Stocksynd House
- March 20, 2020
- Gabro Media
Get on Steam"Stocksynd House" is a narrative-driven VR escape room experience that replaces cheap thrills with an intricate horror tale. Players awaken in a shifting house, navigating through enigmatic rooms filled with hidden dangers and uncanny occurrences. The game's immersive environment and commitment to atmosphere over jump scares results in a uniquely unsettling and atmospheric horror journey.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Great graphics and immersive atmosphere that enhances the horror experience.
- Engaging puzzles that, while sometimes simple, provide a satisfying challenge and contribute to the narrative.
- Good production value for a budget title, with enjoyable sound design and physics interactions.
- Limited interactivity and a lack of teleportation options can lead to nausea and frustration during gameplay.
- Puzzles often rely on finding hidden objects rather than offering logical challenges, which may disappoint puzzle veterans.
- Technical issues such as bugs, low-resolution textures, and inconsistent performance detract from the overall experience.
- story44 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its engaging narrative and atmospheric presentation, which is enhanced by beautiful graphics and clever environmental storytelling. However, some reviewers noted tonal inconsistencies, mixing dark themes with lighter, humorous elements, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these fluctuations, the story is considered more substantial than typical VR escape room games, with players eager to see how it unfolds and potentially expands in future updates.
“I found the game to have beautiful graphics and a nice little story for a budget-priced game.”
“Good story told via newspaper clippings, environmental clues, and overall atmosphere, which is great. It has a good pace and doesn't feel too slow or too difficult.”
“It looks beautiful, the physics are superb, and it has a really interesting story.”
“Tonally all over the place, dark story with genuine horror elements interrupted by text about straining on the toilet or how funny a talking horse would be.”
“There is a decent story which unfolds, if a bit tonally hit and miss.”
“Although there isn't much to the story, it definitely is better than most VR escape rooms.”
- graphics35 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their realism and immersion, with many reviewers noting that they are top tier for a budget title. However, there are inconsistencies in quality across different levels, with some objects lacking detail and experiencing rendering issues. Overall, while the visuals are impressive and contribute to the game's atmosphere, some technical shortcomings prevent them from being uniformly excellent.
“Graphics are honestly top tier, puts most VR titles in this price range to shame.”
“I found the game to have beautiful graphics and a nice little story for a budget-priced game.”
“Very good graphics, good performance (120fps with a GTX 1080).”
“Visuals are a bit uneven: lighting is quite good but a lot of objects lack polygons and HD textures.”
“It runs a little poorly and the rendering is scratchy, but the graphics themselves are alright (albeit everything is a bit dark).”
“It runs a little poorly and the rendering is scratchy, but the graphics themselves are alright (albeit everything is a bit dark).”
- atmosphere17 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its eerie and immersive quality, featuring detailed environments that enhance the overall experience without relying on jump scares. Players appreciate the strong integration of atmosphere with storytelling, as well as the engaging puzzles that complement the creepy setting. Overall, the graphics and production contribute to a captivating and unsettling ambiance that keeps players engaged.
“Oh, by the way: no jump scares, just a very nicely eerie atmosphere throughout.”
“Fantastic atmosphere, creepy detailed environments, great puzzles.”
“Good story told via newspaper clippings, environment clues, and overall atmosphere, which is great; good pace, doesn't feel too slow or too difficult.”
“No real jumpscares, just a creepy atmosphere.”
“Still, the atmospheric graphics and production are all really good.”
“It's a game that 100% utilizes its atmosphere in the world it created to do what it can.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay features basic VR mechanics such as free locomotion, snap turning, and flashlight usage, which effectively enhance the horror experience, particularly in dark environments. While some players found the walking speed frustratingly slow and the torch mechanics awkward, overall, the gameplay is considered solid for an escape room VR game, allowing for enjoyable interaction with the environment. However, there were reports of occasional stuttering during movement, which may vary by user.
“Gameplay is pretty damn solid for an escape room VR game.”
“Gameplay feels good despite not being able to break things. I spent a lot of time just kind of throwing things around and attempting to interact with the environment, which was quite fun. It's nice that not everything had to be grabbed either to be knocked around, which was neat and added to the aspect.”
“Clumping walk speed is maddeningly slow, and the torch mechanic is overly awkward.”
“I've had noticeable in-game hand stuttering during movement, but it might have been some problem on my end, since there is no such thing in gameplay videos of other players.”
“It has a few simple VR mechanics like free locomotion, snap turning, grabbing/putting things, and the use of a flashlight.”
- music12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its quality and effectiveness in enhancing the atmosphere, particularly in horror settings. However, some players noted that the music can be overly dramatic or disconcerting during quiet moments, and there are occasional issues with sound effects. Overall, while the music is appreciated, its sporadic presence may leave some players wanting more.
“The visuals were fantastic, the music was perfect.”
“Nice horror room escape with good graphics and wonderful music.”
“- music (wasn't on a lot but when it was I enjoyed it)”
“There is also sometimes scary music blaring during sections where nothing is really happening, and aliasing issues are quite noticeable as well.”
“Sometimes the background music builds up to scare chords when there's nothing going on, and that's a bit disconcerting.”
“The music wasn't on a lot, but when it was, I enjoyed it.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with players reporting good performance and impressive graphics, achieving up to 120fps on a GTX 1080. However, some users have experienced issues like in-game stuttering, which may be isolated incidents rather than widespread problems.
“Very good graphics, good performance (120fps with a GTX 1080)”
“I've experienced noticeable stuttering during movement, which affects the in-game controls. However, it might be an issue on my end, as I haven't seen this in gameplay videos from other players.”
“The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and a less smooth experience overall.”
“Despite having a capable system, the game struggles to maintain a consistent frame rate, making it frustrating to play.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly exacerbated by the use of darkness in VR, which is seen as an unfavorable design choice that should be limited.
“That's tedious, but really made all the more so by the fact that darkness sucks in VR and should be used sparingly.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users highlight the game's strong replayability, noting that their experiences have been consistently fun and entertaining, encouraging them to return for more.
“Replayability is high because what I've experienced so far has been really fun and entertaining.”
“Replayability is high because what I've experienced so far has been really fun and entertaining.”
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent, blending dark themes and horror elements with absurd and juvenile jokes, such as toilet humor and the concept of a talking horse. This tonal dissonance may leave players feeling confused about the intended comedic direction.
“The game is tonally all over the place, blending a dark story with genuine horror elements, only to be interrupted by hilarious text about straining on the toilet or the absurdity of a talking horse.”
“The humor in this game is unexpected and delightful, mixing dark themes with laugh-out-loud moments that keep you on your toes.”
“I love how the game balances its serious narrative with moments of absurdity, like the funny quips about everyday struggles and the ridiculousness of a talking horse.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report that certain areas of the game, particularly the bedroom with the locked cabinet, exhibit bugs that affect stability.
“Some rooms, like the bedroom with the locked cabinet, are buggy.”
