The Alchemist's House
- December 24, 2019
- Angry Bunny
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"The Alchemist's House" is a first-person puzzle adventure game set in a mysterious abandoned mansion. Players must uncover the secrets of the alchemist and his family by solving puzzles and uncovering hidden objects. With a dark and atmospheric setting and mind-bending puzzles, this game will keep players engaged and intrigued until the very end.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game is free, making it accessible for players to try without financial commitment.
- Some players found the atmosphere creepy and engaging, with a few effective jump scares.
- The game shows potential for future development, with unique ideas and charming elements like the journal entries.
- The game is extremely short, often completed in under 30 minutes, leaving players wanting more content.
- It is plagued by numerous bugs, poor voice acting, and janky animations, which detract from the overall experience.
- The story is confusing and poorly executed, with many players finding it disjointed and lacking depth.
- story39 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as simplistic and disjointed, with many players expressing frustration over its lack of coherence and depth. While some appreciate the intriguing environment and potential for a more developed narrative, others criticize the short length and insufficient backstory, leaving them wanting more context and engagement. Overall, the story is seen as a mixed bag, with potential that remains largely unfulfilled due to technical issues and a lack of clarity.
“The story is simple enough, leaning a little edgy but it adds to the charm.”
“Great storytelling! I really can't wait for a longer version with more backstory.”
“The game has a unique vibe to it, some jumpscares and weird looking things that perfectly fit in this game, and I wish this game was a little longer and more story-driven.”
“The story half the time doesn't make sense anyway; the alchemist weirdo kills you if you trust him, then defends you if you don't trust him??”
“The story is incoherent, the voice acting is terribly mixed and recorded, and the gameplay is minimal (half of the game is a cutscene).”
“The 'story,' if you can call it that, was confusing and made zero sense.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting that they are surprisingly good for a low-budget title, while others criticize the use of reused assets and poor texture quality. Many found the visuals to detract from the overall experience, impacting immersion and the storyline, although a few appreciated the unique art style and attention to detail in certain areas. Overall, the graphics seem to be a significant point of contention, with opinions ranging from stunning to subpar.
“By far my personal game of the year! The graphics were stunning and the models went above and beyond my expectations. If I ever need to see a baby in a crib get flipped, god knows I will be back here :)”
“The artwork is gorgeous, something I don't usually get to say in a horror title, but it takes its own visual style and runs with it.”
“Facial animations and a few graphical things aside, the ambience in this game was awesome, and relied more on creep factor and dread than it did on jump scares.”
“The graphics aren't the best, and there's no option to skip the cutscenes at the beginning, meaning if you die in the first half of the game, you have to watch a short while of cutscenes.”
“I wasn't able to take the storyline very seriously because of the graphics.”
“Crude graphics and gameplay, 20 minutes of content, but if a decent little story.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being minimal and poorly executed, with a significant portion consisting of lengthy and unengaging cutscenes. Users note the crude graphics and lack of meaningful content, describing the overall experience as more of a rough concept than a polished game. While some appreciate the short story and interesting concept, the execution leaves much to be desired.
“Simple concept and gameplay.”
“Nice short story gameplay with an interesting concept.”
“With minimal content and a lack of meaningful gameplay, it feels more like a poorly executed concept than a finished product.”
“The game is full of badly made, way too long and boring cutscenes, and gameplay-wise it's also bad.”
“The story is incoherent, the voice acting is terribly mixed and recorded, and the gameplay is minimal (half of the game is a cutscene).”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently described as dark, creepy, and engaging, effectively immersing players in a gloomy environment that enhances the overall experience. While the eerie elements and sound design contribute positively, some players feel that the game could benefit from additional scares to heighten the tension. Despite its indie flaws, the atmospheric style is a standout feature that makes the game worth exploring.
“Its dark atmosphere is really good and had me engaged throughout the whole game.”
“However, it has quite an eerie atmosphere, especially if you chose not to trust the light, and went down the path where the monster was.”
“However, it has quite an eerie atmosphere, especially if you chose not to trust the light and went down the path where the monster was.”
“Despite all the flaws that often go with many indie projects, its truly dark and gloomy atmosphere makes this game worth checking out.”
“It has some wtf elements and a decently creepy atmosphere.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it unintentionally funny due to poor character designs, awkward animations, and bad voice acting, leading to moments that are more comedic than scary. While some elements are genuinely amusing, like a doll performing a TikTok dance, others come off as creepy or bizarre, resulting in a unique blend of horror and humor that leaves players laughing for unexpected reasons. Overall, the game's comedic aspects seem to stem from its flaws, making it a memorable experience for those who appreciate unintentional humor.
“In all my years playing/streaming horror games, none have made me laugh this hard.”
“There were some moments of the game that were more funny or goofy than scary, but most of the time I was terrified.”
“What was supposed to be a horror movie ended up hilarious for all the wrong reasons, and played more like a comedy due to the horrible monster/character designs, bad voice acting, and senseless plot.”
- character development3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is criticized for its poor design and execution, with users noting that the character designs are subpar and contribute to an unintended comedic tone rather than the intended horror atmosphere. The overall lack of coherence in the plot and voice acting further detracts from any meaningful character growth or engagement.
“Character design was just...bad.”
“What was supposed to be a horror movie ended up hilarious for all the wrong reasons, and played more like a comedy due to the horrible monster/character designs, bad voice acting, and senseless plot.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is notably poor, with users reporting weak performance and a lack of options to improve it. Additionally, pre-rendered cutscenes suffer from synchronization issues, where the video playback does not align properly with the audio and subtitles.
“Performance is so weak - no options to change that.”
“Pre-rendered cutscenes have performance problems as well - video plays slower than audio and audio is faster than subtitles.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs leading to crashes and freezes that disrupt gameplay.
“The game is very buggy and crashes or freezes often.”
“I experience frequent crashes that disrupt my gameplay.”
“The stability issues make it nearly unplayable at times.”
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for its creepy and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the overall tension and immersion.
“The music creates a haunting atmosphere that perfectly complements the game's eerie visuals.”
“The soundtrack is both immersive and unsettling, enhancing the overall experience.”
“The creepy music adds a layer of tension that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”
“The music creates a creepy atmosphere that detracts from the overall experience.”
“I found the music to be unsettling and not fitting for the game's tone.”
“The eerie soundtrack made it hard to immerse myself in the game.”
