The Haunting of Joni Evers

About

The Haunting of Joni Evers is a single player simulation game with horror, drama and mystery themes. 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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94%

Audience ScoreBased on 131 reviews

story56 positive mentions

stability1 negative mentions

Strong, emotionally resonant story with themes of family, trauma, and healing that many players found moving and relatable.
Excellent voice acting, particularly by Kelly Pekar, which greatly enhances immersion and storytelling.
Beautiful, atmospheric art direction and music that create a spooky yet cozy ambiance fitting the game's tone.

Slow movement speed without a run option causes some players to feel the pacing drags, especially during backtracking.
The puzzle mechanics, while fitting the story, can feel repetitive, confusing, or frustrating, including some hard-to-progress ritual puzzles.
The game’s length is relatively short with limited replayability, and some found the linearity and scripted narrative limiting exploration and player agency.

story
135 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
59%
The story of "The Haunting of Joni Evers" is widely praised for its emotional depth, thoughtful writing, and strong voice acting, effectively blending family drama, supernatural elements, and themes of grief, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Many players find it immersive and compelling, with a carefully crafted narrative that unfolds through exploration and atmospheric storytelling reminiscent of acclaimed walking simulators like "Gone Home" and "What Remains of Edith Finch." While some find the pacing slow or the mechanics limited, overall it is regarded as a heartfelt and meaningful experience that resonates with those appreciating story-driven games.
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “This is an absolute triumph of storytelling and some of the best of what you can do with a video game.”
emotional
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a beautifully crafted, emotionally resonant experience centered on themes of family, grief, and isolation, combining a wholesome and heartfelt story with subtle supernatural elements. Its well-paced, tender narrative evokes genuine emotional investment and poignant moments, making it a memorable and quietly powerful indie walking simulator. Players appreciate its balance of emotional depth, relatable conflicts, and a softly haunting atmosphere that stays with them 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.”
- “That sense of carrying too much, the isolation, the emotional weight of being the one who always has to be “okay” when everything else is falling apart… yeah.”
- “Certain supernatural elements appear early on, but the ways they appear and the reasons for those choices start to make sense as the story builds toward its climax in a satisfying sequence where the player's involvement feels important and your emotional investment in the characters pays off nicely.”
music
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
32%
The music in the game is consistently praised for its excellence, emotional depth, and atmospheric quality, perfectly complementing the story and gameplay. Many highlight the evocative, well-timed soundtrack and top-notch voice acting as key elements that enhance immersion and mood throughout.
- “I really enjoyed the music which perfectly matched the shifting emotions of each chapter of the game and the sound design that kept the tension right where it was needed.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
30%
The game excels in creating a beautifully melancholic and immersive atmosphere, combining atmospheric visuals, music, and voice acting to evoke a spooky yet emotionally engaging experience. Its detailed house design, audio elements, and narrative-driven exploration cultivate a relaxing yet subtly unsettling mood that draws players deeply into the story. Overall, the atmosphere is widely praised for enhancing the game's mystery, emotional depth, and cinematic quality without relying on traditional scares.
- “The atmosphere is beautifully melancholic, supported by some genuinely delightful voice acting.”
- “Every choice adds to the atmosphere and mystery of the Cunningham house and family, drawing you in to learn more about them without wasting any of your time.”
- “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.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
36%
14%
The graphics are widely praised for their immersive art style, clear visuals, and evocative atmosphere, though some users note limited customization options and occasional performance issues on devices like the Steam Deck. The aesthetic and cinematic imagery, combined with effective visual storytelling elements, contribute significantly to the game's appeal. Overall, the visuals successfully enhance the narrative and horror elements, making for a memorable experience.
- “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 should put graphic settings down to medium, because the framerate drops to single digits on high settings currently.”
- “No detailed graphics settings, only global high/medium/low options.”
gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
43%
14%
The gameplay is generally described as simple, intuitive, and well-integrated with the story, offering smooth progression and an immersive experience. While mechanics are often limited and straightforward, they effectively support the narrative and mood, though some players found certain tasks repetitive or occasionally confusing. Overall, the gameplay complements the game's emotional and atmospheric tone without being overly challenging.
- “The puzzle mechanics were easy to figure out and suited the story well.”
- “I found the gameplay to be intuitive and really immersive.”
- “I didn't encounter any bugs at all, and the game ran so smooth; everything about the gameplay and natural progression of the story was so fluid.”
- “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 features great graphics and strong voice acting, but its optimization on the Steam Deck suffers from issues like slow texture loading, stuttering, flickering lights, and occasional crashes, indicating a need for performance improvements on this platform.
- “The graphics are great, performance is excellent, and the game is fully voiced with professional quality.”
- “Hope the performance gets better and optimized for Steam Deck.”
- “Kelly Pekar as Joni Evers gives an excellent performance, being the sole voice throughout the story of generational trauma, scattered families, abandonment, death, and reconnection.”
- “But I was playing on Steam Deck and struggled with slow loading textures, stuttering, flickering lights (not the spooky kind), and a few crashes.”
- “Hope the performance gets better and optimized for Deck.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is nuanced and well-integrated, blending seamlessly with chilling and emotional moments. While some bugs, like mismatched text and visuals, unintentionally added a quirky charm, the overall writing and voice acting deliver honest and genuinely funny moments.
- “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 see the completely broken up stairs... funny but probably shouldn't do that.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally stable and enjoyable, though a few minor glitches were experienced. Overall, stability does not significantly detract from the gameplay experience.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding aspects are criticized for being repetitive and tedious, leading to a tiring gameplay experience.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers little to no replayability, limiting players' incentive to revisit it after the initial playthrough.
- “With no replayability.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Haunting of Joni Evers is a simulation game with horror, drama and mystery themes.

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 stability.

The Haunting of Joni Evers is a single player game.

Similar games include Marie's Room, What Remains of Edith Finch, ASYLUM, Tacoma, Luto and others.

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