The Haunting of Joni Evers

About

The Haunting of Joni Evers is a single player action game. It was developed by Causeway Studios and was released on January 13, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

Some houses aren’t just homes. They’re shaped by the experiences of their inhabitants, both good and bad. Through love and anger, happiness and despair, some houses become… more. The Cunningham House, formerly home to generations of the family, is one such house, and something is very wrong inside. With most of her family having abandoned the charming home in small-town Oklahoma, Joni Evers mus…

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Single-Player

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93%

Audience ScoreBased on 117 reviews

story46 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The Haunting of Joni Evers features a beautifully crafted narrative that explores deep themes of family, loss, and emotional healing, resonating with players on a personal level.
The voice acting, particularly by Kelly Pekar, is outstanding and adds significant depth to the character of Joni, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
The game offers a rich atmosphere with stunning visuals and a haunting soundtrack, creating a cozy yet eerie environment that invites exploration.

Players have reported technical issues on platforms like Steamdeck, including slow loading textures, stuttering, and crashes, which detract from the overall experience.
The gameplay can feel repetitive and linear, with some puzzles being tedious and lacking clear instructions, leading to frustration during progression.
The game is relatively short, taking only about 3-5 hours to complete, which may leave some players wanting more content and replayability.

story
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
59%
3%
The story of "The Haunting of Joni Evers" is a deeply emotional and well-crafted narrative that explores themes of family, loss, and redemption through atmospheric exploration and engaging voice acting. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke a range of emotions, with many finding the storytelling both relatable and thought-provoking, despite some criticism regarding its originality. Overall, the game is celebrated for its heartfelt writing and immersive experience, making it a standout in the walking simulator genre.
- “The haunting of Joni Evers is a lovely, short, and slightly spooky experience that leans heavily on the emotional story of a broken home.”
- “Joni's story is thoughtfully crafted, features solid writing performed note-perfectly by its voice cast, and is supported by lots of specific details throughout the house and the atmosphere created by the audio design.”
- “The story is very emotional and well-paced.”
- “I found the story dull and nothing original about it, just boring family drama along with some cheap jump scares.”
- “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 slow movement speed.”
emotional
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
"The Haunting of Joni Evers" is praised for its deeply emotional narrative that explores themes of grief, family, and personal struggles within a hauntingly atmospheric setting. Players find the story relatable and impactful, often leading to emotional responses, including tears, as they navigate the protagonist's journey of reconnection and healing. The game effectively combines subtle supernatural elements with heartfelt writing, creating a touching experience that resonates long after playing.
- “The haunting of Joni Evers is a lovely, short, and slightly spooky experience that leans heavily on the emotional story of a broken home.”
- “The game explores heavy themes like grief, family, and memories in a subtle, emotional way.”
- “This was an incredible tender and emotional experience.”
music
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
22%
13%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its stunning soundtrack, which perfectly complements the emotional depth of the story and enhances the overall atmosphere. Players have praised the evocative and immersive quality of the music, alongside exceptional voice acting that brings characters to life. Many express a desire for the soundtrack to be released separately, highlighting its engaging and well-timed nature throughout the gameplay.
- “Really chill game with a good story and a fantastic soundtrack!”
- “I really enjoyed the music which perfectly matched the shifting emotions of each chapter of the game (and which I will probably be playing on loop for weeks), and the sound design that kept the tension right where it was needed.”
- “The music was so immersive and beautifully done.”
- “The voice acting brings Joni's character to life, the soundtrack sets the tone, and the lighting brings a cozy yet eerie vibe to each room.”
- “Every scene, line of dialogue, and musical note has felt lovingly crafted.”
- “Plus the music is very evocative.”
graphics
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
38%
14%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and immersive art style, with many reviewers highlighting the clean and innovative visuals, particularly the use of neon text. However, some users noted limitations in graphic settings, especially on the Steam Deck, where performance can suffer at higher resolutions. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's atmosphere and storytelling, making it a standout feature despite some minor technical issues.
- “An incredible experience from start to finish — the visuals were gorgeous, the voice acting brought every moment to life, the entire game pulled me right in.”
- “The graphics are excellent, clean, clear and even innovative with the neon on-screen text messages from 'vestiges', basically memories of family members.”
- “The atmosphere and art style was again very immersive and really enjoyable.”
- “Graphics are serviceable with reasonable texture work, but watch out for those aliased edges; they are sharp at lower resolutions.”
- “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/medium/low.”
atmosphere
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
19%
14%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its beautifully melancholic and immersive qualities, enhanced by exceptional voice acting and art design. Players appreciate the blend of spooky and emotional elements, with the game's setting and audio design creating a captivating environment that draws them into the story. Overall, the atmosphere is described as relaxing yet haunting, making it an ideal experience for exploration and narrative engagement.
- “The atmosphere is beautifully melancholic, supported by some genuinely delightful voice acting.”
- “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.”
- “With that it would be an 11/10 game, but as it stands, the haunting of Joni Evers is a perfect 10/10 experience for a rainy afternoon or maybe late at night with all the lights off if you want to be especially haunted by this game's spooky atmosphere.”
- “Joni's story is thoughtfully crafted, features solid writing (performed note-perfectly by its voice cast), and is supported by lots of specific details throughout the house and the atmosphere created by the audio design.”
- “Chapter 1: the atmosphere of the Cunningham house, created by the graphics and music, lets you almost smell it!”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
40%
15%
The gameplay is generally described as intuitive and immersive, with puzzle mechanics that align well with the narrative, although some players found them limited and occasionally confusing. While the game runs smoothly and features a compelling story, the mechanics can feel like a chore for some, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay effectively supports the story's emotional depth and atmosphere, with a mix of engaging and simplistic elements.
- “I found the gameplay to be intuitive and really immersive.”
- “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.”
- “Smooth gameplay with an enticing story.”
- “I can't say the same about the gameplay mechanics though.”
- “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.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's optimization on the Steam Deck has received mixed feedback, with players experiencing issues such as slow texture loading, stuttering, flickering lights, and occasional crashes. While the graphics and overall performance are praised, there is a clear need for further optimization to enhance the experience on this platform.
- “The graphics are great, performance is too, and it is fully voiced professionally.”
- “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 the deck.”
- “I was playing on Steam Deck and struggled with slow loading textures, stuttering, flickering lights (not the spooky kind), and a few crashes.”
- “I hope the performance gets better and is optimized for the Deck.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of witty writing and engaging voice acting, which adds depth to both comedic and emotional moments. However, some players noted inconsistencies, such as mismatched dialogue 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.”
- “There were times when the text didn't match what was said, and also when the game loaded in after collecting all I had to before heading to the final chapter. I managed to walk into the mother's room but saw the completely broken stairs... funny, but probably shouldn't do that.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, leading to a tiring experience due to the similarity of puzzle moments.
- “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.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for lacking replayability, suggesting that players may not find enough incentive to revisit it after completing it once.
- “There is no replayability.”
- “The game lacks any incentive to play again.”
- “Once you finish it, there's really nothing left to do.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, while some users experienced occasional glitches, many consider the game's stability to be strong, contributing to an enjoyable 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.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Haunting of Joni Evers is a action game.

The Haunting of Joni Evers is available on PC, Mac OS, Steam Deck and Windows.

The Haunting of Joni Evers was released on January 13, 2025.

The Haunting of Joni Evers was developed by Causeway Studios.

The Haunting of Joni Evers has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

The Haunting of Joni Evers is a single player game.

Similar games include Marie's Room, Tacoma, What Remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, DISTRAINT 2 and others.

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