Home Sweet Home EP2
- September 24, 2019
- YGGDRAZIL GROUP PUBLIC CO., LTD.
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Home Sweet Home Episode 2" is the continuation of the story where Tim, the protagonist, continues his search for his missing wife. In this episode, Tim finds himself in a mysterious forest pursued by evil spirits and a mysterious Thai dancer. The game introduces combat for the first time, allowing players to defend themselves against the supernatural threats. The game is inspired by Thai culture and myths, creating a unique and terrifying horror experience.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- Great story that builds on the first game, providing a satisfying conclusion to Tim's journey.
- Atmospheric horror with unique monsters based on Thai folklore, creating a spooky and immersive experience.
- Improved gameplay mechanics and graphics compared to the first episode, making it a worthwhile sequel.
- Combat mechanics are frustrating and feel unnecessary, detracting from the horror experience.
- Some sections of the game drag on for too long, leading to boredom and a loss of tension.
- Controls are stiff and unresponsive at times, making navigation and combat difficult.
- story48 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally praised for its intriguing and unique elements, particularly its incorporation of Thai folklore and culture, which adds depth to the horror experience. However, some players found the narrative to be episodic and lacking focus, with criticisms aimed at its pacing and the need for replaying sections to fully understand the plot. Overall, while the story has its strengths, including a satisfying conclusion, it also suffers from inconsistencies and missed opportunities that detract from the overall experience.
“Although very short, it was an intriguing and very effective horror game with genuine scares, fantastic atmosphere, and a good story.”
“The story is detailed and quite scary.”
“This is a great horror adventure that gradually builds up, providing something unique and exotic in terms of environment, language, and culture surrounding both the characters and the story.”
“The story is nothing to write home about.”
“The storyline is boring too.”
“The devs did a bad job making this an 'episodic' game because there isn't enough story to it.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of improvements and frustrations in the latest installment. While some players appreciate the introduction of new mechanics, choices, and longer playtime, many criticize the controls, inconsistent mechanics, and tedious puzzles that detract from the overall experience. The balance between horror elements and action gameplay is noted, but issues like slow movement and awkward combat mechanics leave some feeling disappointed.
“The graphics are decent, but the gameplay mechanics are very impressive with no bugs or glitches.”
“This game balanced action gameplay, jumpscares, and an overall tense atmosphere really well.”
“Home Sweet Home Episode 2 has definitely progressed in terms of gameplay and mechanics; there really is a lot of promise here, and there's a lot to unpack.”
“But the plot totally devolved, the mechanics and controls didn't feel right, and overall the scares were even cheaper than they were in the first game.”
“The mechanics and some of the puzzles also left much to be desired.”
“It's incredibly difficult mostly because of mechanics not working like they should (basically it's incredibly hard to kill one-hit enemies). It's not scary because you keep dying to the same woman over and over, even through walls, and the walking/running is incredibly slow, which makes the game take way longer than it should.”
- atmosphere22 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is generally praised for its spookiness and tension, with many reviewers highlighting its ability to create genuine scares and an immersive world. However, some players feel that the atmosphere has diminished compared to previous installments, particularly in terms of horror elements, as the game shifts towards action-oriented gameplay. Overall, while the atmosphere remains a strong point, opinions vary on its effectiveness and consistency throughout the game.
“Although very short, it was an intriguing and very effective horror game with genuine scares, fantastic atmosphere, and good story.”
“It is atmospheric and it produced a lot of jumps and 'oh shit moments' where you have to hide from creepy enemies with an amazing atmospheric world and soundtrack.”
“Great atmosphere, great design, interesting story and nice surroundings.”
“Home sweet home: episode 2, despite being classified as a horror game, left me with a feeling that the horror atmosphere dwindled compared to my expectations, particularly when reflecting on episode 1's more pronounced scares.”
“It's no longer a horror game; it just turned into a horrible puzzle game that has a horror atmosphere.”
“Limited visibility shouldn't be relied on instead of atmosphere implementation; yes, this game does lack the ambience of the first release.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the improvements and atmospheric quality compared to the first episode, while others noted issues such as glitchy textures and lighting artifacts. Many players found the graphics to be decent and fitting for the horror genre, contributing to an immersive experience, though some technical problems were highlighted. Despite these inconsistencies, the visual presentation remains a strong point for the game, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
“The graphics and atmosphere were great as well as the puzzles.”
“They upped the graphics and overall quality.”
“Excellent horror game with various creepy environments, the graphics have been improved a lot in this episode; it's way better than episode one.”
“The graphics aren't much different from the first episode, but the jump scares are much better and the puzzles are harder.”
“First, the 'E' button, which makes Tim, the main character, fight off Ratri (the Thai dancer ghost), just doesn't function well unless you lower the graphics. You'd have to press it so much that your keyboard or your finger might break.”
“The graphics are decent, but the gameplay mechanics are very impressive with no bugs or glitches.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its atmospheric quality, effectively enhancing tension and creating memorable "jump scare" moments. While some players desire less intrusive sound effects and voice acting, the standout metal song at the end and the haunting traditional Thai dance music contribute significantly to the overall experience.
“It is atmospheric and it produced a lot of jumps and 'oh shit moments' where you have to hide from creepy enemies with an amazing atmospheric world and soundtrack.”
“At the end of the previous installment, gamers were greeted with a teaser ending that had a woman, presumably Jane, cowering through tight, wooden corridors; armed with nothing but a small knife and a dim candle, as a traditional yet haunting Thai dance song rings through the background.”
“Less unnecessary music, less voice acting, less excessive loud hits and stings for jump scares.”
“For refreshers sake, at the end of the previous installment, gamers were greeted with a teaser ending that had a woman, presumably Jane, cowering through tight, wooden corridors; armed with nothing but a small knife and a dim candle, as a traditional yet haunting Thai dance song rings through the background.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with impressive gameplay mechanics and only minor bugs and glitches that do not significantly impact the experience.
“The game does have its share of minor bugs and glitches, but they don't significantly detract from the overall experience.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, characterized by clunky combat and repetitive maze-like environments that lack challenge and excitement.
“Slow, clunky, boring combat that isn't difficult, just tedious.”
“The whole game you are running in the same maze-style environment (wooden houses), which is very tedious!”
- emotional2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game has been criticized for lacking depth, with players expressing feelings of annoyance rather than connection to the characters. The slow pacing and weak narrative ties have contributed to a disengaging experience.
“The storyline is slow and boring, lacking emotional depth and weak connections to Episode 1.”
“I felt no emotional investment in the characters, making it hard to care about their journeys.”
“The game fails to evoke any real emotions, leaving me feeling disconnected from the narrative.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Many users perceive the monetization strategy of the game as exploitative, feeling that it prioritizes profit over player experience, particularly noting the lack of transparency regarding its episodic nature until completion.
“I enjoyed the first game a lot, but I feel like this is more of a cash grab since the first game didn't even specify it was 'Episode 1' until you finished it!”
“The monetization in this game is excessive and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It feels like every feature is locked behind a paywall, making it frustrating to progress without spending money.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for frequent crashes occurring every 20 minutes and significant performance issues that disrupt the overall experience.
“Like immersion-breaking clockwork, the game decides to crash every 20 minutes on the dot, and it lets some abysmal performance issues rear their ugly heads.”
“The optimization is so poor that even the most powerful hardware struggles to maintain a stable frame rate.”
“Frequent stuttering and long loading times make it nearly impossible to enjoy the gameplay experience.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that character development in the game is a notable weakness, with many users expressing dissatisfaction with the writing and depth of the characters.
“I have a problem with the character development and writing in this game.”
“The character development feels shallow and unengaging.”
“I expected more depth in the characters, but they all seem one-dimensional.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game largely stems from the quirky and amusing nature of the enemies, adding a lighthearted touch to the gameplay experience.
“The enemies I've encountered are strange in a funny sort of way.”
“The humor in this game is delightfully quirky and keeps me laughing.”
“I love how the game blends absurdity with clever jokes that catch me off guard.”
