “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.”
    • “This is a game where the environment and attention to detail through graphics comes first and game design comes at a significantly lesser priority.”
  • story95 mentions

    The game's story is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its intriguing lore and atmospheric storytelling, often conveyed through environmental details and collectible notes. However, some critiques highlight that the main narrative can feel predictable or lacking in depth, particularly in its conclusion. Overall, while the story has its flaws, it is complemented by strong world-building and immersive gameplay, making it a compelling experience for horror game enthusiasts.

    • “The city was cool to explore with lots of side missions to do with rewards, the weather system was awesome (the anomalous storm!), combat was fun, sound design and music was top notch, and I really enjoyed the story and all the lore given through notes and emails.”
    • “Beyond Hanwell is a very promising early access title, the game is visually stunning, and some of the environmental storytelling is fantastic; this, riddled with the lore of the game, makes it incredibly unnerving at times.”
    • “Each location, in the small but dense, open world is carefully crafted, each truly feeling like a unique story has been built for each, making you excited to find the next door you can open.”
    • “The story and especially the ending was a little disappointing.”
    • “The main character has a goal, but I haven't seen any real story beats beyond just progressing toward that yet.”
    • “Story is a bit mediocre and predictable would be my only complaint, but the atmosphere makes up for it!”
  • atmosphere89 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and terrifying qualities, with many players noting the excellent sound design, stunning graphics, and effective use of horror elements. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create tension and a sense of dread, particularly in its open-world environments and detailed settings. While some mention minor bugs and a lack of dynamic elements in certain areas, the overall consensus is that the atmosphere is a standout feature that enhances the gameplay experience.

    • “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.”
    • “Fantastically realized atmosphere and some well-executed scares.”
    • “It looks great, and it's got an absolutely creepy atmosphere, but it's just... boring for me.”
    • “Beyond Hanwell's atmosphere is genuinely haunting.”
    • “The atmosphere is thick.”
  • gameplay66 mentions

    Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of enjoyment and frustration, with many players praising the immersive atmosphere and visuals while criticizing clunky mechanics, bugs, and poorly explained systems. Combat and movement mechanics are often described as rough and unrefined, leading to a janky experience, though some appreciate the game's potential and fun exploration elements. Overall, while the game offers engaging environments and a solid ambiance, it requires significant polishing and quality-of-life improvements to enhance the gameplay experience.

    • “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.”
    • “Gameplay is a little janky, but for an indie horror game, I'm very impressed with how well it was created with limited resources and people working on it.”
    • “Not that big of a fan of the sprint and weapon reload mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay didn't feel right.”
    • “Nice visuals, but gameplay is 'meh' at best and awfully clunky and bad at worst with weak combat, annoying character movement, and boring puzzles.”
  • optimization26 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players noting significant performance issues, particularly in specific areas like the Ministry of Justice, while others found it generally well-optimized for their hardware. Although there are frame drops and occasional crashes, many appreciate the developers' commitment to ongoing patches and improvements. Overall, while the game shows potential, further optimization is needed to enhance the experience.

    • “Additionally, it is optimized really well!”
    • “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.”
    • “That game has huge performance problems.”
    • “The biggest downside is currently the optimization, however that's something that can be fixed.”
    • “The ministry of justice was the worst area for me, in terms of performance; not really sure why, but twice I had to alt+F4 out because it just killed my PC. Other than that area and a few frame drops, I had no issues.”
  • stability21 mentions

    The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with AI behavior, loading assets, and combat mechanics, which significantly hinder the overall experience. Players report frustrating moments such as enemies getting stuck, disappearing items, and inconsistent interactions, leading to a perception of the game as "buggy" and "un-intuitive." While some see potential in the game's concept and story, the stability issues have deterred many from fully engaging with it.

    • “Encountered a lot of glitches and stutters from simple interaction mechanics, and assets in the game weren't loading properly.”
    • “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 had an anomaly in the maintenance room take 18 shots to the head before it went down. These bugs so early on have deterred me from pursuing further at this time.”
    • “There are some glitches that can be really annoying, and some annoying boss/mob placements.”
  • music12 mentions

    The music in the game is consistently praised for its quality, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion with haunting melodies and ambient sounds that create tension. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, complementing the engaging combat and exploration elements while contributing to the game's eerie environments and storytelling. Overall, the sound design, including music, is described as top-notch, significantly enriching the gaming experience.

    • “Excellent atmosphere, scary environments and music, fast, terrifying enemies and well-developed lore.”
    • “The city was cool to explore with lots of side missions to do with rewards, the weather system was awesome (the anomalous storm!), combat was fun, sound design and music was top notch, and I really enjoyed the story and all the lore given through notes and emails.”
    • “The game's sound design adds to the immersion, with haunting music and ambient noises creating tension and unease.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted for its comedic elements, particularly in its lore and references to other titles, but it is criticized for being detrimental to gameplay, as it can freeze the text on the screen, rendering the game unplayable.

    • “Oh, and a funny relationship with another huge title.”
    • “Lore to the building froze the text on the screen, making it funny, but impossible to play.”
  • grinding2 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.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is noted to be decent, with users appreciating the character designs, although there is limited feedback on the depth of character growth or narrative progression.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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