The Bathhouse
- September 30, 2022
- Chilla's Art
- 8h median play time
Get on Steam"The Bathhouse" is a Japanese horror game with a focus on psychological terror and an immersive atmosphere. The game features a "walking simulator" style of gameplay with puzzle-solving and survival elements, as well as multiple endings. The VHS film aesthetic, including visual effects like phosphor trail and bleeding, tape noise, and interlacing, adds to the overall horror experience. The environment and art are inspired by Japanese horror films.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a great occult story that is unexpected from the setting, providing a memorable experience.
- The atmosphere is amazing, with creepy analog visuals and effective sound design that enhances the horror elements.
- Despite the bugs, some players found the game fun and engaging, with good jump scares and multiple endings to explore.
- The game is plagued with numerous bugs, including game-breaking glitches that prevent progression, making it nearly unplayable.
- Many players reported performance issues, including crashes and lag, even on high-end PCs, leading to frustration.
- The lack of clear guidance and convoluted objectives often left players feeling lost, detracting from the overall experience.
- story85 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its intriguing and spooky elements, while others found it disjointed and lacking depth. Many noted that the narrative felt unfinished or poorly executed, often overshadowed by technical issues and gameplay mechanics that detracted from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the atmospheric storytelling and unique premise were highlighted as strong points, appealing to fans of Chilla's Art games.
“The story is really interesting and pretty spooky, though I will say that it really bogs down my PC when playing, especially when streaming.”
“Some of the best jumpscares I've seen, and the story was very captivating.”
“Loved playing this one, awesome story and the vibes are on point.”
“The downside was the story itself felt unfinished.”
“The story has potential but the way it's executed makes it feel unfinished and rushed.”
“Jumpscares were boring, the story was boring, the characters were boring, the setting was boring, and oh the gameplay was boring.”
- atmosphere37 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is consistently praised for its memorable and unsettling qualities, enhanced by effective sound design and jump scares that create a tense experience. Players appreciate the retro visuals and the creepy, j-horror elements typical of Chilla's Art games, making it an ideal choice for late-night play. Overall, the combination of exploration, storytelling, and a charming yet eerie environment contributes to a captivating and immersive atmosphere.
“The sound design serves the atmosphere well, and there are some good jump-scare moments (not too many, fortunately - just the right amount to give you a fright).”
“One of my favorite Chilla's Art games since the atmosphere and jump scares were very effective, and the developers did a great job of making you feel tense throughout the entire game.”
“As always, the bathhouse has creepy analog visuals that lend themselves to an unsettling atmosphere.”
“There are some truly bizarre sound effects on offer which (intentionally or otherwise) add to the creepy, uncanny atmosphere the game can at times possess.”
“The graphics aren't from the latest technologies, but they match very well the weird and heavy atmosphere of this game.”
- stability26 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, with players reporting game-breaking issues that often require restarts to resolve. Many users noted that the instability detracts from the overall experience, making it feel sluggish and unresponsive. Despite enjoying the game, reviewers expressed frustration over its technical shortcomings, calling it one of the most problematic releases from the developer.
“The environment could have been interesting, but the game is sluggish, you don't really know what to do even though the area is very limited, the dialogs are empty, and everything feels buggy or kind of unresponsive.”
“I love your work Chillas Art, but this is the first game that I had trouble with; it glitches and crashes. Please fix the game.”
“I really liked it, but it is definitely one of the most buggy Chillas Art games so far.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the creepy analog visuals effectively create an unsettling atmosphere, they also suffer from significant performance issues, including crashes and poor texture quality. Despite attempts to adjust settings, players report persistent lag and blurred graphics that detract from the experience. Overall, while the art style aligns with the game's eerie theme, technical shortcomings have left many disappointed.
“The graphics aren't from the latest technologies, but they match very well the weird and heavy atmosphere of this game.”
“I didn't understand much of what happened, but it's scary and I like the graphics!”
“As always, the bathhouse has creepy analog visuals that lend themselves to an unsettling atmosphere.”
“I've done everything, from uninstalling to reinstalling three times, restarting the game, playing around with the graphic settings (even though I have a pretty good setup), and nothing seems to work.”
“The graphics aren't from last technologies but they match very well the weird and heavy atmosphere of this game.”
“This game has major performance issues like FPS dropping constantly, weird blurred graphics which do not change no matter what you do with settings.”
- gameplay22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with some players enjoying the fun and engaging mechanics, while others find it confusing and lacking in clarity. Many noted issues with lag and a lack of excitement in the story and jumpscares, leading to a generally disappointing experience for some. However, fans of Chilla's Art games appreciate the puzzle-solving elements, even if they often result in less favorable endings.
“Interesting story with fun gameplay that is not overly difficult or confusing to figure out.”
“The game was great, gameplay was fun, story interesting and in general again a really good Chilla's Art game as always!”
“The gameplay consists of walking around and solving puzzles you're not sure you can solve yet or not, and by the time you get to the end you'll have got the bad ending because of it and quite frankly, that's just something you should expect from Chilla's Art games.”
“Laggy, meh story and disappointing gameplay.”
“Also, gameplay is confusing most of the time.”
“In terms of gameplay, I think at first it was very unclear to me what parts of the map I could interact with.”
- optimization22 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting severe performance issues, including constant frame rate drops, stuttering, and graphical glitches that persist regardless of settings adjustments. Many users find it unplayable due to these problems, alongside numerous bugs that disrupt gameplay. A common suggestion is the need for a performance patch to address these issues and improve the overall experience.
“All this game really needs is a performance patch, fixing some common bugs and crashes, adding options in the main menu, and it'll be well worth the very low price!”
“All in all, the bathhouse was a good few hours spent, despite the performance issues.”
“It's completely unplayable because of its awful optimization and glitchy settings menu.”
“This game has major performance issues like FPS dropping constantly, weird blurred graphics which do not change no matter what you do with the settings.”
“Performance hitches everywhere if you're on anything above 1080p, so make sure to lower it.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, blending creepy and weird elements with unintentional hilarity that elicits laughter and screams. Despite its short length and low resolution, players find it fun and worth the price, highlighting its solid comedic moments.
“Although it's short and low-res, it made me laugh, scream, and scared the heck out of me.”
“Fun, solid little game which also ended up unintentionally hilarious in some ways.”
“Creepy, weird, and comically funny; definitely worth the asking price, in my opinion.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a mix of emotions, highlighting moments of humor and frustration, particularly when navigating confusing environments that hinder progress. The emotional experience is characterized by a blend of laughter and moments of feeling stuck, contributing to an overall engaging yet challenging gameplay experience.
“I laughed, I cried (not really), and I died... in the bathhouse!”
“For example, some doors didn't look like places the player could enter, which made me feel really stuck at certain points.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the grinding aspect of the game, noting that it strikes a good balance with a compelling story and varied daily tasks, making the experience feel less tedious and more engaging.
