Castle of Secrets

About

Castle of Secrets is a single player action game. It was developed by Serene Questworks Studios and was released on May 22, 2025. It received negative reviews from players.

The ancient Tranton family curse has forced young Miss Susan to embark on a perilous journey—one that will take her deep into the realm of the dead. Along the way, she will encounter ghostly inhabitants, forge unexpected alliances, face formidable enemies, and, most importantly, uncover the answer to the most haunting question of all: Who is truly responsible for the massacre of her entire family?…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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40%

Audience ScoreBased on 15 reviews

atmosphere3 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and a strong, atmospheric art style that enhances the overall experience.
The puzzles are varied and interesting, providing a mix of traditional and non-traditional challenges that engage players.
The narrative is intriguing, with a dark Alice in Wonderland vibe that draws players into the story of the main character's journey.

The save system is poorly implemented, only allowing players to save progress at the start of a chapter, leading to frustration when losing progress.
Controls are unresponsive and wonky, making gameplay frustrating, especially during timed sequences and puzzle interactions.
The game is plagued by glitches, including random language changes and inconsistent voice acting, which detracts from the overall experience.

story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The story in the game is generally considered standard, lacking depth and coherence, though it features a compelling premise involving a daughter uncovering the mystery of her parents' deaths. While some players appreciate the gothic style and the character-driven narrative, others find it derivative and marred by gameplay issues. Overall, it shows improvement from its prologue, but still struggles with pacing and puzzle difficulty.
- “I like the storyline and the fact that Miss Susan's actions are going to decide the final outcome, for herself and for her parents.”
- “I first played the original Castle of Secrets: Prologue more than two years ago and, for all of its rough edges, it intrigued me enough with its dark story - a daughter seeking to understand the mysterious deaths of her parents - and its gothic graphical style (a mixture of 2D 'cardboard' characters on 3D backgrounds) to put the full game on my wishlist.”
- “It's a solid story-driven puzzle game with some horror elements.”
- “If the glitches and everything were fixed, it has potential, but again I think the puzzles are too easy and the story is a bit all over the place.”
- “While the graphics are beautiful, the storyline lacks depth.”
- “The story revolves around us figuring out why our parents were murdered.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics of the game are praised for their unique and atmospheric art style, blending 2D characters with 3D backgrounds, which enhances the overall experience. While the visuals are beautiful and well-executed, some users noted that the storyline lacks depth. Additionally, improvements in dialogue and controls contribute positively to the graphical presentation.
- “The art style is unique and I enjoyed it.”
- “I particularly liked the strong, atmospheric art style and the range of puzzles and hidden object levels; in addition, dialogue and control have been greatly improved from the original prologue.”
- “Ultrawide works fine, graphics are nice, atmosphere is good, music fits the mood.”
- “While the graphics are beautiful, the storyline lacks depth.”
- “I first played the original Castle of Secrets: Prologue more than two years ago and, for all of its rough edges, it intrigued me enough with its dark story - a daughter seeking to understand the mysterious deaths of her parents - and its gothic graphical style (a mixture of 2D 'cardboard' characters on 3D backgrounds) to put the full game on my wishlist.”
- “I particularly liked the strong, atmospheric art style and the range of puzzles and hidden object levels; in addition, dialogue and control have been greatly improved from the original prologue (though still showing some flaws in English idiom).”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is significantly hindered by numerous glitches, including random language switches in voice acting and cutscenes with missing audio, leading to a frustrating experience. Many players feel that the current price of $9.99 is unjustifiable given the lack of polish and stability issues, ultimately recommending against the purchase until these problems are addressed.
- “I have run across at least six different glitches throughout my gameplay, and I've exercised quite a bit of patience trying to pass through levels that would give Job a run for his money.”
- “The devs have a lot to work on with this game, and the current asking price of $9.99—glitches and lackluster level of polish included—is too high to justify the purchase.”
- “There are lots of glitches; the voice acting will randomly switch to a different language, and in some cutscenes, the voice cuts out completely, leaving you with no idea what's going on.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its top-quality illustrations and fitting music, creating a surreal and immersive experience. The strong art style, combined with improved dialogue and controls, enhances the overall ambiance, while the graphics and ultrawide support contribute positively to the mood.
- “Illustrations are of top quality and the music is fitting to the setting, creating a great combination of surreal atmosphere and feelings.”
- “I particularly liked the strong, atmospheric art style and the range of puzzles and hidden object levels; in addition, the dialogue and controls have been greatly improved from the original prologue.”
- “Ultrawide works fine, graphics are nice, the atmosphere is good, and the music fits the mood.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The music in the game is praised for its fitting ambiance that enhances the surreal atmosphere, complementing the high-quality illustrations. However, some players experienced frustration with camera adjustments during specific puzzles, which affected their gameplay experience. Overall, the music effectively contributes to the game's mood and atmosphere.
- “Illustrations are of top quality and the music is fitting to the setting, creating a great combination of surreal atmosphere and feelings.”
- “Ultrawide works fine, graphics are nice, atmosphere is good, and the music fits the mood.”
- “The one puzzle where you're running around in the swamp to the music, the camera auto-adjusted too high so that you couldn't see the floor to know when to jump. I had to keep resetting the camera angle while running, which was a bit frustrating.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The gameplay is criticized for being derivative of "Alice: Madness Returns," with numerous technical issues, such as malfunctioning puzzle mechanics that can lead to frustrating experiences, including the need to reset levels despite having saved progress. Overall, players find the gameplay lacking in both quality and engagement.
- “The gameplay is engaging and keeps you on your toes with its challenging puzzles and unique mechanics.”
- “I love how the gameplay encourages exploration and rewards you for thinking outside the box.”
- “The controls are smooth and responsive, making it easy to immerse yourself in the game's world.”
- “Some mechanics for puzzles randomly don't work. For example, in the past, present, future cage, I finished it but the skull wasn't in the chest. It took 30 minutes before I gave up and watched a video, realizing my chest was missing the skull. Once I reset the level, it worked fine, and I didn't do anything different.”
- “The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged for long periods.”
- “I encountered several bugs that disrupted the flow of the game, causing frustration and making it difficult to progress.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players found the humor in the game to be unexpected and effective, particularly highlighting a scene involving two tree monsters that elicited genuine laughter.
- “The encounter with the two tree monsters was unexpected and made me laugh.”
- “The humor in the dialogue kept me entertained throughout the game.”
- “I couldn't stop chuckling at the quirky character interactions and witty one-liners.”