The Chills

About

The Chills is a 2D Top-Down Survival Horror game based on the paranormal activities experienced by Jim, who lived in a room in one of the most Haunted hotels in America.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 11 reviews

music2 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The game has a great atmosphere with some spooky moments that can be enjoyable.
It features simple yet beautiful graphics reminiscent of classic indie horror games.
The developer is friendly and receptive to feedback, showing potential for improvement in future updates.

The gameplay is very short, often completed in under 30 minutes, with limited replay value.
The controls are awkward, especially for gamepad users, and there are issues with the volume settings.
The game feels incomplete and repetitive, with many identical floors and cheap jump scares that lack real threat.

story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story is minimalistic, focusing on a character's escape from a haunted hotel, with little explanation for the events that unfold. While it provides a basic understanding of the premise, the narrative lacks depth and resolution, leaving players with a sense of incompleteness. Additionally, the gameplay mechanics can lead to frustrating experiences due to the absence of save points.
- “There isn't a lot of story, but what is there gives enough of a picture to understand what's going on.”
- “The background story is about a guy escaping a haunted hotel.”
- “Otherwise, the storyline is very simple: stuff happens without explanation (spooky) and you react to it, all the way trying to get out of the hotel.”
- “The storyline is very simple: stuff happens without explanation (spooky) and you react to it, all the way trying to get out of the hotel.”
- “There's no aftermath, peculiar or otherwise, when the story's over.”
- “The same story with the last part of the game - technically you can finish 'the chills' in less than 10 minutes, but if you make a mistake in that last running part where everything tries to kill you, you have to start from the beginning: no save points anywhere!”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its creepy and fun elements, effectively utilizing sound and level design to enhance the experience. However, some players express frustration over the inability to adjust sound settings separately, which they feel is crucial for a horror game. Overall, the art style is not seen as a major issue, as the atmosphere can still be engaging with the right audio and design choices.
- “Great atmosphere, nice little spooky moments; I had a lot of fun.”
- “The sounds and music are crucial for the atmosphere in a horror game, even if they cannot be turned off or adjusted separately.”
- “The atmosphere is creepy, alright.”
- “Sounds and/or music cannot be turned off or affected separately with the in-game volume controls. For a horror game, I'd argue both are important to have for the atmosphere.”
- “The art style is not the main problem for creating 'the chills' - it would be even fun if someone made a fun, trashy horror game with such graphics, using sound and level design as tools to create an absurdist atmosphere.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The graphics are described as reminiscent of indie horror games, featuring a consistent art style that, while not the main issue, could be effectively utilized in a more playful or absurdist context. The visual effects and music contribute to the overall atmosphere, but the repetitive environment of the hotel detracts from the experience.
- “The art style is not the main problem of 'the chills' - it would be even fun if someone made a fun, trashy horror game with such graphics, using sound and level design as a tool to create an absurdist atmosphere.”
- “The graphics, effects, and music are all reminiscent of many of my favorite indie horror games.”
- “The art style is not the main problem of 'The Chills' - it would be even fun if someone made a fun, trashy horror game with such graphics, using sound and level design as a tool to create an absurdist atmosphere.”
- “Other than that, you run around a 'hotel' from 'floor to floor' (they are almost 100% identical) and run into things until it triggers the elevator to start working again.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
50%
The music in the game is noted for its strong resemblance to that of popular indie horror titles, effectively contributing to the overall atmosphere. However, players express frustration that sound and music cannot be individually adjusted in the volume settings, which is seen as a missed opportunity for enhancing the horror experience.
- “The graphics, effects, and music are all reminiscent of many of my favorite indie horror games.”
- “Sounds and music cannot be turned off or affected separately with the in-game volume controls, though for a horror game, I'd argue both are important to have for the atmosphere.”
- “Sounds and/or music cannot be turned off or affected separately with the in-game volume controls, though for a horror game, I'd argue both are important to have for the atmosphere.”
gameplay
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The gameplay is limited, primarily featuring a single mechanic of running away from threats in dark environments, as illustrated by a brief gif showcasing this experience.
- “The short GIF that shows you running away from a creature down a dark hallway is about the only real gameplay that is available.”
- “The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks any real depth or variety.”
- “I found the controls to be unresponsive, making it frustrating to navigate through the game.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's replayability is generally considered low, with users indicating that it lacks significant incentives to play through multiple times.
- “The replay value isn't great.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel tedious.”