The Ghosts of Hackney Mills

About

The Ghosts of Hackney Mills is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Sapphire Dragon Productions and was released on November 20, 2017. It received neutral reviews from players.

"The Ghosts of Hackney Mills" is a free-to-play horror-mystery adventure game set in an abandoned research center in Hackney Mills, Ohio. Players explore a massive open world with tricky puzzles, discovering the center's chilling secret and an eerie atmosphere with a suspenseful soundtrack. The game is developed by Sapphire Dragon Productions, following their popular mystery adventure game series.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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59%

Audience ScoreBased on 22 reviews

story10 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features an intriguing story that can be engaging for players who enjoy narrative-driven experiences.
The atmospheric music and sound design contribute positively to the overall eerie vibe of the game.
The pixel art style is charming and well-executed, adding to the visual appeal of the game.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, making it difficult to play on various systems.
Voice acting quality is inconsistent, with many performances feeling forced or poorly directed, detracting from the immersion.
The gameplay primarily consists of walking and listening to unskippable audio clips, which can become tedious and lacks meaningful interaction.

story
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
53%
11%
The game's story is primarily delivered through audio clips triggered by interacting with crystals, which some players found engaging and intriguing, while others criticized it for being poorly executed and lacking clarity. Although the narrative features personal drama and macabre hints, many reviewers noted that it suffers from abrupt endings and plot holes, leaving some players feeling disconnected. Overall, while the voice acting received mixed reviews, the atmosphere and story concept were appreciated by those who enjoyed the horror elements.
- “The game tells you that you will need pen, paper, and a calculator in order to progress, because many hints are hidden inside audios that you need to listen to very carefully in order to understand the story.”
- “I found the story intriguing and the implementation pretty cool for this type of game.”
- “It's engaging and the story is interesting.”
- “The gameplay basically amounts to walking around, checking crystals to listen to fully voiced (with no subtitles or text) plot or character interactions and checking for spooky notes.”
- “The story is told as you have to sit there and listen and try to decipher these very stereotypical accents to figure out what the characters are saying.”
- “It feels like there was a story wanting to be told here, but there was too much left untold and too many holes.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
12%
38%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and eerie qualities, enhancing the emotional depth and storytelling. While some players feel it may not appeal to younger audiences seeking more action-oriented elements, many appreciate its role in creating a haunting ambiance reminiscent of classic horror games. However, there are mixed opinions on the quality of voice acting, with some finding it overshadowed by the music.
- “It's got a wonderfully eerie soundtrack and a bit of a Silent Hill vibe (just without any monsters to add creep factor).”
- “With a pretty good story, good music, and nice voice acting.”
- “The music accompanying it makes my grief even more punctuated.”
- “The quality of these ranges from poor/laughable (the accents tend to obscure things, especially if there is music playing) to decent.”
- “It might disappoint some children of today because it lacks corpses, monsters and the like, but in my humble opinion this is what makes a good game: the story, the atmosphere, the macabre hints, the music, the player's epiphany after the climax.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its atmospheric music and eerie, mysterious qualities, creating a compelling backdrop that emphasizes storytelling over traditional horror elements like monsters. While some players may find the lack of combat and interaction limiting, the overall ambiance is appreciated for its ability to evoke intrigue and a sense of macabre without relying on overt scares. However, some reviewers note that improvements are needed for a more polished experience.
- “It might disappoint some children of today because it lacks corpses, monsters, and the like, but in my humble opinion this is what makes a good game: the story, the atmosphere, the macabre hints, the music, and the player's epiphany after the climax.”
- “I really liked the atmosphere of this game.”
- “It's an atmospheric game that consists largely of walking around and listening to recordings; there is no combat, no interaction with NPCs, and only one (significant) puzzle.”
- “Secondly, I hope this is the first game of this series because I really want to know what happened. It wasn't scary, but it has that eerie atmosphere.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from the voice acting, which varies from mediocre to unintentionally hilarious, particularly due to exaggerated accents from characters representing different nationalities. While the story itself is considered weak, the comedic value of the voice performances has resonated with players, often eliciting laughter and prompting them to share the experience with friends.
- “The voice acting ranges from 'acceptable' to 'I can't stop laughing at how bad this is.'”
- “The story is pretty bad actually, but I found the voice acting hilarious.”
- “The Dutch, Indian, and French accents of researchers from those countries really sound funny and cool.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The gameplay primarily involves exploring the environment, interacting with crystals for voiced plot and character dialogues, and finding notes, but it lacks engaging puzzles, making it easy to seek solutions online. Players note that the initial experience is slow-paced, with minimal action in the first 20 minutes.
- “The gameplay involves exploring the environment, interacting with crystals to experience fully voiced plot and character interactions, and discovering spooky notes.”
- “The gameplay basically amounts to walking around, checking crystals to listen to fully voiced (with no subtitles or text) plot or character interactions and checking for spooky notes.”
- “Which is honestly not the best puzzle to base your gameplay on, because a solid, simple answer is very easy to just look up.”
- “The first 20+ minutes of gameplay, nothing much happens.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from several bugs and glitches, such as walking on walls and being locked out of interactions, which can detract from the experience. However, these issues do not significantly overshadow the overall gameplay. Additionally, the lack of subtitles for audio elements contributes to confusion.
- “In addition to having no idea what this was about, I literally couldn't understand any of the audio crystals (and there are no subtitles); this is a buggy mess.”
- “There are a few bugs and glitches (walking on walls, being locked out of 2 of 3 computers after a single interaction, a useless staircase), but they don't take away from the overall game experience.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and dull, with some criticizing the mechanics, such as having to hold down the shift key for movement, as unnecessarily cumbersome.
- “It ended up being rather tedious and dull.”
- “Holding down shift to go everywhere was also tedious and a bit asinine.”
graphics
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics, created using RPG Maker, received positive feedback for their aesthetic appeal, complementing the overall experience of the game.
- “The music was good, the puzzles were okay, and the RPG Maker graphics were nice.”