The Cabin Factory

About

The Cabin Factory is a single player survival simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by International Cat Studios and was released on December 13, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

In The Cabin Factory, you play as a Cabin Inspector tasked with determining if cabins are haunted. Explore eerie environments to identify supernatural anomalies, marking each as dangerous or safe. This short, atmospheric horror experience draws inspiration from psychological walking simulators and liminal spaces.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,925 reviews

story121 positive mentions

optimization19 negative mentions

The Cabin Factory offers a unique twist on the anomaly-hunting genre, focusing on spotting movement rather than just differences, which keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging.
The game creates a genuinely creepy atmosphere with effective scares that rely on psychological tension rather than cheap jump scares.
For its low price, the game provides a satisfying experience with a compelling story that unfolds as players inspect the cabins.

The game can be frustrating due to inconsistent rules about what constitutes a haunted cabin, leading to confusion and potential resets of progress.
Performance issues are prevalent, with many players experiencing lag and crashes, even on high-end systems.
The game is quite short, with many players completing it in under two hours, leaving some feeling that it lacks replay value.

story
308 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
59%
2%
The game's story is a compelling blend of horror and mystery, gradually revealed through environmental storytelling and fragmented clues scattered across various cabins. Players appreciate the depth and emotional weight of the narrative, which explores themes of trauma and family, while also providing engaging gameplay that encourages exploration. Despite some critiques regarding its brevity and occasional lack of clarity, many find the storytelling approach refreshing and integral to the overall experience.
- “The storytelling element was a great surprise; it weaves the narrative naturally into the gameplay, making some of the anomalies feel even more meaningful and eerie.”
- “The story hints at a darker mystery behind the prefab cabins and the factory that produces them, inviting players to piece together clues from scattered notes, cryptic messages, and eerie visual cues.”
- “I love its fragmented narrative style – the story of the protagonist's family appears randomly in the cabins, and you can piece it together little by little through exploration.”
- “The story makes absolutely no sense at all unless there is a cutscene after getting all eight lights lit that adds immense amounts of context.”
- “The underlying story feels like it's there for set dressing only.”
- “The story was just enough to keep you wanting to see all the anomalies instead of just to be a completionist.”
gameplay
163 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
67%
3%
The gameplay of "The Cabin Factory" is characterized by its straightforward mechanics, where players inspect cabins to determine if they are haunted or safe, creating a unique blend of horror and observational gameplay. While the core loop is simple and can feel repetitive, it effectively builds tension through environmental storytelling and a haunting atmosphere, rewarding thorough exploration and attention to detail. Despite its short runtime of about one to two hours, the game offers a satisfying experience for its price, though some players desire deeper mechanics and clearer guidance on gameplay elements.
- “The gameplay loop is engaging and, while it’s short, it feels just right for what the game offers and its price.”
- “Despite this simplicity, the game quickly proves that horror doesn't have to rely on jump scares or complex mechanics to be effective—instead, it builds unease through subtle environmental storytelling, a haunting atmosphere, and a persistent sense of dread that grows with every cabin you enter.”
- “The cabin factory stands out by blending a tense atmosphere and narrative with observational gameplay, offering a unique and thrilling experience.”
- “The gameplay is just too simple and basically the only skill is to not panic after being jump scared.”
- “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.”
- “Not a bad concept but the gameplay is flawed and poorly explained.”
atmosphere
158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
43%
2%
The atmosphere of "The Cabin Factory" is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively creating a sense of psychological horror without relying heavily on jump scares. Players appreciate the game's minimalistic design, haunting soundscapes, and subtle environmental storytelling, which together build a persistent tension and unease throughout the experience. Overall, the game's ability to evoke genuine fear through atmosphere rather than traditional horror mechanics makes it a standout in the genre.
- “The cabin factory by International Cat Studios, published by Future Friends Games, is a deceptively simple yet deeply atmospheric horror experience that manages to stand out in a crowded genre through its minimalistic design and attention to psychological tension.”
- “The atmosphere is masterfully crafted, keeping me on edge the entire time.”
- “The atmosphere is amazing: dimly lit rooms, eerie sounds, and a feeling that something terrible is always about to happen.”
- “Despite this simplicity, the game quickly proves that horror doesn't have to rely on jump scares or complex mechanics to be effective—instead, it builds unease through subtle environmental storytelling, a haunting atmosphere, and a persistent sense of dread that grows with every cabin you enter.”
- “The atmosphere keeps you on edge from start to finish, even without relying on typical jump scares, which is quite refreshing.”
- “The tension, the atmosphere, the scares, everything was very well done.”
graphics
119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
39%
3%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and atmospheric design, particularly given the low price point. Many players noted the use of Unreal Engine 5, which contributes to photorealistic environments and a haunting aesthetic that enhances the horror experience. However, some users experienced performance issues, requiring adjustments to graphics settings for smoother gameplay.
- “Visually, the game leans into a muted, almost sterile aesthetic that initially feels mundane, which only makes the moments of horror feel more jarring and effective.”
- “The graphics are stunning and the anomalies you have to spot inside the cabin are super well done, unique, creative, and they don’t feel repetitive at all.”
- “The visuals are hauntingly beautiful.”
- “Only criticism I have is that it didn't run on my cheaper computer (played with the graphics settings but nothing helped), and it's overheating my newer one on medium graphics settings.”
- “Performance could probably be optimized a little more; I don't have the newest tech so I don't expect flawless performance, and aside from minor stuttering and my PC turning itself into a noisy little miniature heater about 15 to 20 minutes into the game, it ran fine even on the highest graphics settings.”
- “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
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
62%
26%
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players experiencing frame rate drops and performance issues, even on higher-end systems. While some users noted that the game is still enjoyable despite these technical shortcomings, the consensus is that it requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance the overall experience. A few players reported no issues, but the majority highlighted the need for better performance tuning, especially for streaming and lower-spec hardware.
- “Despite some performance issues, the suspenseful pacing and clever design make it a must-play for fans of indie horror games.”
- “The performance is not bad if you have the right settings and hardware.”
- “There are some definite places for optimization to improve - but overall the experience wasn't harmed in any way by performance!”
- “The game is so unoptimized I can't even show my camera during stream/recording as it lags it out.”
- “As others have mentioned, this game is extremely poorly optimized; playable but sluggish, at least on the Steam Deck.”
- “It's painfully unoptimized, running slow even on a 4080/7800x3d system.”
humor
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this game is a standout feature, blending effectively with its horror elements to create a unique experience that elicits both laughter and scares. Players appreciate the clever and unexpected comedic moments, which enhance the overall enjoyment and make it a memorable family-friendly horror game. The combination of spooky atmosphere and lighthearted humor has resonated well, making it a delightful and engaging title in the genre.
- “An excellent little horror game that had my family and I jumping, screaming, and laughing so hard!”
- “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 ending deserves a shoutout, too—it’s both clever and funny, bringing the experience full circle in a way that felt satisfying and earned.”
replayability
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
63%
11%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the randomized elements and achievements that encourage multiple playthroughs, many feel that once all cabin variations are discovered, the replay value diminishes significantly. The game is relatively short, typically completed in about an hour, which limits its long-term appeal, though some players express hope for future content updates to enhance replayability.
- “The replayability factor is notably high, as the randomized nature of the cabins and their anomalies ensure that players can’t simply memorize what to expect.”
- “There's a lot to like about this game and the anomaly count tracker, lore, and achievements make it very replayable.”
- “It is fun, it is scary, it has plenty of replay value.”
- “Replay value is poor; you can 100% the game in a little over an hour.”
- “There is not a lot of replay value once you finish it, and some players might wish for a second map or a new twist, but what is here is solid and confidently delivered.”
- “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.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The game's music is minimal, focusing primarily on atmospheric sounds that enhance the horror experience, such as fire crackling and wind. However, some users have reported issues with Twitch muting streams due to these ambient sounds being flagged as copyrighted material from the song "Blaze of the Narthex." Overall, the sparse use of music effectively contributes to the game's tension and immersive atmosphere, although concerns about copyright may affect streaming.
- “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.”
- “The ambiance audio in parts of this game is pulled from a copyrighted song, and your Twitch streams will get muted, risking DMCA strikes.”
- “The fire-crackling and wind whistling sounds in the game were flagged for copyright, claiming they are from a song named 'Blaze of Narthex'.”
- “Just a note, the game is still being muted by Twitch at random parts inside the cabin, seemingly relating the atmospheric noise to someone's music intro.”
emotional
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke a wide range of feelings, from fear and tension to joy and nostalgia. Players describe it as surprisingly wholesome and sweet, with moments that can lead to tears and laughter, creating a deeply immersive experience. The game's unique blend of chilling scenarios and heartfelt storytelling leaves a lasting emotional impact, making it both memorable and intense.
- “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.”
- “This game made me feel more things than therapy.”
- “I laughed, I cried, I sat with my face in my hands for like 5 whole minutes at one point.”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
82%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players reporting no bugs or glitches, while others experience frequent issues such as frame rate drops and visual anomalies. Although there are moments of frustration due to bugs, many find the overall experience engaging and visually appealing, suggesting that the game's charm can sometimes outweigh its technical shortcomings.
- “A hidden gem; I encountered no bugs or glitches.”
- “Points for having no glitches or bugs.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any issues.”
- “The game is silly and buggy and doesn't run fantastically.”
- “Some of the anomalies are buggy as hell.”
- “At its worst, it's a mostly boring, buggy, tonally inconsistent stew of regurgitated ideas.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game can be tedious and frustrating, with many players feeling that it detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the engaging mechanics, the repetitive nature of finding cabins and the unclear rules contribute to a sense of monotony, leading to calls for a more forgiving approach to grinding.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game is more tedious than fun, and the rules of what makes the cabin dangerous or clear are complete BS.”
- “Story is very short, very shallow unfortunately, and it gets a bit tedious to find all the cabins, and one in particular was especially infuriating for me.”