Cold House
- May 2, 2022
- Menge Studio
Get on Steam"Cold House" is a psychological horror adventure game where you play as a detective investigating a mysterious house with a dark past. Solve puzzles, uncover secrets, and confront supernatural forces as you delve deeper into the house's ominous history. Your sanity and survival are at stake as you try to escape the icy grip of the Cold House.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features impressive graphics and a creepy atmosphere that enhances the horror experience.
- Some puzzles are engaging and provide a challenge, contributing to the overall gameplay.
- The game has potential for future updates and expansions, which could improve the experience.
- The game is extremely short, lasting only about 30-45 minutes, and feels more like a demo than a complete product.
- Many puzzles are poorly designed and lack clear instructions, leading to frustration and confusion.
- There are numerous bugs and technical issues, including problems with inventory management and game mechanics.
- atmosphere22 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its intensity and immersive qualities, with many reviewers highlighting its creepy and dense ambiance that enhances the overall experience. However, some players express frustration over the lack of content and polish, feeling that the atmospheric elements alone are not enough to compensate for gameplay shortcomings. Overall, while the atmosphere is a standout feature, it may not be sufficient to engage all players fully.
“The game looks great and it has a creepy atmosphere that builds as the game progresses.”
“They're generally pretty fantastic and lend a lot to the atmosphere, immersion and 'feel' of the game.”
“The atmosphere conveyed in the game can definitely be described as intense and you can also immerse yourself in it.”
“If you're into dense atmosphere and willing to be extremely forgiving, pick this up.”
“- spooky atmosphere”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 44 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been widely criticized for being janky and lacking coherence, with poorly designed puzzles and a frustratingly slow pace that involves excessive walking without clear objectives. Players have noted issues with loose controls, unnecessary mechanics like stamina and heat, and a sprint cooldown that feels artificially imposed to extend playtime. Overall, while the graphics are praised, the gameplay experience is deemed short and unsatisfactory, leaving many feeling scammed by the game's presentation.
“Based on the approximately one hour of playing time for the first part, I hope that the further chapters will be included in the purchase price or that the playing time, gameplay, and quality will increase significantly.”
“To put the most glaring problems first: the gameplay is very janky, the sprint cooldown is insane and probably an artificial feature to increase game time, and the very precision-oriented platforming inside the house is very tone deaf.”
“So I thought why not... but the gameplay is horrible, the puzzles make no sense, a lot of walking around with no purpose, no explanation on what to do, and I even got stuck in a few walls/floors.”
“Additionally, the controls are a bit loose, and the stamina and heat mechanics feel bolted-on for little to no reason, as they neither add to nor subtract from the core gameplay in any meaningful way.”
“Tired of getting scammed by these games with nice atmospheric screenshots, and then the gameplay is short and garbage.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their impressive quality, especially considering the low price point, with many users noting the visuals as a standout feature. However, there are reports of graphical bugs and issues with object interactions that detract from the overall experience. While the aesthetics are appealing, the gameplay mechanics appear to be lacking, leading to a mixed reception.
“Really nice graphics for the price, and kind of nice and eerie background sounds.”
“It looked terrifying and has impressive graphics for a $5 game.”
“The graphics and audio are the highlight here.”
“Adjusting the graphic options also didn't seem to change anything that I noticed.”
“At least, visually speaking, the visuals are pretty, but everything else is very, very rough.”
“Apart from the numerous graphical bugs, the interaction with the required objects does not always work properly or is fiddly.”
- story12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story revolves around a car crash survivor seeking refuge in an abandoned house, only to encounter an unwelcoming resident. Currently, the narrative is described as simplistic and lacking depth, with no compelling elements to engage players, though the developer has hinted at future expansions and additional chapters. Overall, the existing story feels incomplete and may benefit from further development in future updates.
“The story is simple: as a car crash survivor, you take shelter in a supposed abandoned house, and the hobo dude living there isn't having it.”
“The developer promises to add chapter two (yes, the story isn't over) and co-op mode (I have no idea how he wants to realize it).”
“The game lacks any other information or story at all but wants to tout that 2 more future titles will sometime come out in the future.”
“Not only that, but the game also has no hook or story to care about.”
“If Cold House had a complete story to tell, it may be worth revisiting.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is largely considered forgettable and uninspired, with players unable to turn it off completely, only lowering the volume. Additionally, there are concerns about DMCA issues related to chase and suspense music when streaming or recording gameplay. Overall, the sound effects are noted as decent, but they do not elevate the overall experience.
“You can't turn the music off completely; you can only lower its volume until it's low.”
“Chase/suspense music is DMCA protected, so be careful when streaming or recording.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for being poor, with issues such as a fixed fish-eye field of view, inability to remap controls, persistent on-screen reticle, and problematic integration with Steam VR.
“You cannot remap the controls, the game starts in Steam VR, the reticle dot remains on-screen at all times, the field of view is fish-eyed with no way to adjust, and optimization is also poor.”
“You cannot remap the controls, the game starts in Steam VR, the reticle dot remains on-screen at all times, the field of view is fish-eyed with no way to adjust, and optimization is also poor.”
