I Hate This Place

About

I Hate This Place is a single player survival shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by Rock Square Thunder and was released on January 29, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

I Hate This Place is an isometric survival horror game set in a cursed land filled with reality-bending nightmares and terrifying creatures. Players must scavenge, craft, build, and fight to survive through haunted forests, derelict towns, and infested bunkers. A dynamic day-night cycle forces careful planning, as darkness brings stronger enemies and heightened dangers.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 46 reviews

story11 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game features fantastic graphics and a strong 80s horror atmosphere, enhanced by a well-crafted comic-book art style.
The crafting and homesteading mechanics are enjoyable, allowing players to create resources and manage their survival effectively.
The story is engaging with interesting murder mysteries and a unique premise that keeps players invested in the narrative.

The gameplay can become unbalanced, especially once players acquire powerful weapons like the flare gun, making survival aspects trivial.
The game suffers from unclear objectives and a lack of tutorials, leading to confusion and frustration during gameplay.
Performance issues and bugs, such as inconsistent frame rates and enemy AI problems, detract from the overall experience.

story
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
62%
8%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and intriguing, while others describe it as incoherent and messy. Although the narrative features quirky humor and a compelling atmosphere, it suffers from unclear quest progression and bugs that can disrupt the experience. Overall, while the story has potential and keeps some players invested, it is marred by design flaws and a disappointing conclusion.
- “The story is strong, the puzzles are enjoyable, and the atmosphere keeps you constantly on edge.”
- “The game looks great with its comic book graphical style, the score and music featured throughout is really well done and fits the tone of the game brilliantly. The story is intriguing and interesting and also unnerving with its subject matter and things that happen to both your character's family and other NPCs.”
- “If you enjoy horror survival games with strong style, atmosphere, and story, this is worth your time.”
- “The story and mystery kept me engaged, but the ending is disappointing.”
- “Unfortunately, the story does not come together at all and I had quite a few bugs for a 10-hour game.”
- “It has nice immersion and vibe with the 80s aesthetics, but the story doesn't make sense.”
gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
74%
13%
Gameplay is characterized by an action-focused survival experience in an isometric view, featuring engaging exploration and a solid core loop. However, it suffers from underdeveloped crafting and survival mechanics, a clunky UI, and a lack of coherent prompts, which detract from the overall experience. While the game offers intriguing story elements and a unique graphical style, the slow pacing and cumbersome mechanics, particularly the food and manual saving systems, may frustrate some players.
- “Gameplay plays like an action-focused survival game in an isometric view.”
- “The core gameplay loop works, exploration is engaging, and the world is intriguing.”
- “Loved building my little ranch and the crafting mechanics.”
- “Crafting and survival mechanics feel underdeveloped.”
- “But clunky UI, underused mechanics, and a weak finale hold it back from being truly great.”
- “Once the open world gameplay begins, the game is a bunch of slow-moving meandering across the map with little to no encounters outside of zombie deer every now and again, and the tension is gone.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their striking comic-book art style, which effectively captures a retro 80s horror vibe and enhances the overall atmosphere. Players appreciate the bold and unique visual identity, complemented by thematic sound effects that immerse them in the experience. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's charm and appeal, making it stand out in the horror genre.
- “The graphics and atmosphere are fantastic.”
- “The art style is bold, creepy, and full of personality, and the atmosphere nails that retro horror vibe perfectly.”
- “The comic-book art style is excellent and gives the game a unique identity that immediately stands out.”
- “The graphics don't show the letters on the keys, and also show your number keys at the top and bottom of the screen.”
- “I discovered I hate this place while researching upcoming horror games, and its comic-book art style and 80s horror vibe immediately caught my attention.”
- “I hate this place has excellent atmosphere and a striking comic-book art style that works really well on a small screen.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77%
23%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its fantastic graphics, bold art style, and effective use of music and lighting, creating a strong retro horror vibe that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the engaging exploration and the constant sense of unease, making it a standout feature despite some criticisms regarding UI issues and the ending. Overall, it is recommended for those who enjoy atmospheric horror games that prioritize style and storytelling over jump scares.
- “Atmosphere is where the game shines.”
- “The art style is bold, creepy, and full of personality, and the atmosphere nails that retro horror vibe perfectly.”
- “The story is strong, the puzzles are enjoyable, and the atmosphere keeps you constantly on edge.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The music in the game is heavily influenced by 80s synth sounds, reminiscent of the "Stranger Things" soundtrack, which many players find appealing and fitting for the game's tone. The synth-heavy score enhances the comic-book aesthetic and contributes to the atmospheric horror experience, although some users noted occasional audio issues that disrupt immersion. Overall, the music is praised for its ability to create tension and complement the game's engaging environments.
- “The comic-book presentation is fantastic, the synth-heavy soundtrack fits the tone, and areas like the bunkers deliver real tension.”
- “The game looks great with its comic book graphical style, the score and music featured throughout is really well done and fits the tone of the game brilliantly.”
- “+ engaging atmosphere, brilliant use of lighting, and fitting music to bring it all together.”
- “The game loses most audio from Elena's steps, going mute and not having the visual thud in place. The music and ambience go quiet, making the moment jarring.”
- “A very cozy and atmospheric horror game, especially due to the art style, but the music is lacking.”
- “The soundtrack and environments are both heavily inspired by the 80s, but the overall execution feels derivative and uninspired.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, including stuttering and janky combat. While a few users reported no major problems, many recommend waiting for performance patches, especially for those playing on the Steam Deck, as the game currently suffers from serious optimization flaws.
- “Worth waiting for performance patches if Steam Deck is your main platform.”
- “Performance-wise, the game, for me at least, had no issues whatsoever.”
- “On Steam Deck, performance is inconsistent.”
- “My only biggest complaint is the horrendous performance.”
- “This game is still playable, but it definitely has serious optimization issues which I hope they fix soon.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is criticized for an abrupt conclusion and shallow choices, compounded by a buggy final sequence that detracts from the overall experience.
- “After building toward what feels like a big confrontation, the conclusion feels abrupt, choices feel shallow, and a buggy final sequence makes it even less satisfying.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing hours of gameplay.”
- “I encountered numerous glitches that disrupted the experience, from characters getting stuck to entire levels failing to load.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users generally feel that the game lacks replayability, indicating that once completed, there is little incentive to play it again.
- “The replayability isn't there.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel pointless.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that grinding can quickly lead to game-breaking advantages, often achievable within just an hour and a half. Additionally, the need for frequent eating to maintain stamina encourages farming and cooking as essential activities.
- “It's very easy to break the game with just an hour and a half of grinding.”
- “You need to eat pretty often or your stamina drops quickly, so farming and cooking can be quite useful.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and enjoyable nature, complementing the action and stealth elements while contributing to a fun and engaging story. Overall, players find the humor to be a significant highlight that enhances their gaming experience.
- “Quirky humor, great action and stealth, super fun story, and all things around, really enjoyable in every way possible.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game is intense, with some players reporting feelings of discomfort and unease.