The Inheritance of Crimson Manor
- June 30, 2021
- MediaCityGames
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"The Inheritance of Crimson Manor" is a narrative-driven mystery game set in a Victorian-era mansion. Players step into the shoes of a detective, unraveling the dark secrets of the recently deceased Lord Crimson and his family. Through exploration and puzzle-solving, unearth clues, interrogate suspects, and June 12, 2022 update: now features voice acting and new animations to enhance the storytelling experience.
Windows
Reviews
- Beautiful graphics and atmosphere that create an immersive experience.
- Engaging puzzles that are challenging but not overly difficult, with a helpful hint system.
- Interesting story that unfolds as you explore the mansion, with a variety of collectibles and lore.
- The mansion's size can lead to tedious backtracking and difficulty remembering where puzzles are located.
- Some puzzles rely on trial and error, which can feel frustrating and repetitive.
- Bugs and glitches, such as issues with camera control and inventory management, can detract from the overall experience.
- story186 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-executed, featuring an intriguing and mysterious plot that unfolds through notes and documents scattered throughout a beautifully detailed mansion. While some players found the narrative engaging and atmospheric, others criticized it for being predictable, lacking depth, or not fully realizing its horror elements. Overall, the story serves as a decent backdrop to the puzzle-solving gameplay, though it may not leave a lasting impression for all players.
“The setting details are beautiful and the story is fantastic!”
“The story unfolds as you progress through the game and makes for an interesting experience.”
“With its stunning graphics, compelling storyline, and addictive puzzles, this game is an absolute gem for any adventure enthusiast.”
“The story is so paper thin you can see through it from the very beginning and the ending is anticlimactic.”
“The overall story is fine, nothing groundbreaking or will have you talking to your friends and coworkers about it, other than how serviceable it is.”
“The story is pretty cliched, pretty dark, and sadly has a few missed opportunities which would have elevated it a lot more.”
- graphics64 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and attention to detail, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. While some users noted minor graphical glitches and inconsistencies, the visuals are considered above average, especially for an indie title, with many appreciating the well-designed environments and artistic elements. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's aesthetic appeal, despite some critiques regarding the lack of customization options.
“The graphics are pretty great; they do a good job of presenting an expensive-looking environment.”
“First and foremost, the visuals in this game are absolutely breathtaking.”
“With its stunning graphics, compelling storyline, and addictive puzzles, this game is an absolute gem for any adventure enthusiast.”
“The graphics, art, and overall experience feel like an older, lower-quality game than something from 2021 ought to be.”
“I got a few consistent graphical glitches too, like light shafts coming down as stretchy brown triangles on the upper levels of the main hall and a really weird repeating issue of doors (regular and cabinets) suddenly cloning themselves.”
“Also, the graphics are nothing to write home about, but I do appreciate the fact that it must have been, still, a lot of hard work to make this one.”
- atmosphere55 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and detailed environments, often described as elegant yet eerie, with a strong Victorian gothic flair. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful graphics, atmospheric music, and engaging puzzles, which create a relaxing yet captivating experience. While some noted a lack of horror elements, the overall ambiance and attention to detail contribute significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.
“The attention to detail in every room, from the ornate furnishings to the atmospheric lighting, created an immersive experience that made me feel like I was truly exploring a grand mansion filled with secrets.”
“The atmosphere of the mansion is elegant yet eerie.”
“The game delivers on its promise of a Victorian gothic atmosphere.”
“I'm no historian, but I do enjoy the Victorian/Edwardian ages in particular and have an interest in the history of the things we use every day, and there are just so many inaccuracies that it completely ruined the atmosphere for me.”
“I enjoy games like this; puzzle solving without time constraints or threats, it’s a relaxing experience—while it attempted a creepy atmosphere, it became clear that the creaks of floorboards and other sounds were on a loop and didn't mean anything.”
“I would say there's not really any horror other than creepy atmosphere so, if you're looking for strictly a horror game this might not be for you.”
- gameplay40 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of exploration and puzzle-solving, reminiscent of classic Resident Evil titles, with a focus on investigating a mansion and unlocking doors. While many players enjoyed the intuitive mechanics and intriguing lore, some criticized the repetitive nature of puzzles and the need for backtracking, which detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a decent amount of content, but quality of life improvements and more engaging puzzles could enhance the gameplay further.
“Amazing gameplay, the game is intriguing and wonderful.”
“Intuitive gameplay and nice riddles.”
“Great game with a great storyline and gameplay.”
“In order to get the other ending (which is a simple choice not dependent on the rest of the gameplay), I'd have to start the entire game all over again, which doesn't feel worth it.”
“But the actual gameplay is a mess, with puzzles veering from silly trial-and-error busywork, annoying backtracking (you find lots of keys for the other side of the house), and just really clunky.”
“Outside of the glitches, gameplay started off promising, but I felt like the puzzles became less interesting in the later half of the game.”
- music26 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience without being overwhelming. Some found it pleasant and fitting for the game's setting, while others described it as tedious or distracting at times. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's ambiance, though individual preferences vary significantly.
“The atmosphere, visuals, and music were great.”
“It's also super pretty, atmospheric, with music that enhances the experience without being overwhelming or inappropriate.”
“The soundtrack is perfect and the artwork equally flawless.”
“The music I do not enjoy, bad head time.”
“The music quickly became tedious, although I liked the credits theme.”
“I ended up playing without my headphones because I found the soundtrack to be a bit distracting.”
- stability23 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including graphical issues and inconsistent controls. While some users experienced no significant problems, others faced game-breaking glitches that necessitated restarts, leading to frustration. Overall, the game appears to have potential but suffers from a lack of polish and stability at launch.
“Had no glitches or bugs and definitely had to use big brain in some instances.”
“I had no glitches.”
“The game is full of glitches and it runs very poorly.”
“I encountered game-breaking glitches which forced me to restart the game.”
“This game has potential but it should not have been released in such a buggy state.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to repetitive backtracking and some trial-and-error puzzles. While the game is not overly long, the final third feels rushed, contributing to a sense of frustration. However, the inventory system is praised for helping to mitigate some of the tedium by guiding players through progression.
“The puzzles aren't too hard, but finding what you need can be tedious.”
“This brings me to the largest disappointment: the final third of the game is completely rushed to the point where it feels tedious to play.”
“Highly recommended for spooky season, depending on your ability to employ some patience with some tedious backtracking and a few logical leaps.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is generally considered to have low replayability, with most users noting that it offers only two endings and lacks additional content or incentives to play again. While some appreciate the experience as a one-time playthrough, the consensus is that there is minimal value in replaying the game.
“I can't imagine there being any replay value to the game.”
“As such, there's no real replayability.”
“All in all, it was good but lacks replayability with only two endings to choose from.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity and unexpected moments, such as the final choice that can lead to random outcomes, which some players found amusing rather than frustrating. Additionally, the simplicity of the puzzles and the comedic elements, like the dog's stories and the consistently incorrect hints, contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining experience. Overall, the game's design fosters a playful atmosphere that encourages laughter.
“The funny thing being that a lot of the puzzles are so easily brute forced that a lot of the 'clues' seem incredibly redundant.”
“I liked the dog's funny stories and newspapers.”
“It became so funny that I pressed 'hint' all the time just to see what would come up, and it was invariably wrong.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has been criticized for significant performance issues, including frequent lag spikes, flickering textures, and problems with dynamic occlusion. While some players acknowledge the limitations of a small studio, the lack of optimization has led to frustrating gameplay experiences, including freezing and falling through the floor.
“The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even in complex scenarios.”
“I appreciate how well-optimized the game is; it runs seamlessly on my system without any hiccups.”
“The developers did a fantastic job with optimization, ensuring that the game performs well across a variety of hardware.”
“The optimization is very poor--frequent massive lag spikes, flickering textures, massive problems with dynamic occlusion (environments loading in in real time very frequently), LOD issues, and sometimes falling through the floor.”
“A few areas were not well-optimized and made the game freeze up, but otherwise, I really, really enjoyed this!”
“Optimization also seems to be lacking, but it's within reason for a small studio with a small game.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game's story to be emotionally engaging, enhancing their overall satisfaction upon completion. The meticulous attention to detail in the environment contributes to an immersive experience, allowing players to feel a genuine connection to the grand mansion's secrets.
“The story is interesting and emotionally engaging enough that I'm satisfied to have completed the game.”
“The attention to detail in every room, from the ornate furnishings to the atmospheric lighting, created an immersive experience that made me feel like I was truly exploring a grand mansion filled with secrets.”
