House of Caravan

63%
Game Brain Score Based on 250 reviews
  • story
  • atmosphere
  • gameplay
House of Caravan Game Cover
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"House of Caravan" is a suspenseful adventure game set in a 3D-rendered mansion filled with puzzles and secrets. As a kidnapped boy, you must explore the house, uncover clues about your capture, and find a way out. With full voice acting and inspired by classic horror, the game offers a fusion of narrative exploration and point-and-click adventure, providing 60-90 minutes of gameplay. Will you escape the dark secrets hidden within the house?

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 250 reviews
story33 positive mentions
gameplay8 negative mentions
  • The game has a creepy atmosphere and decent graphics, making exploration enjoyable.
  • Puzzles are straightforward and provide a light challenge, suitable for casual players.
  • The story, while simple, is intriguing and unfolds through letters found throughout the game.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs that can halt progress and lead to frustrating experiences.
  • Controls are clunky and the inventory system is poorly designed, making item management tedious.
  • The game is very short, with a lack of depth in both gameplay and story, leaving players wanting more.
  • story105 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it intriguing and atmospheric, while others criticize it as weak and predictable. The narrative unfolds primarily through scattered documents, which can lead to vital information being missed, and many feel that the story lacks depth and a compelling conclusion. Overall, while the setting and visuals are praised, the storytelling often feels tacked on and fails to engage players fully.

    • “Discovery of various documents throughout exploration helps to piece together the story of the empty mansion and why the player is there.”
    • “The story did draw me in a bit as I explored the mansion.”
    • “The creators did a reasonably good job of creating the backstory and allowing it to gradually unfurl.”
    • “The story is rather thin at the end, and I got the feeling that a lot of items and rooms were just put in the game to make it bigger and take more time of the player without giving any clues or inspiration.”
    • “There's 14 notes scattered around that basically explain the plot to you, but you can easily miss some of them without even knowing you missed one, so you can miss a vital part of the story.”
    • “The story was incredibly weak, and I just never felt like I was ever in any danger.”
  • atmosphere39 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively creating a spooky environment that enhances exploration and puzzle-solving. While it features some minor jump scares, the overall tone leans more towards atmospheric rather than outright horror, with strong audio design and visuals contributing to the unsettling ambiance. Players appreciate the combination of decent puzzles and a captivating setting, making it a worthwhile experience for those who enjoy atmospheric exploration games.

    • “The game manages to create a spooky atmosphere that piques one's interest to see what you will find in the mansion and how the game will end.”
    • “When exploring the mansion you can hear stuff like floors creak, wind howling and that does help build an unsettling atmosphere.”
    • “While it's a rather short game, House of Caravan doesn't skip on atmosphere and the puzzles are a decent enough challenge, particularly those involving photographs, to keep you busy so that you don't blow through the entire thing too swiftly.”
    • “There are a couple of jump-scares, but they are otherwise harmless and only meant to keep the player on edge, feeding into the atmosphere that the game is trying to instill without an actually present, impending danger.”
    • “The puzzles are decent, the atmosphere is decent, the music is decent; decent is the key word for this title.”
    • “The game is set in the early 20th century and has a somewhat dark atmosphere; however, I wouldn't classify it as horror.”
  • gameplay38 mentions

    The gameplay of this game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its repetitive mechanics and lack of engaging puzzles, often describing it as tedious and dull. While some appreciated the atmosphere and narrative elements, others found the gameplay clunky and frustrating, leading to a lack of overall enjoyment. Despite its potential, the game struggles to deliver a compelling experience, with many players suggesting that it falls short of expectations.

    • “Played on Linux using Proton, I liked this game; nice atmosphere (spooky), nice graphics, nice sound, really good voice acting, some minor jump scares, not over the top or hard puzzles, 1 to 2 hours of gameplay, more if you're an achievements hunter.”
    • “Gameplay is simple and fluid; it's highly integral to snooping into everything. Leave no room corner unlit, no drawer unopened, and no cupboard left closed. There are ample matches to light each corner and lamps to turn on, and even if things are in the dark, you can still find them, so gameplay isn't stunted.”
    • “However, I got used to the gameplay after a while and sort of enjoyed the game by the end.”
    • “This game could've been quite nice if there weren't so many bad decisions made with gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay is just walking around a dull dark mansion opening every single drawer and cabinet looking for photos to solve tediously dull puzzles.”
    • “The gameplay itself is very disappointing; I was expecting hard puzzles as well as literally any threat.”
  • graphics32 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique aesthetic and decent visuals, particularly for an indie title, while others criticize the outdated textures and overall graphical quality. Many highlight the atmospheric design and attention to detail, though some find the visuals to be repetitive or lacking in polish. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's immersive experience, despite some technical shortcomings.

    • “The soundtrack is fitting and the graphics look beautiful.”
    • “Obviously time was put into it - the models and artwork look good.”
    • “You won't run from monsters, track down a serial killer or lose your sanity, but you will become immersed in a surprisingly very well-written drama with great visuals (maybe a bit too dark but still great).”
    • “The graphics are also very outdated, using DirectX 9 and some very blurry and muddy low-res textures.”
    • “Graphically unappealing and very dark.”
    • “Graphics were okay; after all, it was a point and click, but repetitive once again.”
  • stability11 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with many users reporting significant bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, including distorted audio and issues with inventory management. While some players experienced only minor issues, the overall consensus suggests that the game is plagued by instability, making it difficult to enjoy without prior knowledge of its quirks.

    • “Voiced dialogue (when reading notes) sounds pretty awful, as though some weird modulation is being applied to most of the voices, and it can sound kind of buggy or distorted.”
    • “You also might have known the game from the meme speedruns where the only viable strategy is to clip through the floor, so that should tell you how buggy it really is.”
    • “Sigh.. game unfinishable due to glitches.”
  • music11 mentions

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with many users noting its fitting and atmospheric qualities, contributing to an eerie ambiance. While some tracks are described as nice and relaxing, there are complaints about the volume levels during cutscenes, which can overshadow dialogue. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the experience, though opinions on its impact vary from decent to haunting.

    • “The soundtrack is fitting and the graphics look beautiful.”
    • “Nice graphics and soundtrack leading to an eerie atmosphere.”
    • “Haunting music, sounds, and noises.”
    • “I skipped the cutscene thinking it wasn't the end, but whilst the video stopped playing, the speaking continued, with music so loud I have no idea what the speaker was saying (I had the 'music' SFX set to 0 which clearly didn't work).”
    • “The puzzles are decent, the atmosphere is decent, the music is decent; decent is the key word for this title.”
    • “The music was relaxing and movement was rough with very little direction to solve some of the puzzles, though they weren't particularly challenging.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its unexpected glitches and absurd scenarios, leading to moments of genuine laughter. Players find the comedic elements, including the narrator's vocals, to be a significant and entertaining aspect of the experience. Overall, the game's broken mechanics contribute to its charm and humor.

    • “And when I played it for the first time, literally the first thing I tried to do was wedge a chair under the doorknob so it wouldn't open, and the next thing I knew I was a mile above the map laughing my ass off at how broken this game is.”
    • “It's hilarious and very easy to wreck.”
    • “Narrator vocals are funny.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game's optimization has received criticism for issues such as item glitches, players getting stuck in objects, and frequent slowdowns. Reviewers noted that certain areas, particularly one with trap door frames, exhibit significant performance problems, and the physics of items can feel inconsistent. Overall, there is a consensus that the game requires further optimization to enhance the player experience.

    • “Stuff like items glitching, you being stuck in the cabinets, and other items, and of course frequent slowdowns due to poor optimization.”
    • “The only thing I noticed about the game is that it could use a bit more optimization; just in the one room that has the trap door frames, they really jumped around in there for some reason.”
    • “My only real complaints are that it could use a bit more optimization, and some of the physics on the items are a bit wonky.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a poignant ending monologue from the antagonist, which evokes a mix of sympathy and horror as he expresses a twisted desire for family loyalty despite his horrific actions. While the delivery is heartfelt, it ultimately reinforces his disturbing nature rather than redeeming him, leaving players with a complex emotional response.

    • “Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
    • “In the end, you escape, and are given a little monologue from the person ultimately responsible for your kidnapping - delivered as a message, some time later, perhaps - hoping that, despite everything, you will carry on his wishes to continue the family name and 'do anything for family.' Despite the somewhat pleading, heartfelt delivery of the ending monologue, I think it should be received as yet more of his horrible nature or insanity rather than anything worth sympathy.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as it involves aimlessly searching through a dark mansion for items to solve monotonous puzzles, compounded by frequent interruptions from earthquakes that disrupt gameplay.

    • “Gameplay is just walking around a dull, dark mansion, opening every single drawer and cabinet looking for photos to solve tediously dull puzzles.”
    • “Frequent earthquakes halt gaming progress and become tedious after a while.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Users note that the game has minimal replayability due to its short length, suggesting that a sequel could enhance the experience.

    • “A sequel would be lovely due to the very short length and limited replayability.”
    • “Minimal replay value.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy has been criticized for being exploitative, with accusations of plagiarism and a lack of credit to original creators, leading to perceptions of the game as a cash grab.

    • “The developers didn't credit any of the artists and real game developers who created the assets, which feels like plagiarism and a cash grab.”
    • “The monetization strategy is overly aggressive, making it difficult to enjoy the game without spending money.”
    • “It feels like the game is designed to push players towards microtransactions rather than providing a fair gaming experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

4hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
2-12hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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