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The Ghosts of Hackney Mills

43%Game Brain Score
story, music
gameplay, grinding
62% User Score Based on 21 reviews

Platforms

Mac OSMac OSPCPCWindowsWindows
Buy Nowfrom $0.48
Buy NowGet on Steam$3.99

About

"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
The Ghosts of Hackney Mills screenshot
The Ghosts of Hackney Mills screenshot
The Ghosts of Hackney Mills screenshot
The Ghosts of Hackney Mills screenshot
The Ghosts of Hackney Mills screenshot

62%
Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews
story10 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • The game features an intriguing story that unfolds through audio clips, creating an engaging atmosphere.
  • The voice acting, while inconsistent, provides some humorous moments that can enhance the experience.
  • The pixel art style and atmospheric music contribute positively to the overall aesthetic of the game.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, making it unplayable on certain systems.
  • The gameplay is largely a walking simulator with minimal interaction and only one significant puzzle, leading to a tedious experience.
  • The voice acting quality varies greatly, with many performances feeling forced and lacking direction, detracting from the immersion.
  • story
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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. Many reviews noted that the plot is heavily focused on personal drama, with a mix of interesting elements and significant gaps that leave players wanting more. Overall, while the voice acting and atmosphere received mixed feedback, the story's potential was recognized, albeit hampered by its delivery and abrupt ending.

    • “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

    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, the soundtrack is noted for its ability to evoke strong feelings and complement the game's overall ambiance. 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

    The game's atmosphere is praised for its atmospheric music and eerie, mysterious qualities, creating a compelling backdrop that emphasizes story 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 immersive 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, 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.”
    • “It wasn't scary, but it has that eerie atmosphere.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is largely derived from the voice acting, which varies from mediocre to unintentionally hilarious, particularly due to exaggerated accents. While the story itself is considered weak, the comedic value of the accents, especially those of the Dutch, Indian, and French characters, adds a lighthearted and entertaining element that resonates with players.

    • “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

    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 little 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 first 20+ minutes of gameplay set the stage for the unfolding story, creating an atmosphere of anticipation.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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

    The graphics, created using RPG Maker, received positive feedback for their quality, complementing the overall experience of the game.

    • “The RPG Maker graphics were nice.”
  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    While there are some minor bugs and glitches, such as walking on walls and being locked out of computers, they do not significantly detract from the overall gaming experience.

    • “There are a few bugs and glitches, such as walking on walls and being locked out of 2 out of 3 computers after a single interaction. Additionally, there's a useless staircase. While these issues exist, they don't significantly detract from the overall game experience.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it frustrating to progress.”
    • “I encountered several stability issues, including random freezes and long loading times that disrupt the flow of gameplay.”

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