Forgotten Hill First Steps
- June 10, 2021
- FM Studio
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreForgotten Hill First Steps is a horror-themed point-and-click game that compiles the first three entries in the Forgotten Hill series. Follow Mr. Larson's chilling journey through the town's Puppet Theater and Surgery Clinic, solving puzzles and uncovering secrets. This edition includes improved graphics and details for the original game, Forgotten Hill Fall, and its sequel, Forgotten Hill Puppet Show.
Reviews
- The game successfully returns to the franchise's roots, offering a charming and simplistic experience that fans will appreciate.
- The atmosphere is engaging and creepy, with a variety of puzzles that range from easy to challenging, providing a satisfying sense of accomplishment when solved.
- The hint system is well-designed, allowing players to receive guidance or skip particularly difficult puzzles, making the game accessible to a wider audience.
- Some puzzles are overly tedious or cryptic, leading to frustration, particularly with a few that lack a sensible way to skip them.
- The game suffers from technical limitations, such as the inability to adjust sound volumes and awkward windowed mode settings.
- While the game includes new content, much of it is recycled from previous titles, which may disappoint players expecting a fully new experience.
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story is characterized by its surreal and disturbing elements, taking players through a series of unsettling environments, from a crash site to a dark mansion and a gory clinic. While the narrative is engaging and the artwork complements the eerie atmosphere, it lacks cohesion across the series, often feeling like a collection of loosely connected tales rather than a unified storyline. Overall, the blend of creepy visuals and intriguing plotlines keeps players invested, despite the light narrative focus typical of escape room games.
“It gives an oniric aspect to the story where the character goes from escaping a crash site to a dark mansion, to hallucinated experiences in a gory clinic.”
“The story (or stories if you bought the bundle like I did) are engaging and fun to watch unfold.”
“However, I do like the weirdness of the story and thought that each part was pretty interesting.”
“They have been loosely tied together with some new content but do not really form a cohesive story.”
“In case you don't know, this is a series of typical mobile escape room games with disturbing visuals and a creepy story.”
“It's a puzzle game, with light story, and very, very disturbing things going on.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its quality and creepiness, effectively creating a sense of urgency without actual time constraints. The gritty art style enhances the eerie ambiance, making it both engaging and potentially unsettling for players, particularly those sensitive to phobias. Overall, it successfully immerses players in a haunting environment that complements the challenging puzzles.
“Although not as eerie as Rusty Lake games, it does a great job at setting a creepy atmosphere.”
“Also, the atmosphere is wonderfully creepy.”
“The overall atmosphere manages to feel as if you're on a time crunch without you actually being on one, the puzzles while hard make you feel accomplished once you find all the pieces you need to solve it.”
“I love the gritty art style and how the atmosphere is oozing with creepiness.”
“It's not too hard, but you may definitely trigger some phobias and as it has a very creepy atmosphere, some people may be worried about that as well.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics feature a charming yet eerie art style that evokes nostalgia for old browser games, effectively enhancing the spooky atmosphere of the gameplay. While some may find the visuals reminiscent of flash games, they are praised for their unique appeal and ability to complement the unsettling narratives. Overall, the gritty artwork and sound design contribute significantly to the immersive experience.
“The art style works and the sound design is really eerie.”
“I love the gritty art style and how the atmosphere is oozing with creepiness.”
“The artwork has its own kind of appeal that works pretty well with the story, not to mention it gives off the vibes of an old browser game.”
“The art style is charming and the ambiance kind of creepy, but honestly nothing that you might not have seen in a flash game before, and that is its charm.”
“The artwork has its own kind of appeal that works pretty well with the story; not to mention, it gives off the vibes of an old browser game.”
“In case you don't know, this is a series of typical mobile escape room games with disturbing visuals and a creepy story.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in the last chapter where some puzzles are overly complex and frustrating. While the hint system is helpful at times, certain challenging puzzles lack support, leading to a reliance on walkthroughs. However, the option to skip particularly tedious puzzles mitigates some of the frustration.
“The only real problem is the last chapter that gets a little long, with tedious manipulations that benefit from the auto-solve button, and with a very difficult puzzle toward the end that can only be solved with a walkthrough.”
“The hint system was sometimes good, but the killer was that by far the most tedious puzzle in the game (circular colored tiles arranged in a pattern) did not allow for this function.”
“There were a couple of mechanical puzzles that I found to be a bit tedious, but I did make it through them (I am still grumbling about marbles!).”
- music4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received criticism for its lack of volume control, offering only the option to toggle music and sound on or off. Reviewers describe the soundtrack as unremarkable and note the limited voice acting, which is often subpar. Overall, the audio experience is seen as a significant drawback.
“Volume settings aren't available either, only separate toggles for music and sound.”
“The only minor criticism I have is that the music and sound can only be toggled on or off, rather than have their volumes adjusted.”
“The soundtrack is really prosaic, hardly any voice acting, and what exists is not great.”
“My only big issue with the game is that there is no actual volume control, just an option to turn off/on the music.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a captivating storyline and unique art style, featuring a blend of logic, 'find and use,' and mechanical puzzles typical of macabre point-and-click adventures. While most puzzles are engaging, some players find certain mechanical challenges, like the marbles puzzle, to be tedious.
“FM Studios produces macabre point-and-click adventures with an interesting style of art and a mix of logic, 'find and use,' and mechanical puzzles.”
“Amazing storyline, art, and gameplay.”
“There were a couple of mechanical puzzles that I found to be a bit tedious, but I did make it through them (I am still grumbling about marbles!).”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highly praised, with many users noting that the commentary can be hilariously entertaining, especially when shared with friends during gameplay.
“If you have friends, stream it for them! Some of the commentary can be side-splittingly funny!”
“The humor in this game is absolutely top-notch, with clever jokes that had me laughing out loud.”
“I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, making every moment a hilarious experience.”
