House of 1,000 Doors - Family Secrets
- April 7, 2014
- 5h median play time
"House of 1,000 Doors - Family Secrets" is a single-player adventure game with an interesting plot, ingenious graphics, and a marvelous soundtrack. Players guide Kate Reed, a writer, through the House of 1000 Doors to save lost souls by exploring mind-bending worlds and uncovering their family secrets. This immersive game offers a unique and fascinating experience for fans of the adventure genre.
Mac OS
PC
Reviews
- The game features great graphics and a captivating atmosphere, making it visually appealing and immersive.
- The puzzles are enjoyable and range from easy to moderately challenging, providing a satisfying experience for players.
- The storyline is engaging, with interesting characters and a unique premise that keeps players invested throughout the game.
- There is a lack of achievements, which some players find disappointing and reduces replay value.
- The game can involve a lot of backtracking, which may become tedious for some players.
- Some of the voice acting and writing quality is inconsistent, detracting from the overall experience.
- story84 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its engaging and imaginative narratives, often featuring supernatural elements and interesting characters. However, some critiques highlight inconsistencies, abrupt endings, and a lack of depth in certain plotlines, suggesting that while the story can be enjoyable, it may not be the primary draw for all players. Overall, the game is seen as a solid choice for those who enjoy story-driven experiences alongside puzzles, though it may not satisfy those seeking a more complex narrative.
“The story is well written and you will discover the reason behind the house one piece after the other.”
“The storyline is well done and interesting.”
“The story is engaging; it's almost styled like an anthology with a number of substories scattered throughout the main story.”
“Overall, the story was inconsistent and utterly uninteresting; each of the 'cases' had some juicy elements but they were wasted on hasty conclusions and unintentional humor.”
“The entire main game is spent helping others with little to no mention of Margaret Fox until the epilogue, and you don’t get to know more about her until the bonus chapter, which is odd for a game about 'family secrets.' If you’re playing a version of the game without the bonus chapter, the story might even seem incomplete to you.”
“Another issue I had with the story is that it isn’t really given a proper wrap-up until the bonus chapter.”
- graphics31 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and detail, contributing to a magical and atmospheric experience. Many reviewers highlighted the artwork as top-notch, with rich colors and textures that enhance the storytelling and overall immersion. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, elevating the gameplay and complementing the engaging puzzles and narratives.
“The graphics are simply amazing and the atmosphere is even better.”
“The graphic artwork is top-notch and the storylines are imaginative.”
“I've played a bunch of hidden object games now, and this one is among the best in terms of the aesthetics, which are richly colored and textured and inviting without being overwhelming.”
“Other than that, it's pretty much standard HOG fare: decent graphics, acceptable voice acting, tolerable story.”
“The visuals can be adjusted in the game's option menu.”
“Game visuals”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally well-received, featuring beautiful art, engaging mechanics, and a solid length of around 4-5 hours, including a bonus chapter. Players appreciate the balance between challenge and accessibility, with enjoyable mini-games providing variety. However, some feel the price may be high for the amount of content, suggesting waiting for discounts.
“This is quite a pleasant hidden object puzzle adventure game: lovely art all throughout, especially on the hidden object pages, sufficient locations that it didn't get boring, decent voice acting, fitting music, the animation wasn't all bad either, and the gameplay wasn't too simplistic but also not ridiculously hard.”
“It has a solid length for a game of this genre, and the bonus chapter adds roughly another hour of gameplay!”
“I really enjoyed the gameplay of this one.”
“About 4 hours worth of gameplay.”
“I tend to feel that the average price of these games is generally too high for the amount of gameplay, so I personally recommend waiting for a half-off sale or a bundle.”
“A handful of incredibly easy mini-games (rotating discs, dragging lines, rearranging components, etc.) that provide a break from the main gameplay.”
- music12 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality, fitting the overall tone and enhancing the experience with soothing and melancholic themes. However, some reviewers noted a lack of variety, with repetitive soundtracks that could benefit from more diversity. Overall, the music complements the visuals and storyline well, contributing positively to the game's ambiance.
“This is quite a pleasant game: lovely art all throughout, especially on the hidden object pages, sufficient locations that it didn't get boring, decent voice acting, fitting music, the animation wasn't all bad either, and the gameplay wasn't too simplistic but also not ridiculously hard.”
“The art is impeccable, the storyline itself is amazingly unique and the music is soothing.”
“I love the visuals, the music is amazing, and while you're kind of alone with your thoughts most of the time, I think it really adds to how melancholic and sad this game truly is.”
“The soundtrack could be a bit better, because it's too repetitive; it feels like the same theme plays throughout the entire game.”
“Voice acting wasn’t bad, and the music was nice, but the game could have used a bit more variety in that department.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its magical and immersive qualities, enhanced by stunning graphics and atmospheric music. However, some users noted that the simplistic language and mediocre voice acting detracted from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the game successfully creates a cute yet spooky ambiance that complements its creative puzzle-solving elements.
“Graphics are very nice and there is a magical atmosphere in every corner.”
“Nice atmosphere to the game which has a kind of a cute spooky feel to it.”
“The story, graphics, music, and voice acting were all good, very atmospheric.”
“The language used was usually simple and clunky and took something away from the atmosphere; it didn't help that the voice acting was also uninspiring at best.”
“The story might not be the best, but the puzzles are strong and plentiful, and the atmosphere is satisfactorily creepy.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it engaging with challenging puzzles and a solid storyline that may encourage multiple playthroughs, others feel it lacks significant replay value, especially at full price.
“Really engaging puzzles that felt challenging but not impossible, decent graphics, and a solid storyline - definitely more effort than most games of this type, and I expect I'll get a surprising amount of replay value out of it.”
“At summer sale values, it was well worth the purchase; at full price, it would just make it into my acceptable category, considering it doesn't have a lot of replay value.”
“The replay value for the game is low.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as unintentional and inconsistent, with some potentially engaging elements overshadowed by hasty conclusions. While the overall story may not be compelling, players might still find it amusing enough to enjoy at a lower price point.
“Each of the 'cases' had some juicy elements, but they were wasted on hasty conclusions and unintentional humor.”
“If you can grab it for 5 bucks, you'll have a funny time.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game has some stability issues, including glitches, which may affect the experience. Additionally, the higher price point for the collector's edition is noted, especially in light of the availability of a bundled version that may have its own quality concerns.
“The default price is a tad high, even for a 'collector's edition', especially since this game and two of its sequels can be found in the 'House of Snark 6-in-1 bundle' (though there may be some quality issues and glitches with that pack).”
“There will be a few glitches.”
“The game suffers from frequent crashes and stability issues that make it frustrating to play.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its compelling premise and mature themes, effectively blending emotional depth with darker, more macabre elements, which enhances the overall experience.
“I thought the premise was compelling, the graphics were good, and I liked the more mature parts of this game, both emotionally mature as well as the elements that were a little gory, macabre, or morbid.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the inclusion of a convenient skip function for tedious puzzles, allowing them to bypass grinding when they encounter difficulties or find certain tasks repetitive.
Play time
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