House of Hell
- January 19, 2016
- Tin Man Games
Get on Steam"House of Hell" is a survival horror game that traps players in a haunted mansion. Players must navigate through the mansion, solve puzzles, and avoid various monsters and supernatural beings to uncover the mansion's dark secrets and escape. With permadeath and limited resources, players must approach each playthrough strategically. The game features retro-style graphics and a chilling atmosphere, harkening back to classic horror games.
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Reviews
- Faithful adaptation of the classic Fighting Fantasy gamebook, capturing the original's atmosphere and art style.
- Engaging gameplay with a mix of trial and error, allowing players to explore different paths and learn from their mistakes.
- Includes modern features like automated dice rolls, bookmarks, and achievements, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game is extremely difficult, with a confusing house layout that can lead to frustrating dead ends and unwinnable scenarios.
- Players must follow very specific steps to progress, which can make the experience feel tedious and overly restrictive.
- Some bugs and issues with difficulty balancing can detract from the enjoyment, particularly in easier modes.
- story5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The story is described as a relatively tame dark narrative featuring ghosts, demons, and spooky skeletons, with a solidly written progression that allows players to make decisions. While some users appreciate the additional achievements and a small backstory, others find the story's obtuse nature a drawback. The option for a free play mode offers flexibility for those who prioritize the narrative over gameplay challenges.
“You read the story as it progresses and you make decisions.”
“UI and layout is slick and polished, and the story itself is solidly written.”
“In conclusion, I don't feel that I should recommend it due to its obtuse nature unless you want a relatively tame dark story with ghosts, demons, and spooky skeletons.”
“There's also the option to play a free play mode where you can progress even if you missed a clue, if you just want the story or something.”
“Ui and layout is slick and polished, and the story itself is solidly written.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's graphics, powered by the Unity engine, feature a blend of original black and white artwork alongside newly colored versions, enhancing the visual experience while maintaining the nostalgic feel of the original. The animated elements, such as dice rolls and in-game achievements, complement the artwork, and the background music further enriches the overall atmosphere. Players appreciate the combination of classic and modern visuals, which together create a thrilling and immersive adventure.
“The game uses the Unity game engine, with in-game features such as animated dice rolls, bookmarks, difficulty levels, notes from the original author, in-game achievements, and original artwork.”
“The game is exactly as it was all those years ago, and not only are the original black and white artworks here, but full color versions as well.”
“Tin Man Games' coloring of the original black and white artwork was a pleasure to see and it does add something to it (particularly the now red blood), but at the same time, the black and white art (which can also be viewed in the game) is still very effective.”
“Steve Jackson's writing and Tim Sell's artwork make the adventure a thrilling, haunting experience.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The background music composed by Adrian Watkins enhances the game's atmosphere, complementing the text and artwork effectively. While the writing is described as simple, the music and automated features improve the overall experience, making it a strong digital adaptation of the original material. However, the music is noted to be in mono, which may detract from the immersive experience for some players.
“The background music added by Tin Man Games, composed by Adrian Watkins, suits the text and artwork well.”
“Adding music and automation to the combat system and keeping track of hints and other features make this game an improvement on the original material, unlike other interactive fiction products which, in their attempt to add features, somehow subtract from the sum of its parts.”
“Background music is in mono.”
“(Only this has a soundtrack to it.)”
“It's a perfect digital alternative: automatic dice rolls, counts, links between the pages, 3 difficulty levels, background music... the writing is okay, mostly simple, but the game itself isn't; you'll spend your time trying to figure out how to escape from a labyrinthine house in which everybody and everything wants to kill you.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with many users noting its immersive quality and effective sound design. Despite some significant issues within the gameplay, the overall ambiance enhances the experience and makes it more forgivable.
“The atmosphere of the game is spot-on.”
“Great atmosphere and sounds.”
“It's a case of an adventure that has some considerable problems, which are forgivable when you appreciate its overall atmosphere.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this gamebook is straightforward, involving stat rolls and decision-making that leads to different narrative paths. The digital version offers generous save points, allowing players to bypass challenging sections, though some critical items are still necessary for progression, which can lead to frustrating dead ends.
“Now, this digital version is fortunately generous in handing out regular 'bookmarks' (read: save points), which ensure that you can essentially cheat and skip over any rooms that prove to be a one-way ticket to the funny farm. Even my shameless exploitation of such mechanics has led me to a point where I need to have fluked the attainment of a particular item, or it's game over anyway.”
“As a gamebook, the gameplay is quite simple; you roll your stats and fight or decide where to go, which redirects you to different paragraphs.”
“Now, this digital version is fortunately generous in handing out regular 'bookmarks' (read: save points) which ensure that you can essentially cheat and skip over any rooms that prove to be nothing but a one-way ticket to the funny farm. However, even my shameless exploitation of such mechanics has led me to a point where I need to have fluked the attainment of a particular item, or it's game over anyway.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect in this installment of the Final Fantasy series to be particularly tedious, as navigating the confusing maze-like house requires learning a specific order that can take many hours and multiple playthroughs to master.
“This is nothing new to the Final Fantasy series, but in this game, the house is a confusing maze with little to no hints. You have to navigate it in a particular order, and learning that order is tedious, taking many hours and multiple playthroughs.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity, with players often finding themselves in ridiculous situations that can lead to frustration. The inclusion of "bookmarks" allows players to bypass particularly challenging or nonsensical sections, but even with these aids, the game's comedic elements can still result in unexpected challenges.
“This digital version is generously handing out regular 'bookmarks' (read: save points) which ensure that you can essentially cheat and skip over any rooms that lead to a one-way ticket to the funny farm. Even my shameless exploitation of such mechanics has led me to a point where I need to have fluked the attainment of a particular item or it's game over anyway.”
“The humor in this game is delightfully absurd, making even the most frustrating moments feel light-hearted and entertaining.”
“I found myself laughing out loud at the witty dialogue and hilarious character interactions, which kept the gameplay fresh and enjoyable.”
