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.

A craft-based, isometric survival horror game with twisted monsters and warped reality. Scavenge and build to survive terrifying days and nights while using stealth and noise to fight enemies that stalk by sound. All styled with bold comic art and an '80s horror vibe.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews

story17 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Striking and unique comic-book art style with excellent sound design that enhances atmosphere.
Engaging survival horror gameplay emphasizing stealth, resource management, and exploration.
Strong voice acting and a creepy, immersive atmosphere that effectively captures 80s horror vibes.

Combat and AI can feel clunky and unbalanced, with some enemies overly tanky and flare gun being overpowered.
Lack of tutorials, unclear objectives, and poor UI/controls including no key remapping hurt accessibility.
Technical issues such as performance problems, bugs, inconsistent quest progression, and short game length reduce overall experience.

story
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
65%
5%
The story is intriguing and atmospheric, unfolding through fragmented narrative, environmental clues, and side quests that add depth and mystery. While engaging and supported by good voice acting and lore, its presentation can feel scattered and at times incoherent, with pacing and quest clarity issues affecting immersion. Despite some bugs and a somewhat disappointing ending, the story remains a strong aspect that encourages exploration and fits well with the game’s horror survival theme.
- “The game plays with perception, sound cues, and environmental storytelling.”
- “There are enough documents, wall graffiti, dead bodies, and NPC side quests to make it more than presentable, and even spine-chilling at some moments.”
- “The story is strong, the puzzles are enjoyable, and the atmosphere keeps you constantly on edge.”
- “❌ Story delivery feels scattered - the ideas are interesting, but the way they’re presented feels a bit clunky, making it harder to stay fully in it.”
- “Unfortunately, the story does not come together at all and I had quite a few bugs for a 10 hour game.”
- “I felt like I was getting certain information way too late and that some of the quests are lacking detail.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
80%
10%
Gameplay combines action-focused survival, crafting, and exploration with a retro-inspired, isometric style and a creepy atmosphere. While base building, crafting, and world exploration are engaging, the experience is hampered by clunky UI, underdeveloped mechanics, inconsistent stealth, and a slow pacing that diminishes tension, especially in the open world. Survival elements like hunger and manual saving can be divisive, and overall, the gameplay feels passable but lacks polish and depth to fully satisfy.
- “The core gameplay loop works, exploration is engaging, and the world is intriguing.”
- “Gameplay plays like an action-focused survival game in an isometric view.”
- “Loved building my little ranch and the crafting mechanics.”
- “Crafting and survival mechanics feel underdeveloped.”
- “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.”
- “But clunky UI, underused mechanics, and a weak finale hold it back from being truly great.”
graphics
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
42%
10%
The game’s graphics are widely praised for their striking and immersive comic-book art style, which effectively captures a retro 80s horror vibe. The visuals are bold, atmospheric, and full of personality, enhanced by thematic sound indicators that complement the unique aesthetic. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's charm and immersive horror experience.
- “The comic-book art style is excellent and gives the game a unique identity that immediately stands out.”
- “The art style is bold, creepy, and full of personality, and the atmosphere nails that retro horror vibe perfectly.”
- “I love the overall look and feel of the game, especially the comic book-style graphics and the way the sound you make is indicated by different coloured thuds, very thematic.”
- “The graphic doesn't show the letters on the keys, and also shows your number keys at the top and bottom of the screen.”
- “I hate this place is a craft-focused, isometric survival horror game that leans hard into an 80s comic-book horror aesthetic.”
- “I bought this game from seeing an ad and was attracted to the art style and killing monsters and all that.”
atmosphere
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
32%
The game excels in creating a strong, stylish, and creepy atmosphere enhanced by bold art style, effective lighting, and fitting music, which evoke a retro horror vibe and keep players engaged. Its day-night cycles and detailed worldbuilding contribute to a consistently spooky and immersive experience, making it a standout for fans of atmospheric survival horror. However, some players note minor drawbacks like UI issues and an underwhelming ending.
- “The art style is bold, creepy, and full of personality, and the atmosphere nails that retro horror vibe perfectly.”
- “A very cozy and atmospheric horror game especially due to the art style and the music.”
- “The story is strong, the puzzles are enjoyable, and the atmosphere keeps you constantly on edge.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
56%
11%
The music is heavily inspired by 80's synth-heavy soundtracks, reminiscent of the Stranger Things score, effectively enhancing the game's atmospheric and tense tone. Reviewers praise the soundtrack for fitting the game's style and mood, contributing to a cozy yet unnerving horror experience. However, some note occasional audio issues that momentarily disrupt immersion.
- “The soundtrack and environments are both heavily inspired by the 80's in general, but the OST definitely has Stranger Things vibes, which is good. I love the score and soundtrack in that show.”
- “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.”
- “And then I noticed after a while 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.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with notable performance issues such as stuttering and janky combat reported by multiple users. While some experience smooth gameplay, many highlight serious optimization problems, especially on platforms like the Steam Deck, suggesting that performance patches are needed for a more stable experience.
- “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 definitely has serious optimization issues which I hope they fix soon.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is quirky and cleverly integrated into the story, creating amusing and memorable moments that enhance the overall fun and engaging experience.
- “I had one NPC triple himself, but my first thought was that it was intentional because of weird things happening in the story, which was hilarious.”
- “Quirky humor, great action and stealth, super fun story and all things around, really enjoyable in every way possible.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game lacks replayability, with users indicating there is little incentive to play it multiple times.
- “The replayability isn't there.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding is relatively quick and efficient, allowing players to gain significant advantages in a short time. However, managing stamina through frequent eating adds a layer of resource management to farming and cooking activities.
- “It's very easy to break the game with just an hour and a half of grinding.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is compromised by a buggy final sequence that undermines the overall experience, leading to an abrupt and less satisfying conclusion despite earlier buildup.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game elicited a strong negative reaction, with users feeling uncomfortable or distressed during the experience.