Haunted House: Cryptic Graves
- November 25, 2014
- Dreampainters Software
Inspired by the classic Atari hit of the same name, the new Haunted House: Cryptic Graves is a terrifying, first-person, adventure-horror game filled with cryptic puzzles, supernatural entities and paranormal activity.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The graphics are visually impressive and showcase a lot of potential.
- The game has an interesting premise that could have been developed into something great.
- Some atmospheric elements are well-designed, creating a sense of eerie ambiance.
- The game is plagued with numerous bugs and glitches, making it nearly unplayable.
- There is a lack of developer support, with many features abandoned and unresolved issues.
- Voice acting and animations are subpar, detracting from the overall experience.
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their impressive detail and quality, but they demand a powerful system to run effectively. However, the lack of customizable settings and some implementation issues detract from the overall experience.
“Graphics are really amazing but require a heavy-duty system/video card.”
“I've now visited several bedrooms - and the graphic details are actually really very nice!”
“Nice graphics let down by frustrating and shoddy implementation.”
“The original haunted house wasn't exactly scary considering it was the Atari 2600, but it was a great game for its time. Even with the old limited graphics of that system, it's a far better game than this one.”
“There are no full-screen options, drop-down settings that didn't seem to work, and no graphics settings to tinker with.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay progression. Players report frequent crashes and problems with event triggers, alongside poor voice acting and animation quality, suggesting a rushed development process. Overall, the stability of the game is a major drawback, detracting from the overall experience.
“How is it possible that this piece of buggy mess was released as a full game?!”
“The voice acting is terrible, animations are poor, and it's very buggy. I kept having to reload the first place I was whisked away to in an attempt to progress but was unable to do so thanks to it constantly glitching when a certain event would not trigger properly.”
“This is a prime example of a subpar horror game; it was obviously rushed and that shows repeatedly, from the aforementioned voice acting and glitches to the fact that you have to be wary of the mouse cursor clicking through and giving you control issues and problems getting the resolution set properly.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight the game's strong atmospheric elements, noting effective use of lighting and environmental details that evoke a sense of dread and decay. However, some feel that while the atmosphere is well-crafted, it is undermined by frustrating gameplay mechanics. Overall, the atmosphere is praised for its potential to create a genuinely scary experience.
“We need more solid horror games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent: games that look good, have excellent pacing and atmosphere, and can actually be scary.”
“The rooms have atmosphere for sure, but it's all let down by frustrating implementation.”
“You can easily see where the atmosphere has been created; a foggy light makes everything a little blurry, the torn wallpaper almost creates the feeling of 'dank', and the bedding looks like it's stayed there unused for 50 years, so that's all nicely done.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story is criticized for being unclear and lacking depth, with many reviewers finding it uninspired and clichéd.
“The game plot is unclear.”
“Even the amount of plot I did get to witness was insipid and hackneyed.”
- gameplay1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While the developers have released patches to address initial launch issues, many users believe that the underlying gameplay problems are more significant and may not be easily resolved through updates.
“There have already been patches to fix launch issues, but I think the gameplay problems are likely bigger than any patch.”
“The controls feel clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to navigate through the game.”
“The gameplay mechanics are overly complicated, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the experience.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report issues with the music, noting that it pulsates in and out during the opening scene and at random moments, which detracts from the overall experience.
“On my computer, which runs everything fine, the music pulsates in and out during the opening scene (and other times at random) until you reach the house.”
