The Picture in The House

About

The Picture in The House is a single player action game with horror and thriller themes. It was developed by Dystopia Game Studio and was released on December 30, 2020. It received neutral reviews from players.

A journey through ancient mysteries and forces described by the original short story "The Picture in the House" written by H.P Lovecraft.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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44%

Audience ScoreBased on 89 reviews

story10 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game captures the eerie atmosphere and essence of Lovecraft's original story, providing a decent narrative experience.
It's free to play, making it accessible for those interested in a short horror puzzle game.
Some puzzles are unique and engaging, and the hand-drawn cutscenes add a nice artistic touch.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including game freezes and a lack of a save feature, which can lead to frustrating experiences.
Controls are clunky and movement is slow, making navigation tedious and frustrating.
The game is often too dark, making it difficult to see important items and progress through the game.

story
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
66%
8%
The game's story is a loose adaptation of a classic H.P. Lovecraft tale, praised for its atmosphere and faithful elements, though some players feel it lacks the depth of the original. While it includes interesting details and hand-drawn cutscenes, opinions vary on its execution, with some finding it engaging and others deeming it cliched or frustrating due to gameplay issues. Overall, it appeals to Lovecraft fans, but may not satisfy those seeking a more original narrative experience.
- “The team did a great job bringing the story to life.”
- “Ultimately, it stays true to the original creepy short story.”
- “Great story and nice artistic intros.”
- “The storyline is non-existent and you blunder around hoping you will see something in the dark that it will let you interact with.”
- “You are better off reading the actual story than playing this mess, my friend.”
- “The game tries to add to the story, but ends up taking away.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The graphics in the game are generally described as mediocre to passable, with some users noting a simple, indie-style aesthetic that features nice color use and scenery. However, technical issues such as heavy lag, resolution problems, and a lack of adjustable settings detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the art style and visuals, many feel that the graphics do not meet the standards expected for a compelling gaming experience.
- “The graphics were okay, pretty simple, but it did have a nice use of color and scenery.”
- “If you like your horror graphical novel type games short, the picture in the house will not disappoint.”
- “Great artwork, nice audio elements.”
- “The graphics in this game are passable, but could be better.”
- “The graphic style of the cinematics is a bit too comical for the otherwise serious and dark story.”
- “The game stutters and freezes constantly, and every time I tried to adjust the graphical quality to maybe make it perform better, all the settings would be changed back to their default state.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
22%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its spooky and immersive qualities, effectively capturing Lovecraftian themes, though opinions vary on its execution. While some reviewers appreciate the ambiance and audio design, others feel it falls short in evoking a sense of dread or unease, which is crucial for a Lovecraftian experience. Overall, the atmosphere is seen as a strong point, but not universally compelling.
- “The atmosphere was nice and spooky, capturing the feel of Lovecraft pretty well.”
- “The audio is suitably atmospheric, and the ambiance is very well suited.”
- “The atmosphere and story were pretty good.”
- “The music and atmosphere did not create feelings of unease or dread.”
- “I can't recommend this one; for how far I got in the game, I didn't feel the Lovecraftian atmosphere or vibe at all, and I believe that's the most important thing a Lovecraftian game should try to achieve.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The gameplay has been criticized for being simplistic and unpolished, with basic mechanics that include walking and solving puzzles, some of which are frustrating. Players noted issues such as poor optimization, clunky navigation, and excessive darkness that hindered exploration. While the atmosphere and level design received praise, the overall gameplay experience fell short of expectations, leaving room for improvement in future titles.
- “This game does it justice, although it does take some creative license for gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is basic first-person shooter, but maneuvering through the titular house is exceedingly clumsy, and the pervading darkness meant to set the mood just made it hard to get around without banging into furniture constantly.”
- “The gameplay is a bit raw, but it's free so I don't complain.”
- “The atmosphere and level design is pretty good, but the gameplay is kinda bad.”
- “It also is a fairly unpolished experience; it has optimization problems, it lags a bit, the pointer is off, you can't run or go faster, or jump, mechanics like reading books are off-putting (you start to read when you get closer, and the only way to stop reading a book is to move away from it; seriously? why not use a key to close the book at will, without having to walk away??), the game is way way too dark (I set the brightness to the max value, and it still was too dark at places).”
- “Gameplay is basic FPS, but maneuvering through the titular house is exceedingly clumsy, and the pervading darkness meant to set the mood just made it hard to get around without banging into furniture constantly.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs, stuttering, and freezing reported by users. Additionally, the lack of a saving feature and persistent resetting of graphical settings contribute to a frustrating experience.
- “The game is also fairly buggy, and immediately when it told me there was no saving feature, I knew I was going to have issues.”
- “The game stutters and freezes constantly, and every time I tried to adjust the graphical quality to maybe make it perform better, all the settings would be changed back to their default state.”
- “It can be quite buggy.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The music in the game is generally considered serviceable, with some users finding it merely okay and lacking the ability to evoke feelings of unease or dread. Overall, it does not significantly enhance the atmosphere.
- “The music and atmosphere created a captivating experience that enhanced the overall gameplay.”
- “The soundtrack perfectly complemented the game's themes and added depth to the storytelling.”
- “The music was engaging and immersive, making each moment feel more impactful.”
- “The music was okay; the voice acting was also okay; it was serviceable.”
- “The music and atmosphere did not create feelings of unease or dread.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, resulting in lag and an unpolished experience. Players have reported frustrating mechanics, such as an unresponsive reading system and inadequate brightness settings, which further detract from gameplay. Overall, the lack of optimization hampers the overall enjoyment and functionality of the game.
- “The game has optimization problems that lead to a fairly unpolished experience, with noticeable lag and issues with mechanics like reading books, which could be improved for better user interaction.”
- “The controls feel off, as the pointer is inaccurate and there are limitations on movement, such as not being able to run or jump, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience.”
- “Despite setting the brightness to the maximum value, the game remains too dark in many areas, indicating a need for better optimization in visual settings.”
- “The game is unoptimized and laggy.”
- “It is a fairly unpolished experience; it has optimization problems, it lags a bit, the pointer is off, you can't run or go faster, or jump. Mechanics like reading books are off-putting (you start to read when you get closer, and the only way to stop reading a book is to move away from it; seriously? Why not use a key to close the book at will, without having to walk away?). The game is way too dark (I set the brightness to the max value, and it still was too dark in some places).”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and sluggish, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “This game was very tedious and sluggish.”