The Cabin Factory

About

"The Cabin Factory" is a short horror game where you work as a Cabin Inspector, tasked with determining if cabins are haunted. Examine each cabin carefully, and if you find evidence of haunting, hit the "danger" button; if it's safe, press "clear." This game draws inspiration from liminal spaces and psychological horror walking simulators, offering a chilling experience similar to 'The Exit 8', 'Pools', and 'P.T.'.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,375 reviews

story161 positive mentions

optimization30 negative mentions

story
379 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
55%
2%
The game's story is praised for its subtlety and depth, allowing players to uncover narrative elements through exploration rather than heavy exposition. While some find the story engaging and intriguing, others note it can feel short or underdeveloped, with a mix of horror and emotional themes that enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a strong aspect, contributing to the game's atmosphere and encouraging replayability.
- “What I really loved, though, was the subtle storytelling.”
- “The story is fascinating and keeps me wanting to play more so that I can learn more.”
- “Each cabin feels like a character in itself, with its own story to tell.”
- “The story is pretty meh and predictable and the replayability is 0.”
- “At just 2.5 hours of playtime, the story feels underdeveloped and unremarkable.”
- “The underlying story feels like it's there for set dressing only.”
gameplay
192 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
61%
4%
The gameplay is generally described as engaging and satisfying, with a fun "spot-the-anomaly" loop that appeals to both newcomers and veterans of the genre. While the mechanics are simple and intuitive, some players found them frustratingly unclear, leading to inconsistent experiences. Overall, the game offers about 1-3 hours of gameplay for a low price, making it a worthwhile experience despite some optimization issues and a desire for deeper mechanics.
- “Offers quite a satisfying gameplay and fun for the price, would recommend.”
- “The gameplay loop is engaging and, while it’s short, it feels just right for what the game offers and its price.”
- “The mechanics are intuitive enough for newcomers to horror games but nuanced enough to keep veterans intrigued.”
- “Not a bad concept, but the gameplay is flawed and poorly explained.”
- “The gameplay requires you to make educated guesses in an ever-changing environment, more or less gaslighting you into thinking something is an 'anomaly' or 'danger' and reporting it - only for it to be incorrect.”
- “The difficulty doesn't lie in the mechanics; the difficulty lies in interpreting what the game considers 'haunted' or not - overall frustrating and inconsistent experience.”
atmosphere
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
40%
2%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively creating a tense and creepy environment that keeps players on edge. Reviewers highlight the absence of a distracting soundtrack, the well-executed sound effects, and the stunning visuals that enhance the overall experience. Many appreciate the game's ability to build tension through subtle horror elements rather than relying solely on jump scares, making it a standout in atmospheric horror design.
- “From the moment I stepped into its eerie atmosphere, I was hooked.”
- “The atmosphere is masterfully crafted, keeping me on edge the entire time.”
- “The atmosphere is so tense and scary every time you enter a cabin, and the underlying story is just as creepy.”
- “While this builds an eerie atmosphere, it lacks the intensity some players may expect from horror games.”
- “While it adds to the atmosphere, the lack of variety or challenge quickly becomes monotonous.”
- “The atmosphere is okay.”
graphics
171 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
39%
2%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and atmospheric design, particularly impressive given the low price point. Many players noted the use of Unreal Engine 5, highlighting the game's ability to create a hauntingly beautiful environment that enhances the horror experience. However, some users experienced performance issues, including stuttering and the need to adjust graphics settings for smoother gameplay, indicating that optimization could be improved.
- “The visuals are stunning, with detailed textures and atmospheric lighting creating an immersive world.”
- “First off, it's gorgeous (especially for the price) with awesome atmosphere and some generally unnerving visuals; every cabin felt so quiet, claustrophobic, and heavy with tension, and no matter how accustomed to it I got, the sight that greets you upstairs always sent a weird chill up my spine.”
- “Absolutely amazing graphics, gameplay was amazing and terrifying all at the same time.”
- “Performance could do with some optimization - my PC isn't great but I had to basically stick everything on lowest graphics to even play the game.”
- “Graphics run clunky and ultra stutters on even some of the best PCs.”
- “Where to start really, it's janky, the graphics are all over the place, I must have crashed at least twice and it's not very good at fully explaining what you're meant to be looking for.”
optimization
130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
64%
23%
Overall, the game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players experiencing performance issues, crashes, and low frame rates, particularly on lower-end systems. While some users managed to enjoy the game by adjusting settings, the consensus is that significant improvements are needed for a smoother experience. Despite these challenges, many still found the game enjoyable, indicating that the core gameplay can shine through if optimization issues are addressed.
- “There are some definite places for optimization to improve, but overall the experience wasn't harmed in any way by performance!”
- “Despite some performance issues, the suspenseful pacing and clever design make it a must-play for fans of indie horror games.”
- “Yeah, it's unoptimized, but with a little elbow grease, I had a fun time on my 3060ti.”
- “I wanna like this game, I really do, but after the 5th crash just 5 minutes into the game, I can't recommend this to anyone until it gets fixed, and omg the performance is awful.”
- “My only complaint is that the game is optimized like dog water.”
- “It's painfully unoptimized, running slow even on a 4080/7800x3d system.”
humor
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game effectively blends humor with horror, creating a unique experience that is both thrilling and funny. Players appreciate the clever and surprising endings, as well as the charmingly absurd premise, which adds a lighthearted touch to the otherwise scary atmosphere. Overall, the humor enhances the gameplay, making it a memorable and enjoyable experience for players.
- “It’s an immersive, thrilling, and unexpectedly hilarious horror experience that managed to turn a quiet family night into a memorable event full of screams, jumps, and shared excitement.”
- “The concept of a factory that just...makes cabins for commercial use is kind of hilarious, not to mention the fact that some of them just so happen to be haunted for some reason.”
- “Yeah, you could go play anything else in the horror genre, but this one hit a really nice sweet spot of humor and horror.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
63%
13%
The music in the game is praised for enhancing the atmosphere and tension, with many players appreciating the absence of a distracting soundtrack that allows for immersion in the environment. However, there are concerns regarding copyright issues with certain sound effects, which have led to muted streams on platforms like Twitch, and players have noted the lack of options to disable the music. Overall, the sound design effectively complements the game's graphics and ambiance, contributing to a creepy and engaging experience.
- “The graphics were stunning, creating a perfectly creepy vibe, and the music really added to the tension.”
- “The game avoids cheap jumpscares, instead relying on subtle, recurring patterns and sparse sound or music effects to create unease.”
- “Great atmosphere, and I love that there wasn't a soundtrack to distract you from examining the cabins.”
- “Some audio in the game is getting VODs muted in spots, and there's no option to turn off the music or offending audio.”
- “The fire-crackling and wind whistling sounds in the game were flagged for copyright, claiming they were from a song named 'Blaze of Narthex'.”
- “Is any of the music in this game copyrighted?”
emotional
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a deeply emotional experience with the game, expressing a wide range of feelings from laughter to fear and heartbreak. Many describe moments that evoke intense reactions, including crying and screaming, highlighting the game's ability to elicit strong emotional responses and create a uniquely impactful narrative. Overall, the game is praised for its emotional depth, though players are advised to be prepared for its intense moments.
- “This game made me feel more things than therapy.”
- “There's something uniquely heartbreaking about the story in that way and I think it made for a wonderful backdrop to an otherwise chilling experience.”
- “I laughed, I cried, I sat with my face in my hands for like 5 whole minutes at one point.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits significant stability issues, with frequent bugs, frame rate drops, and visual glitches that can disrupt gameplay. While some players find the experience engaging despite these problems, others describe it as frustrating and inconsistent, highlighting the need for improvements in performance and core mechanics. Overall, the game's beauty is overshadowed by its technical shortcomings.
- “My first game that freezes every few seconds.”
- “The game is silly and buggy and doesn't run fantastically.”
- “At its worst, it's a mostly boring, buggy, tonally inconsistent stew of regurgitated ideas.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
The game offers limited replayability due to its short length and finite content, with players quickly recognizing patterns and instances after a few playthroughs. However, many users still find enjoyment in replaying it, especially if they appreciate the genre, and express hope for future content updates that could enhance replay value. Overall, while it may not have high replay potential, its quality and engaging gameplay provide a satisfying experience for a low price.
- “For a $3 game, I'm impressed. It is short, but I think the replayability is there. Quality-wise, it looks amazing. Can't wait to see what else they add to the game later down the line.”
- “The game is short, but has replay value. I feel like if you enjoy these types of games, you'll find it worth revisiting.”
- “Short game but replayable; overall, I enjoyed it greatly.”
- “The 'anomaly' subgenre of horror games is steadily growing and I'm excited to see more first-person games rather than the classic style where you watch camera feeds, but there isn't a lot here in terms of content and replay value.”
- “Only downside is once you've gone through the cabins, there's basically zero replay value as you can quickly spot what instance you're in and know if you should hit clear or danger.”
- “It definitely doesn't have a huge amount of replay value, but for the hour and a half, it keeps going strong.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game excessively time-consuming and tedious, often requiring a significant investment of time to complete tasks, such as locating all the cabins. The short and shallow story further exacerbates the grind, making it feel more frustrating than rewarding.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The story is very short and shallow, unfortunately, and it gets a bit tedious to find all the cabins. One in particular was especially infuriating for me.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”