The Gretlow Tapes

About

The Gretlow Tapes is a single player action game with a horror theme. It was developed by Aegon Games and was released on October 7, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

The Gretlow Tapes is a short, atmospheric first-person horror game where you explore the abandoned Gretlow House using only your camera. Set in a small town in Northern England, you investigate a local legend about a shadowy woman and the mysterious disappearances tied to the manor. Experience eerie found-footage visuals and haunting sound design as you uncover chilling secrets.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 50 reviews

story14 positive mentions

The game features an eerie atmosphere with excellent sound design and visuals that enhance the horror experience.
Puzzles are simple and enjoyable, allowing players to focus on exploration and the story without feeling overwhelmed.
The game delivers a solid amount of jump scares that are well-timed and effective, keeping players on edge throughout.

The pacing slows down significantly in the basement section, leading to confusion and frustration for players trying to progress.
Some players found the game to be predictable, with certain scares and mechanics feeling borrowed from other titles like Madison.
The lighting can be overly dark, making it difficult to navigate and find collectibles, which can detract from the overall experience.

story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
22%
14%
The game's story is generally well-received, featuring an engaging narrative that unfolds through exploration and environmental clues, though some find it somewhat basic and formulaic. Players appreciate the balance between horror elements and storytelling, with notes and items enhancing the backstory. While the plot may not be groundbreaking, it effectively maintains interest and provides a satisfying experience overall.
- “Where this game departs from the usual experience or at least the basic common horror game experience, is that it can walk the line of balancing a fun experience, compelling enough story, and perhaps most importantly, good horror atmosphere and tasteful jumpscares.”
- “The gretlow tapes tell their story through exploration and little environmental clues, and it does a solid job — even if a couple of the sound effects are weirdly repetitive.”
- “I felt satisfied upon completion, with the game ensuring that I had a full understanding of its story, lore, and character sets.”
- “The story setup won’t thrill seasoned horror fans because it follows a very familiar formula, which includes a seemingly haunted house, missing students, and a protagonist who dares to uncover the truth.”
- “The story revolves around us figuring out what happened to 4 missing university students who disappeared at the Gretlow house.”
- “The Gretlow Tapes tells its story through exploration and little environmental clues, and it does a solid job — even if a couple of the sound effects are weirdly repetitive.”
gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
37%
19%
The gameplay is praised for its smooth mechanics, engaging puzzles, and effective use of a camera system that enhances exploration without penalizing players for taking their time. Players appreciate the eerie atmosphere, clever jumpscares, and the minimalist design that allows for a fun and immersive experience, despite some concerns about the game's price relative to its length. Overall, it offers a thrilling blend of horror and exploration that keeps players invested.
- “The puzzles were great too—challenging, clever, and just the right level of 'my brain hurts but in a good way.' Gameplay was smooth, zero bugs, nothing broke except my will to live.”
- “The camera adds both a functional and aesthetic layer to gameplay.”
- “In terms of gameplay, the mechanics are straightforward and minimalist.”
- “The price point is a little high for the gameplay time, but the quality is absolutely there.”
- “It's a walking sim at heart with a camera mechanic you've perhaps seen in other games, but this makes excellent use of them.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively balancing tension and jump scares without overwhelming the player. Reviewers highlight the game's excellent visuals and sound design, which contribute to a compelling horror experience that keeps players engaged from start to finish. The thoughtful pacing and buildup of tension, particularly in key areas like the basement, enhance the overall sense of dread and exploration.
- “This game was a masterpiece in horror and atmosphere building.”
- “The atmosphere is tense and immersive from start to finish, with just the right balance of buildup and payoff.”
- “It looks fantastic, the sound design is solid, and the atmosphere outweighs the jumpscares.”
- “The scares are mostly done through the atmosphere that builds tension and could execute a jumpscare, but it doesn't.”
- “This reaches a peak in the basement section, where the oppressive atmosphere is intensified by the presence’s haunting wails.”
- “I appreciated the intro with its long walk to the house which builds the atmosphere somewhat.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The graphics of the game are highly praised for their excellent quality and ability to create a strong atmosphere, particularly through the use of a camcorder that evokes a nostalgic 90's aesthetic with fuzzy low-resolution visuals and chromatic aberration. This unique visual style enhances the horror experience, complementing the sound design and storyline effectively. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's immersive and creepy vibe.
- “This game actually understands horror, atmosphere, and excellent visuals.”
- “You have a camcorder and it makes the visuals really feel like that 90's aesthetic with the fuzzy low-res quality and the chromatic aberration, which adds so much to the vibes.”
- “The camera adds both a functional and aesthetic layer to gameplay.”
- “The graphics help with this.”
- “To sum it up, this game has a well-written story with some good initial jump scares, creepy audio, and decent graphics.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is highly praised, standing out among indie horror titles for its excellent performance. It runs smoothly on high settings with minimal initial setup time, avoiding the common pitfalls of demanding hardware and mismatched assets typical in the genre.
- “Performance-wise, the game shines compared to many other indie horror titles.”
- “Optimization is excellent, which is refreshing in a genre notorious for poorly performing releases.”
- “Unlike many indie projects that cobble together mismatched assets and demand powerful hardware, this game runs smoothly even on high settings after an initial shaders process lasting just a minute or two.”