Forgotten Hill First Steps
- June 10, 2021
- FM Studio
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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.
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PC
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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 skip particularly difficult puzzles, making the game accessible to a wider audience.
- Some puzzles are overly tedious and cryptic, leading to frustration, especially with a few that lack a proper hint or skip option.
- The game suffers from technical issues, such as limited sound control and awkward bindings, which detract from the overall experience.
- While the game includes new content, much of it is recycled from previous titles, leaving some players feeling that it lacks originality.
- story18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The story is characterized by its dreamlike quality, taking players through a series of unsettling environments, from a crash site to a dark mansion and a gory clinic, creating an engaging and weird narrative experience. While the individual segments are interesting and the artwork complements the eerie themes, the overall storyline lacks cohesion, often feeling disjointed despite the promise of future expansions. Players appreciate the disturbing visuals and the light narrative, which aligns with the escape room genre's typical offerings.
“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.”
“Amazing storyline, art, and gameplay.”
“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 a light story, and very, very disturbing things going on.”
- atmosphere16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its gritty art style and effective creepiness, creating a sense of urgency without actual time constraints. While it may not reach the eerie heights of some competitors, it successfully immerses players in a haunting environment that can evoke phobias, enhancing the overall experience. The addition of well-crafted written pages further enriches this atmospheric depth.
“Although not as eerie as Rusty Lake games, it does a great job at setting a creepy atmosphere.”
“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.”
“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.”
“I love the gritty art style and how the atmosphere is oozing with creepiness.”
“The overall atmosphere manages to feel as if you're on a time crunch without you actually being on one.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics feature a charming yet eerie art style that evokes nostalgia for old browser games, effectively complementing the creepy atmosphere and storytelling. While some elements may feel reminiscent of flash games, the gritty visuals and sound design contribute to a unique and engaging experience that captivates players. Overall, the artwork is praised for its distinct appeal and ability to enhance the game's unsettling ambiance.
“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.”
- grinding8 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 lengthy and challenging puzzles can become frustrating. While some puzzles are considered overly complex, the option to skip them and the presence of an auto-solve feature help mitigate the grind for many players. However, certain puzzles, like the circular colored tiles, lack adequate hints, leading to additional 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!).”
- music8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received criticism for its lack of depth, described as prosaic with minimal voice acting that is not well-executed. Additionally, players are frustrated by the absence of volume control options, as they can only toggle the music and sound on or off without adjusting their levels.
“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.”
“Volume settings aren't available either, only separate toggles for music and sound.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a captivating storyline and unique art style, blending logic, 'find and use,' and mechanical puzzles typical of macabre point-and-click adventures. While most puzzles are engaging, some players found certain mechanical challenges, particularly involving marbles, 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!).”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted as a standout feature, 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!”
