Skip to main content

The Terrible Old Man

The Terrible Old Man Game Cover
89%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
Most mentioned negative aspects:monetization, grinding
89% User Score Based on 466 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
Buy Nowfrom €1.99
Buy NowGet on Steam €1.99Buy NowGet on itch.io Store
The Terrible Old Man Game Cover

About The Terrible Old Man

The Terrible Old Man is a single player action game with horror, mystery and thriller themes. It was developed by Cloak and Dagger Games and was released on October 10, 2019. It received positive reviews from players.

Experience a bite-sized slice of Lovecraftian horror in this updated version of our cult freeware point and click adaptation of HP Lovecraft's classic short story.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
The Terrible Old Man screenshot
The Terrible Old Man screenshot
The Terrible Old Man screenshot
The Terrible Old Man screenshot
The Terrible Old Man screenshot
The Terrible Old Man screenshot
The Terrible Old Man screenshot
Skip Games Like The Terrible Old Man

Games Like The Terrible Old Man

Looking for games like The Terrible Old Man? Here are top action recommendations with a horror, mystery and thriller focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with The Last Door: Complete Edition, Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer or Kathy Rain.

The Last Door: Complete Edition Image
90%1.3kreviews

The Last Door: Complete Edition

2014Arcade Action Adventure
Nintendo SwitchPlaystation 5Playstation 4+12
Games like The Last Door: Complete Edition
Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer Image
91%864reviews

Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer

2025Puzzle
LinuxPCMac OS+1
Games like Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer
Kathy Rain Image
87%2.3kreviews

Kathy Rain

2016Casual Role Playing
LinuxPCTablet+8
Games like Kathy Rain
Dagon Image
96%4.9kreviews

Dagon

2021Casual Simulation
PCVirtual RealitySteam Deck+1
Games like Dagon
Abscission Image
92%96reviews

Abscission

2023Action
PCWindows
Games like Abscission
Backbone Image
68%2.7kreviews

Backbone

2021Casual Role Playing
Nintendo SwitchPlaystation 5Playstation 4+10
Games like Backbone
Sally Face Image
97%14.4kreviews

Sally Face

2016Casual Puzzle
Nintendo SwitchLinuxXbox Series X|S+9
Games like Sally Face
The Excavation of Hob's Barrow Image
92%2.3kreviews

The Excavation of Hob's Barrow

2022Puzzle
LinuxPCMac OS+2
Games like The Excavation of Hob's Barrow
Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling Image
89%1.3kreviews

Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling

2023Role Playing
Nintendo SwitchLinuxPC+8
Games like Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling
Football Game Image
87%220reviews

Football Game

2018Action
Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPC+7
Games like Football Game
More games like The Terrible Old Man
Skip User Reviews

Reviews

89%Audience ScoreBased on 466 reviews
story59 positive mentions
monetization4 negative mentions
  • The game delivers a strong, unsettling Lovecraftian atmosphere with effective use of eerie, hand-drawn artwork and subtle animations that enhance the creepy vibe.
  • It is a faithful, concise adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's short story, providing a brief but immersive narrative experience true to the source material.
  • The game is free, easy to complete within 15-30 minutes, and features simple, accessible point-and-click gameplay, making it an excellent quick horror experience suitable for fans of Lovecraft and classic adventure games.
  • The gameplay is minimal and the puzzles are very simple, lacking complexity or challenge, which can make the experience feel more like an interactive story than a full game.
  • The visual style, while fitting the theme, is often described as crude, ugly, or off-putting, and some players find the facial animations disturbing in an unintended way.
  • The game's very short length and abrupt ending leave many players wanting more content, deeper story development, and more exploration, limiting its replay value and overall engagement.

  • story

    256 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    23% positive mentions, 72% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions

    The story is a faithful, atmospheric adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s very short original tale "The Terrible Old Man," delivering a creepy, engaging narrative within a 20-30 minute playtime. While praised for capturing the eerie tone and Lovecraftian mood, its brevity limits character development and deeper storytelling, making it most appealing to fans familiar with the source material. Some players found the story’s simplicity a drawback, wishing for more expansion or creative additions for a richer experience.

    • “An absolutely wonderful and well-crafted experience, and a fantastic and atmospheric adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's classic story.”
    • “Perhaps most importantly, it does one thing right: made me curious so I went and checked out the source material which almost doubled my appreciation towards the game, since they managed to both capture the essence of the story and made additions and slight changes at certain points that make sense in order to turn the short story into an interactive experience.”
    • “The game expands on the story slightly by adding more depth to the three criminals, especially Czanek, whom the player controls. But for the most part, the game remains very faithful to the original story, which is good.”
    • “Despite being free, which I respect and appreciate, the narrative is very short, perhaps aiming not to extend the original story too much, but because of this, there wasn't enough room for engagement or exploration of the characters or the horror.”
    • “The game is functional throughout with simple puzzles, but it’s far too short and the “story” ends in an anti-climax.”
    • “So.......no ghost sailors summoned from their jars of imprisonment is a pretty big plot omission, and leaving it out almost criminally robs the story of much of the weight of its climax.”

  • graphics

    114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    40% positive mentions, 56% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions

    The graphics feature a unique, hand-drawn art style with eerie, unsettling animations that effectively capture a Lovecraftian, gothic horror atmosphere. Though some find the visuals rough or off-putting, this distinct, painterly aesthetic enhances the mood and tension, making it a memorable and fitting choice for the short, atmospheric experience.

    • “The graphics are top notch, in my opinion, with hand drawn visuals that convey uneasiness and dread.”
    • “It’s here for the horror and it stays for the horror; and that much is obvious if you’ve seen the hand drawn artwork, programmed and animated to include animations such as eyebrow furrows and head movements which provide this creepy sort of movement to an already unsettling looking art style.”
    • “Playing on a CRT monitor, or with a good CRT filter on a 4K screen, adds a special level of depth and ghostliness to the visuals - but the standard graphics and smooth animations on a common HD screen are lovely in themselves, in a somewhat off-putting way as intended.”
    • “The thought that someone could pump out such utter garbage artwork and then think it's not only "okay" but even a good idea to publish this on Steam is enough to drive someone to the brink of madness.”
    • “The graphics are a hideous excuse of an attempt to mimic old school point and clicks, dialogue is poorly written, and the only saving grace is the Lovecraft-written ending, but that's just a few lines of text.”
    • “The game has a grotesque art style, but if you look past that, you'll be treated to a boring experience that barely climaxes with baby's first jump scare and ends in minutes.”

  • atmosphere

    55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    62% positive mentions, 33% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions

    The game excels at creating a dense, unsettling Lovecraftian atmosphere through its distinct, eerie art style and subtle sound design, effectively capturing the tone and mood of classic horror despite its brief runtime. Players consistently praise its ability to evoke creeping dread and immerse them in a gloomy, mysterious world without relying on gore or jump scares. Although short and simple, the atmosphere remains its strongest feature, making it a memorable and engaging experience for fans of atmospheric horror.

    • “An absolutely wonderful, well-crafted experience and a fantastic, atmospheric adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's classic story.”
    • “The terrible old man doesn’t rely on gore or jump scares — it creeps under your skin with atmosphere alone.”
    • “It boasts a brilliantly dark atmosphere, with unsettling close-ups, as is typical of this studio.”
    • “It has a similar atmosphere to The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, though it's far less polished.”
    • “I was expecting a point and click adventure game with story, characters, atmosphere and puzzles.”
    • “The grimness of the artwork also adds some atmosphere to what would otherwise be a visually boring game to go with equally as boring gameplay.”

  • gameplay

    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    21% positive mentions, 68% neutral mentions, 11% negative mentions

    The gameplay is minimalistic and straightforward, primarily consisting of simple point-and-click interactions and dialogue choices that serve to unfold the story rather than present challenging puzzles. While the mechanics are easy to grasp and effectively support the narrative, many find the gameplay too short and lacking depth or complexity, leaving some players wanting more engagement and replayability. Overall, the gameplay is functional and fits the game's brief, story-driven design but offers limited interactivity.

    • “Instead of puzzles for puzzle’s sake, the gameplay focuses on letting the story unfold.”
    • “A solid example of using adventure game mechanics to tell a story rather than just making it puzzles for puzzles' sake with some plot strung in between.”
    • “The gameplay revolves around dialogues, serving as the main interactive element that immerses you in the story, leading to its chilling climax.”
    • “The core gameplay is nonexistent, not really much to do, no puzzles just simple interactions.”
    • “The gameplay seemed to end just as soon as I was getting pulled in, and it only left me wanting more gameplay to build a more in-depth and eerie experience.”
    • “The actual gameplay leaves something to be desired, though.”

  • music

    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    25% positive mentions, 62% neutral mentions, 13% negative mentions

    The music in the game is predominantly subtle, ambient, and moody, effectively enhancing the eerie, tension-filled atmosphere without relying on voice acting or varied instrumentals. While some find the soundtrack haunting and fitting for the Lovecraftian theme, others consider it minimalistic or somewhat forgettable compared to earlier versions. Overall, the music successfully complements the game's dark and immersive storytelling.

    • “There’s no voice acting (aside from the ending), yet the music and overall mood create strong tension without cheap jump scares.”
    • “The sound and music are (mostly) subtle, adding an engrossing layer of atmosphere that complements the swift but clever storytelling in The Terrible Old Man.”
    • “The most sound design there is for the game is the soundtrack, composed by John Inch, which mostly consists of ambient droning sounds and three extra tracks (included in the special edition) that have two more droning tracks and a track that includes droning but with more creepiness to it (aka the song: “Anxiety Descending,” the perfect descriptor).”
    • “The soundtrack is very subdued, almost to the point of being non-existent.”
    • “The sound is fair, but it's public domain sound and music.”
    • “A very short story with creepy art and ambient music/sounds that just made my ears feel uncomfortable.”

  • humor

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game is largely unintentional, stemming from quirky elements like a "continue" option in an ultra-short game and hilariously creepy portraits. While many find these aspects funny and entertaining, the tone sometimes shifts from amusing to unsettling. Overall, the humor is a mix of funny and eerie, often deriving from the game's unique and unexpected design choices.

    • “Having a "continue" option where you can load a save file for a game that can be 100% completed in 17 minutes is unintentionally pretty funny.”
    • “Funny, creepy, and entertaining.”
    • “Short game with a cool ending, the faces are all hilarious.”

  • monetization

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game's monetization is limited to advertising the developer's next title after completion, which some users find intrusive despite the game being free. This in-game promotion is a minor downside but understandable given the lack of other monetization methods.

    • “The only downside is that the game ends with an advertisement for the developer's next game.”
    • “I understand the game is free, but advertising your own game is pretty annoying and honestly made me consider not recommending it.”
    • “Then there's the after-credits scene which is an advertisement for another game made by the developers.”

  • emotional

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's atmosphere and art style effectively create a lasting sense of unease, enhanced by the unsettling morphing character avatars. The emotional impact is well-supported by the point-and-click gameplay, which suits the game's short format.

    • “The atmosphere and art style made me feel uneasy the whole time.”
    • “Those slowly morphing character avatars really made me feel uneasy, and I liked the way the point-and-click gameplay was implemented - it works really nicely for such a short game.”

  • grinding

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Users criticize the grinding aspect for being repetitive and tedious, noting that games set in historical settings often fail to capture authentic dialogue, which detracts from the overall experience.

  • character development

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Users feel that the game lacks a meaningful story and is too short to allow for significant character development.

    • “I think for me there just wasn't much of a story and it was so short that there wasn't really any character development.”
Skip Game Offers

Buy The Terrible Old Man

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The Terrible Old Man is a action game with horror, mystery and thriller themes. Common tags for The Terrible Old Man include indie, family friendly, supernatural, retro, cult classic and others.

The Terrible Old Man is available on PC and Windows.

The Terrible Old Man was released on October 10, 2019.

The Terrible Old Man was developed by Cloak and Dagger Games.

The Terrible Old Man has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked The Terrible Old Man for its story but disliked it for its monetization.

The Terrible Old Man is a single player game.

Similar games include The Last Door: Complete Edition, Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer, Kathy Rain, Dagon, Abscission and others.