La Villa de la Muerte

About

La Villa de la Muerte is a single player puzzle game with a horror theme. It was developed by Ottercide Studio and was released on April 27, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Inspired by the story of La Llorona, La Villa de la Muerte is a looping, 1st-person horror game experience set in the late 1800s. Narratively and environmentally driven, the player tries to uncover/remember who they are and what happened to the family at this villa. The player unravels the truth by solving puzzles, completing the looped levels, and avoiding the being that lurks within that truth.D…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 57 reviews

graphics5 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features impressive visuals and sound design, creating an immersive atmosphere.
It's a short and engaging horror experience that effectively utilizes a looping mechanic to maintain player interest.
As a free game, it offers decent entertainment value, making it worth a quick playthrough.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and design flaws, making it difficult to progress and enjoy.
The story is underdeveloped and lacks depth, leaving players confused about the plot and character motivations.
Gameplay mechanics are rough and inconsistent, leading to frustrating experiences with object interactions and enemy AI.

story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
67%
20%
The game's story is generally perceived as underdeveloped and lacking depth, with players noting its reliance on vague hints and minimal context, which leaves much to the imagination. While some find the premise intriguing and the emotional impact touching, the overall narrative is criticized for being flat and confusing, often feeling like an unfinished project. It may appeal to those seeking a brief ghost story experience, but it falls short for players looking for a rich, immersive storyline.
- “I think the game is great; this game is short, but the story is touching and important. It's a free game, and the game developers did a good job.”
- “You get some hints as to what may have been, but the ending is as obscure as the story.”
- “As the game stands now, the story is somewhat flat, being only one cryptic note, picture, and a map, with nothing more to explain what happened in this place and why it is haunted and why you must exorcise the malevolent spirit that wants you dead.”
- “The premise is fine, but it goes too fast to feel any real emotional connection to the story and what's happening.”
- “The story needs work, and a lot is left unexplained.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
39%
23%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the visuals as beautiful and atmospheric, while others criticize them for being basic, glitchy, and reminiscent of asset flips. While certain elements, like the monster design, stand out positively, many players note issues with reused assets and inconsistent quality, leading to a lack of immersion in the horror experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a mix of impressive and underwhelming, depending on the context and specific elements.
- “The jumpscares are fantastic and the graphics are really nice.”
- “The visuals are beautiful and it's impressive how many different versions/moods of one location the devs were able to obtain.”
- “The game is short and fun, the visuals are nice, and the game seems to make use of unique assets (or at least ones rarely seen), with the monster looking good especially in the final scene.”
- “What happened here? A bunch of really talented graphic designers and 3D modelers got together and made fantastic game assets, and then failed to make a game with them. Ah, of course, this is a basic asset flip (although the developer doesn't seem to be trying to profit from the work of others here).”
- “The game graphics look better than you might expect, but that's just because it looks like some or all of them are 'borrowed' from asset stores or wherever.”
- “The graphics are really basic and old, with lots of reused props that seem to have been taken from other projects and added.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many criticizing its poor mechanics, lack of depth, and subpar enemy AI, making it feel generic and unengaging. While some players appreciated the unique looping mechanic and atmospheric elements, the overall experience is marred by technical issues like frame rate drops and finicky controls. Additionally, the game's short length and minimal story development leave it feeling unsatisfying, particularly for seasoned horror fans.
- “The atmosphere is phenomenal and the looping mechanic is super cool.”
- “The looping mechanic was really interesting.”
- “It's a pity it's so FPS heavy; I got around 40 down to 10 FPS throughout the gameplay and the mouse sensitivity is a bit finicky, but other than those, I enjoyed the game and I recommend it to everyone :)”
- “Games like this one are a dime a dozen. It's not scary, the gameplay is bad (garbage enemy AI and mechanics). We don't know why the main character is investigating this house; you could also replace La Llorona with any other monster and it wouldn't make a difference.”
- “It's a pity it's so FPS heavy. I got around 40 down to 10 FPS throughout the gameplay, and the mouse sensitivity is a bit finicky.”
- “The game mechanics are too rough to play.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its impressive visuals and effective sound design, creating an intense and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the phenomenal ambiance and the exploration opportunities, particularly in the context of atmospheric horror. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature that enhances the gameplay.
- “The atmosphere is phenomenal and the looping mechanic is super cool.”
- “Great game, love the sound design and atmosphere of the environments.”
- “The game has an amazing atmosphere and lots of room to explore.”
- “The visuals look good, the sound design works well, and overall it has a decent atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere is intense.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and softlocks that hinder progression, indicating a lack of thorough testing. Additionally, graphical glitches contribute to an unsettling experience, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- “Not because it's hard, but because it's a buggy train wreck that can softlock you out of the game progression due to a lack of testing.”
- “Of course, there are many graphical glitches.”
- “With the glitches and the goofy-looking ghosts, this should be a laugh, but there is something about it that puts me on edge and sends me running through the house.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a touching story that resonates with players, especially considering it is free; however, some users feel that the pacing is too rapid, hindering the development of a deeper emotional connection to the narrative.
- “I think the game is great. This game is short, but the story is touching. It's important that it's a free game; the game developers did a good job.”
- “The premise is fine, but it goes too fast to feel any real emotional connection to the story and what's happening.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is severely lacking, with players reporting extremely low frame rates, often below 20 fps, which significantly detracts from the overall experience. Many believe that improved optimization could elevate the game to a more acceptable level.
- “Literally the worst game I have ever played, lmao. But I mean, if it was optimized and you could get over 20 FPS, it would be mid.”
- “Need optimization.”