Paranormal VHS
- September 15, 2023
- Elite Lords Studios
Get on Steam"Paranormal VHS" is a dark psychological horror game presented in a Walking Simulator genre. Players assume the role of a vlogger, James, exploring the abandoned and haunted Crimson Hill Hospital using a VHS camera to record any paranormal activities. The game utilizes Unreal Engine 5 to provide a realistic and immersive environment, with special visual effects added to enhance the realism of the VHS camera experience.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a great VHS style camera aesthetic that enhances the horror atmosphere.
- There are effective jump scares that can catch players off guard, especially in the early game.
- The graphics and sound design are impressive for an indie game, creating a creepy and immersive experience.
- The gameplay becomes tedious towards the end, with excessive backtracking and a frustrating flashlight mechanic that requires constant button pressing.
- Many jump scares are predictable and pre-scripted, diminishing the overall horror experience.
- The story is linear and lacks depth, making the game feel more like a walking simulator than a fully developed horror experience.
- story38 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally viewed as lacking depth and originality, with many players noting its linearity and simplicity, often feeling more like a walking simulator. While some appreciated the atmosphere and found the story decent enough to keep them engaged, others criticized it for being forgettable and underdeveloped, suggesting that a stronger background narrative could enhance the experience. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some enjoying the story's structure while others found it insufficient for a more immersive experience.
“I found the game to be quite enjoyable, with a decent story, amazing atmosphere, and jumpscares!”
“The game is keeping you engaged with a decent amount of jumpscares and a nice story continuity.”
“Overall this is a great game, with a good storyline to it.”
“There was almost no story and the jumpscares were nothing special.”
“The story is incredibly linear, with few 'puzzles' that are just 'find this next item to continue,' which makes this game largely a walking simulator.”
“Overall, a middling game with a middling story, few scares and is primarily a $9 walking simulator you can easily knock out in a couple of hours.”
- atmosphere24 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unsettling and creepy qualities, enhanced by a VHS-style aesthetic that adds to the overall experience. While the graphics are described as realistic yet grainy, this contributes to the game's creepiness, effectively heightening the impact of jump scares. However, some reviewers note that the haunting elements may not fully align with the atmospheric quality, leading to a reliance on superficial scares rather than deeper psychological tension.
“The atmosphere in this game is really top notch; the graphics are realistic, although kind of grainy and pixelated when viewed up close, but I think that adds to the creepiness of it all.”
“This game does a good job creating an unsettling and creepy atmosphere that heightens the jump-factor of the jump scares.”
“However, there aren't really any scares that run deeper than superficial jump scares and a generally creepy atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere kept my goosebumps going and the hair standing up on end.”
“It offers the familiar walking simulator gameplay with a very dark atmosphere and intense jumpscares.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 89 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their realistic quality and effective use of a VHS-style aesthetic, which enhances the overall atmosphere and creepiness. While some players note that the visuals can appear grainy and pixelated up close, this is often seen as a positive feature that contributes to the horror experience. Overall, the combination of strong graphics and sound design creates an immersive and engaging environment for players.
“The atmosphere in this game is really top notch, the graphics are realistic, although kind of grainy and pixelated when viewed up close, but I think that adds to the creepiness of it all.”
“Really nice realistic graphics with a cool VHS effect.”
“This game starts off strong with amazing sound design and really good graphics.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with criticism aimed at its reliance on pre-scripted jump scares and a lack of meaningful mechanics, such as the ineffective "hide in locker" feature. Players found the experience tedious and suggested that better pacing and narrative clues could enhance engagement. However, some appreciated the game's atmosphere and value for its price, noting it aligns with modern walking simulator standards.
“I'd say this is a good experience for the cost of the game, for the duration of gameplay and something that feels like a 2023 game and not like 2003.”
“It offers the familiar walking simulator gameplay with a very dark atmosphere and intense jump scares.”
“The game would have done better by peppering bits of information and clues throughout the game to help the player piece together the narrative throughout the entirety of gameplay.”
“The jump scares are all pre-scripted; the 'hide in locker' mechanic is just for show. It's all pre-scripted appearances, no AI.”
“Horror walking sims are my favorite genre, so no - I was not looking for Outlast in this game - it just has unforgivably bad gameplay decisions.”
“Tedious, tedious gameplay.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as excessively tedious and drawn out, likening it to a boring walking simulator. The repetitive gameplay, particularly towards the end, detracts from the overall experience, with specific criticism aimed at the frustrating flashlight mechanic and the visually overwhelming glare.
“The game became so drawn out and tedious, like a walking sim but more boring.”
“Towards the end, it became extremely tedious; the flashlight mechanic was not enjoyable.”
“Tedious, tedious gameplay.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, providing a surprisingly fluid experience even on high settings.
“The game is very well optimized in general; I had a surprisingly fluid experience on high settings.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music and ambience in the game are consistently praised for enhancing the overall experience, creating an immersive atmosphere that complements the gameplay. Reviewers highlight the quality and variety of the soundtrack, which effectively sets the mood and engages players.
