Beyond Hanwell

About

Beyond Hanwell is a single player shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by Steel Arts Software Ltd and was released on September 26, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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76%

Audience ScoreBased on 471 reviews

story54 positive mentions

optimization9 negative mentions

The game features stunning graphics and a beautifully crafted atmosphere that immerses players in a creepy version of London.
The combat system, while simple, is satisfying and allows for a variety of melee weapons and crafting options.
The game offers a unique open-world experience with optional side quests and locations that enhance exploration and storytelling.

The game suffers from performance issues, including bugs, graphical glitches, and inconsistent frame rates, which can detract from the overall experience.
Combat can feel clunky and unresponsive at times, with some enemies being overly spongy and difficult to defeat.
The inventory and crafting systems are poorly designed, leading to confusion and frustration when managing items and resources.

story
160 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
60%
6%
The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it intriguing and well-crafted, while others feel it lacks depth and clarity. Many appreciate the environmental storytelling and the gradual unfolding of the narrative through collectibles, though some criticize its predictability and fragmented delivery. Overall, the atmosphere and lore are praised, but the execution of the story leaves room for improvement, with a notable divide between those who find it engaging and those who feel lost or underwhelmed.
- “I did get hooked on the story from the beginning and wanted to find out more of what was going on.”
- “The story has an intriguing layer of mystery, enough to keep you moving forward to figure out what exactly has happened.”
- “The atmosphere of the city as well as the story and its development are done quite well.”
- “The story is very basic.”
- “The story has no real depth.”
- “The gameplay is janky, the story is very meh and the flow of the game is all over the place.”
graphics
130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
35%
5%
The graphics of the game receive a mixed reception, with many praising the stunning visuals, atmospheric environments, and impressive lighting effects. However, several users report issues such as graphical glitches, performance drops, and inconsistent settings that detract from the overall experience. While the game showcases beautiful graphics, it is often overshadowed by technical problems and gameplay mechanics that fail to match the visual quality.
- “The graphics are stunning.”
- “Incredible environment, amazing graphics, monsters and animations top tier.”
- “The visuals are beautiful, gameplay is fun and I adore the ambiance of rainy London.”
- “Weird graphical glitches when using DLSS.”
- “Truth be told, this title has one of the most bizarre graphics settings I’ve ever encountered, with some of the features outright shutting down at 'medium' (I dread to think what 'low' does) and notably, entire chunks of terrain turning invisible.”
- “Many a time had to quit due to the game's graphics glitching really bad.”
atmosphere
123 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
23%
2%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, effectively capturing the eerie essence of a post-apocalyptic London. Players appreciate the detailed environments, strong sound design, and the ability to explore various atmospheric locations, which contribute to a sense of tension and dread throughout the experience. While some critiques mention issues with combat mechanics and pacing, the overall consensus highlights the game's exceptional atmospheric design as its standout feature.
- “The atmosphere alone is perfect.”
- “Beyond Hanwell's atmosphere is genuinely haunting.”
- “The atmosphere is incredible.”
- “In conclusion, Beyond Hanwell succeeds in crafting an immersive and eerie horror experience that emphasizes freedom, environmental storytelling, and oppressive atmosphere.”
- “Extremely jarring and stiff, despite the visuals being somewhat okay, the enemy animations and combat are stroke-inducing laughable; whatever tension the game built up through atmosphere was destroyed the moment the combat music started looping and the enemy started flailing around like a gorilla.”
- “It looks great, and it's got an absolutely creepy atmosphere, but it's just... boring for me.”
gameplay
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating its atmospheric design and exploration elements but criticizing its clunky mechanics and combat system. While some enjoy the variety of gameplay styles and the immersive environment, many report issues such as janky animations, performance hiccups, and poorly explained mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant refinement to enhance its core gameplay and combat dynamics.
- “The gameplay shines with its versatile approach: seamless shifts from atmospheric walking and puzzle solving to heart-pounding stealth or combat.”
- “What results is an immersive, often disorienting experience that values mood and exploration as much as it does survival mechanics and narrative intrigue.”
- “The game's immersive gameplay, stunning visuals, and intense atmosphere make it a standout title in the horror genre.”
- “I like what the developer was aiming for at its foundation, but the core mechanics and game stability really detract from the game so much I couldn't even play for an hour.”
- “The gameplay is janky, the story is very mediocre, and the flow of the game is all over the place.”
- “Gameplay is a mixture of Resident Evil 7 and 8 combat to a tee, and the exploration of BioShock is nice, but I think a more basic, smaller, better handcrafted level design would have been preferable.”
optimization
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
62%
23%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, framerate drops, and glitches that disrupt gameplay. While some users experienced smooth performance on high settings, others noted that the game feels poorly optimized overall, with specific areas causing severe performance problems. Despite these issues, a few players found the visuals and combat enjoyable, suggesting that optimization could improve with future updates.
- “Combat feels responsive, the visuals balance performance cost against fidelity very nicely, and the sound and animation are superb.”
- “Bonus: environment design and lights are beautiful and looks like it is well optimized, considering it delivers 60 solid fps on high settings on a 2070.”
- “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.”
- “Don't get me started on the stuttering and framerate issues either.”
- “The optimization is jank; every design choice makes me cringe so far, and I am just hoping that it improves as I go, but my hopes are too low.”
- “For the 10 minutes I played, it was interesting, but I don't recommend it due to bad optimization and immersion-breaking bugs.”
stability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, graphical glitches, and performance issues, including fatal errors and frame rate drops. While some users find the game enjoyable despite these problems, many agree that the level of jankiness detracts significantly from the overall experience, making it feel unfinished and at times unplayable. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game requires substantial polishing to address its technical shortcomings.
- “Screen glitches, fatal errors, audio cut out, etc. It's almost unplayable right now.”
- “I will say, that for a game that's been out for almost a year, this feels a bit too buggy in some places.”
- “It's a buggy mess at points; and feels taped together by the end; but I can't say that this is a bad game.”
music
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
40%
12%
The music in the game has received high praise for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, particularly in creating tension and immersion in psychological horror settings. While the soundtrack is often described as phenomenal and well-integrated with the game's visuals, some users noted issues with repetitive tension-building tracks that occasionally disrupt pacing. Overall, the sound design, including ambient music and effects, contributes significantly to the game's eerie ambiance and engaging experience.
- “The ambiance and music were spot on for psychological horror.”
- “The game's sound design adds to the immersion, with haunting music and ambient noises creating tension and unease.”
- “Excellent atmosphere, scary environments and music, fast, terrifying enemies and well-developed lore.”
- “There would be some moments where it was so cheesy and generic you couldn't help but laugh, but there were some areas with no music and sheer ambiance that were pretty disturbing.”
- “Extremely jarring and stiff, despite the visuals being somewhat okay, the enemy animations and combat are stroke-inducing laughable; whatever tension the game built up through atmosphere was destroyed the moment the combat music started looping.”
- “I switched off the music and some visual effects that blur the image.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
80%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, as the repetitive nature of backtracking through visually similar environments and solving overly complex puzzles detracts from the initial horror experience. The lack of guidance and slow movement mechanics further exacerbate the feeling of monotony, turning what could be a tense atmosphere into a chore rather than an engaging challenge. Overall, while the game shows promise, the grinding elements significantly hinder its enjoyment.
- “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 players engaged without feeling overly repetitive.”
- “Additionally, the pacing in certain segments—particularly if you miss a key item or pathway—can become tedious, with long stretches of walking through visually similar environments.”
- “There's also too little guidance, and while that sounds like a non-issue, the reality is that what little tension that does manage to build (if not ruined by the constant flat combat) is ruined when you have to walk around levels trying to find 'that thing you missed.' This issue is exacerbated by the fact that you're also stuck between moving in a really slow walk or a neck-breaking sprint that makes it hard to turn, so moving around each zone trying to figure out where the key you needed for the door is, or what you need to trigger first in order for the power switch to work, at a crawl, dials the game from creepy to annoyingly tedious.”
- “I do believe this was a great attempt from a small development studio, but this was honestly more tedious than horrifying.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players found the combat amusing and appreciated its comedic elements, others felt that technical issues, such as frozen text, detracted from the overall experience, making it unplayable despite its funny moments. Overall, it offers a blend of humor and spookiness, appealing to those seeking a lighthearted experience.
- “But give it a try if you want something funny and a little spooky!”
- “The combat was the weak point because it made me laugh so many times (then it was good for something).”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers a mix of balanced gameplay and non-linear level design that enhances replayability by allowing players to explore new paths and secrets. However, some users note that the overall experience is relatively short (8-16 hours) and may lack significant replay value.
- “The balance keeps things fresh, preventing monotony, and the non-linear level design encourages replayability as you discover new paths or secrets.”
- “Highly recommend for however you price your time as it can be rather short (8-16 hours) and doesn't have much replay value.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The voice acting significantly enhances the emotional depth of the narrative, while a standout boss encounter serves as a memorable highlight, contributing to the overall emotional impact of the game.
- “The voice acting infuses the narrative with emotional depth, and the boss encounter stands out as a memorable peak in the experience.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is noted to be decent, with users appreciating the character designs, suggesting a positive reception to the visual representation of the characters.