Paranormal HK

About

"Paranormal HK" is a first-person horror adventure game set during the Hungry Ghost Festival in Kloon Walled City. After a filming session for an online supernatural channel goes awry, young crew members start disappearing one by one. Players take on the role of Ah Lok, determined to find his missing actress friend Kathy amid the escalating supernatural events. Can you uncover the truth behind these eerie occurrences and escape the haunted city?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 416 reviews

story35 positive mentions

gameplay13 negative mentions

Paranormal HK delivers a chilling and captivating horror experience with beautifully realized locations and an intriguing storyline that immerses players in Hong Kong's supernatural underbelly.
The puzzles are creatively designed and offer a satisfying challenge, keeping players engaged without becoming overly frustrating.
The game effectively captures elements of Cantonese culture, providing a unique horror experience that resonates with fans of Asian horror.

The gameplay can feel repetitive and tedious, with some players finding it more annoying than enjoyable, particularly during stealth sections.
The English translation is poorly executed, leading to confusion about the story and objectives, which detracts from the overall experience.
Some technical issues, such as clunky controls and inconsistent AI behavior, can hinder the gameplay and reduce immersion.

story
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its intriguing premise rooted in Hong Kong's urban myths and cultural elements, while others criticize its pacing, coherence, and translation issues that hinder understanding. The atmosphere and visuals receive high praise, but the narrative often feels disjointed and underdeveloped, leaving some players confused or dissatisfied with the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the story's horror elements and cultural authenticity resonate with a segment of the audience, making it a polarizing aspect of the game.
- “Its intriguing storyline pulls you deep into Hong Kong's supernatural underbelly, while the beautifully realized locations create a truly immersive and unsettling atmosphere.”
- “The detailed environments, cultural authenticity, and gripping story of a paranormal investigation gone wrong make it an unforgettable experience.”
- “The story is amazing; it's about an urban legend of Hong Kong and China, and a crew of an online supernatural channel went to Kowloon Walled City to film a short movie for their latest episode but encountered supernatural occurrences.”
- “The ending feels rushed, the story is somehow confusing and the translation manages to feel like it was made with Google Translate but still be full of all kinds of typos.”
- “Although you could usually self-correct the many typos and translation errors, the story was still a disconnected patchwork of different sections awkwardly stitched together with no sensible backstory.”
- “If you're playing with English subtitles, a lot of the story gets lost in translation.”
atmosphere
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
31%
5%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and chilling depiction of Hong Kong's supernatural elements, with detailed environments and effective sound design that enhance the horror experience. While many reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a genuinely unsettling vibe, some criticize the execution of jump scares and gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall tension. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as the game's strongest aspect, captivating players with its eerie charm and attention to detail.
- “Its intriguing storyline pulls you deep into Hong Kong's supernatural underbelly, while the beautifully realized locations create a truly immersive and unsettling atmosphere.”
- “The visuals and sound design are top-notch, creating a deeply immersive and terrifying atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere they create in this game is amazing; they worked hard on the audio for the game too.”
- “What little atmosphere it creates is quickly erased by the total lack of polish.”
- “The whole ambience was boring and flat; for example, when the place was dark, it would play scary music, and because your character is also slow, the music repeats itself, butchering the whole atmosphere.”
- “It's very slow and repetitive, and there's literally no attempt to build dread or any kind of scary atmosphere.”
gameplay
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
65%
21%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive, tedious, and frustrating due to clunky controls and slow movement. While some appreciate the balance of exploration, puzzles, and horror elements, others criticize the lack of engaging mechanics and the reliance on outdated horror tropes. Overall, the gameplay experience is seen as lacking depth and excitement, detracting from the game's potential.
- “The gameplay balances exploration, clever puzzles, and tense chase sequences, keeping you constantly on edge.”
- “Gameplay-wise, this is an 'Outlast' style game, but with its own unique charm.”
- “Very recommended, the puzzle on chapter 3 was annoying but still every chapter (5 chapters total) offered different mechanics; there was one just normal chase, there was a puzzle, etc. Absolutely recommend this game.”
- “I appreciate what the game is trying to do, but the gameplay is so repetitive and tedious, it's more annoying to play than anything.”
- “The gameplay consists of walking very slowly and solving dead easy puzzles, and also playing boring hide and seek with the enemies teleporting randomly around the map, sometimes directly in front of you, causing you to respawn.”
- “By the end of the game, the setting is uninspired and boring, the mechanics are clunky and broken, and at that point, you are just trying to get the game over with.”
graphics
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
37%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the immersive atmosphere and detailed environments, particularly the aesthetic representation of Hong Kong. However, some users note issues with optimization, occasional graphical glitches, and a lack of innovation compared to more recent titles. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered good to great, there are calls for improvements in animation and graphical settings management.
- “The visuals and sound design are top-notch, creating a deeply immersive and terrifying atmosphere.”
- “Beautiful graphics, quite chilling story, fun puzzles.”
- “The environment graphics are great.”
- “I expected a lot more, but ultimately this is a 2013 horror game (Amnesia clones) with slightly better graphics but very cheap design.”
- “The graphics of this game are absolutely horrible; even Left 4 Dead 2 has better graphics than this.”
- “As for the game itself, firstly I've noticed that the graphics menu does not save your changes, so by default, all my settings were set to max and could not be lowered.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
64%
14%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its ability to enhance the horror experience through effective audio cues and atmospheric tension, while others criticize its repetitiveness and inconsistency, which can detract from immersion. Many agree that while the soundtrack contributes to the overall ambiance, issues like abrupt cuts and volume fluctuations hinder its effectiveness. Overall, the music is seen as a key element in creating suspense, but it requires better execution to fully realize its potential.
- “This game was terrifying and fun; the music is what makes it scary because you have to listen for audio cues, and just when you think it's safe, the jumpscare volume goes from 1 to 100 real quick.”
- “I don't usually play horror type games, but the soundtrack and background music really give one the chills!”
- “The atmosphere and background music are good; I love the first episode most, as it is really scary for players who just started.”
- “And again, the music/ambient sounds didn't add any atmosphere.”
- “The whole ambience was boring and flat; for example, when the place was dark, it would play scary music, and because your character is also slow, the music repeats itself, butchering the whole atmosphere.”
- “There are several immersion-breaking moments in the game; one of the biggest issues is the music's repetitiveness and abruptness.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a blend of unintentional comedy and absurdity, with players finding amusement in the AI's nonsensical behavior and poorly designed animations. Moments that were meant to be scary often come off as over-the-top and ridiculous, contributing to a lighthearted experience despite the game's horror elements. Glitches also add to the humor without detracting from gameplay, enhancing the overall comedic tone.
- “I found it funny that the AI would just chase me and ignore the fact that she saw me enter a wardrobe and simply walks away like nothing happened.”
- “The parts that were supposed to be scary were over-dramatized to the point it's funny because it tries so hard to scare you on something that isn't even scary.”
- “A few glitches but they add some humor to the game and don't hinder anything.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
Players consistently find the grinding aspect of the game to be repetitive and tedious, often describing it as more annoying than enjoyable. The reliance on monotonous gameplay elements and poorly executed mechanics contributes to a frustrating experience, making the grinding feel like a chore rather than a rewarding challenge.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I appreciate what the game is trying to do, but the gameplay is so repetitive and tedious, it's more annoying to play than anything.”
- “This game is just tedious and isn't fun.”
- “The puzzles aren't incredibly challenging, just tedious.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marked by several bugs, including visibility through walls and glitches during chase sequences, which can detract from the experience. However, some players find these issues add a humorous element without significantly hindering gameplay, contributing to an overall spooky atmosphere.
- “The game is very buggy with ghosts walking through walls and grabbing you when they're not supposed to, or switches disappearing when you need to turn them on.”
- “There are some buggy instances where I could see through walls.”
- “While certain chase sequences can be buggy at times, the buildup of suspense and audio, both music and sound effects, make this a solid and spooky experience.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players find it deeply touching and engaging, with personal connections to the narrative, others feel it lacks the depth and emotional resonance seen in similar titles. Collectibles provide some emotional context, but overall, the game may not fully satisfy those seeking a profound emotional experience.
- “You will get most of your exposition from collectibles, and that works fine, occasionally offering some emotional stake in your adventure.”
- “This game feels too much inspired by devotion, but it doesn't have the emotional content to elevate the gaming experience.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The optimization of the game has been criticized for its inconsistent performance, with users experiencing significant dips at times. Additionally, there are issues with Steam VR compatibility and difficulties in navigating the English menu, suggesting that improvements are needed in these areas.
- “The performance is usually pretty good, but it dips significantly at certain points.”
- “I hope that the optimization improves over time, as Steam VR currently does not start with the game and finding the English menu can be quite challenging.”
- “Horrible performance.”
- “Maybe at some point the optimization will be better; Steam VR will not start with the game, and the English menu will be much easier to find.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development is lacking, leading to confusion as important characters are introduced without sufficient background information, resulting in a disconnection from their fates.
- “You don't get much background information or character development, so it's very confusing when they suddenly talk about this character who apparently was pretty important, and you don't care about what happens to them.”
- “The characters feel one-dimensional, and their development is lacking, making it hard to connect with their stories.”
- “There is little to no growth for the characters throughout the game, leaving their arcs feeling flat and unengaging.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users generally express a lack of replayability, indicating that the game does not offer enough incentives or varied experiences to encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “I simply do not see any replay value.”
- “The game lacks the depth to warrant multiple playthroughs.”
- “Once you've completed it, there's little incentive to return.”