The Haunting of Joni Evers

94%
Game Brain Score Based on 72 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
The Haunting of Joni Evers Game Cover
Starting at $14.99Buy now
Get on Steam

Joni Evers lives alone in the Cunningham House, an old, secluded mansion in Harvest, Oklahoma. She is estranged from her family, and finds the solitude pleasant - until trouble follows her home. A sudden fight with her only friend sets in motion strange events that engulf the old house and shatter the peace of small-town America. Step into her shoes and explore the massive mansion, experiencin…

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

94%
Audience ScoreBased on 72 reviews
story24 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning graphics and a beautifully crafted atmosphere that enhances the storytelling experience.
  • Voice acting, particularly by Kelly Pekar, is exceptional and adds depth to the character of Joni, making the emotional journey more impactful.
  • The narrative is engaging and thought-provoking, exploring themes of family, trauma, and healing in a way that resonates with players.
  • The game suffers from slow pacing and a frustratingly slow walk speed, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • Some players experienced technical issues, including glitches and hard locks during puzzles, which hindered gameplay.
  • The linearity of the game can feel restrictive, limiting player exploration and making some interactions feel forced or tedious.
  • story75 mentions

    The story in this game is widely praised for its emotional depth, clever writing, and engaging narrative structure, drawing comparisons to other narrative-driven titles like "Gone Home" and "What Remains of Edith Finch." Players appreciate the atmospheric exploration and the way the story unfolds through environmental details and character backstory, creating a heartfelt experience centered on themes of family, healing, and connection. While some find the gameplay mechanics limiting, the overall consensus is that the storytelling is beautifully executed and resonates deeply with players.

    • “The story was beautiful and unexpected in terms of how it all comes together at the end.”
    • “A fantastic and well-told story, combined with great pacing and superb acting, make for one of the best story games I have played in recent memory.”
    • “The story is primarily told through atmospheric exploration and guided narration by Joni herself, voiced by Kelly Pekar.”
    • “You must do everything in a pre-ordained order in this game, where you can't look at plainly visible objects until it's time in the story.”
    • “I know it's a mechanic for driving the story, but they felt like a chore to complete and I found myself not really caring where the story went.”
    • “You get rewarded with a voiced story piece for every completed step, but you're forced to re-explore the same rooms over and over, holding different items in hand, all with that awfully slow movement speed.”
  • gameplay14 mentions

    The gameplay is generally smooth and fluid, with a clear progression that complements the narrative. While the mechanics are somewhat limited, they effectively serve the story, creating a melancholic atmosphere enhanced by horror elements. Some players appreciate the simplicity and old-school feel, though a few found certain tasks to be tedious, impacting their engagement with the story.

    • “I didn't encounter any bugs at all... and the game ran so smooth and everything about the gameplay and natural progression of the story was so fluid.”
    • “I appreciated that the main mechanic of connecting memories with each other to recontextualize them meshed very well with the story the game wanted to tell.”
    • “Smooth gameplay with an enticing story.”
    • “The mechanics are very limited but serve the story well enough.”
    • “I know it's a mechanic for driving the story, but they felt like a chore to complete and I found myself not really caring where the story went.”
    • “The horror element is bigger than expected for such a narrative-heavy game, but gameplay-wise it's easy, although there are some good scares and spooky visuals.”
  • music14 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric quality, with many reviewers praising the original soundtrack as immersive, evocative, and beautifully crafted. The voice acting complements the music, enhancing the overall experience and bringing characters to life. Overall, the combination of engaging soundtracks and well-timed musical cues significantly contributes to the game's cozy yet eerie ambiance.

    • “The music is brilliant throughout and the voice acting is top notch.”
    • “I want to specifically shout-out the soundtrack as it is engaging, well-timed, and complements the different events and discoveries on an impressive level.”
    • “The music was so immersive and beautifully done.”
    • “The music is very repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel dull over time.”
    • “The soundtrack doesn't match the intensity of the gameplay, which can be quite jarring.”
    • “While the voice acting is great, the music often feels out of place and detracts from the overall experience.”
  • emotional13 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its clever and heartfelt writing, particularly in the second act, which offers a touching narrative about human connection. Players appreciate the balance of emotional depth with light-hearted moments, creating a satisfying and relatable experience despite some familiar themes. Overall, the game is described as a beautifully crafted, story-driven journey that evokes a range of emotions while maintaining an engaging atmosphere.

    • “This was an incredibly tender and emotional experience.”
    • “Overall it was an enjoyable, sometimes emotional story-driven experience about human connection that we can all relate to, with a creepy and mysterious vibe.”
    • “The haunting of Joni Evers takes you on an intimate journey that weaves light spooks with emotional catharsis.”
  • graphics13 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their quality and aesthetic appeal, contributing significantly to the atmosphere and narrative experience. However, some users encountered technical issues, such as glitches affecting settings and performance drops on certain platforms, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these concerns, the visuals are highlighted as a strong point, with many players appreciating the effort put into the graphical design.

    • “The aesthetic and cinematic images were powerful.”
    • “I'm recommending mainly for the visuals and audio.”
    • “It's easy to see how much work was put into it, from the graphics to the writing of the story.”
    • “I ran into a weird glitch where all of my setting sliders were set to 0 every time I booted it up, meaning I had to fix them all to have sound and visuals.”
    • “Steam Deck players, put graphic settings down to medium, because the framerate goes down to single digits on high settings currently.”
    • “- no detailed graphics settings, only global high/med/low.”
  • atmosphere12 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its exceptional soundtrack, voice acting, and art design, which collectively create a beautifully eerie and immersive experience. Players appreciate the emotional depth and exploration of the narrative, enhanced by the game's unique visual effects and soundscapes. While the atmosphere is generally well-received, some feel that the pacing may detract from fully engaging with the environment.

    • “The art and sound design are great, creating a spooky atmosphere all on their own, helped along by the unconventional layout of the mansion itself.”
    • “Very atmospheric, very beautiful, but also subtly uneasy and unsettling when it needs to be.”
    • “The atmosphere was good, the creepy factor was just right, and the story was emotional.”
    • “Probably to let the story sink in and force you to take in the atmosphere and environment better, but it's overdone.”
    • “Chapter 1: the atmosphere of the Cunningham house, created by the graphics and music, lets you almost smell it!”
    • “Really love the film grain feel and color choices overall; it matches the narrative atmosphere.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with users praising the voice acting, particularly Kelly Peker's performance as Joni Evers, while expressing a desire for further improvements, especially for the Steam Deck experience.

    • “Kelly Peker as Joni Evers gives an excellent performance, and also being the sole voice you hear throughout the few hours of this story about generational trauma, scattered families, abandonment, death, and reconnection.”
    • “Hope the performance gets better and is optimized for deck.”
    • “I hope the performance improves and is optimized for the deck.”
    • “The game runs poorly on my system, and it desperately needs optimization.”
    • “There are significant frame rate drops, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted for its nuanced writing and effective voice acting, which blend chilling and emotional moments with genuine comedic elements. However, some players experienced inconsistencies, such as mismatched text and humorous glitches, which, while amusing, detracted from the overall experience.

    • “I was particularly impressed by the design and nuanced writing as well as the honest, funny, and moving voice acting work.”
    • “The writing effortlessly blends between chilling, funny, and deeply emotional.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Overall, while some users experienced occasional glitches, many still consider the game's stability to be strong, contributing to a positive gaming experience.

    • “Even though there were a few glitches along the way, I think this has been one of the best games I've played in ages.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, with puzzle moments lacking variety, leading to a tiring experience.

    • “The puzzle moments were unfortunately all very similar and very tedious, making the experience quite tiring.”
    • “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
    • “The repetitive nature of grinding takes away from the enjoyment and makes it feel like a slog.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game is criticized for lacking replayability, suggesting that once completed, there is little incentive for players to return to it.

    • “There is virtually no replayability.”
    • “The game lacks any significant replay value.”
    • “Once you finish it, there's no reason to go back.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy The Haunting of Joni Evers

Videos

Similar Games

Game News