Wailing Heights

About

Wailing Heights is a single player puzzle game with horror and comedy themes. It was developed by outsidergames and was released on April 27, 2016. It received positive reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Wailing Heights is a musical adventure game centered in a village of monsters, where you play as Frances Finklestein, the former manager of a famous rock band. After being trapped and charged for being alive, you gain the power of possession, allowing you to jump between ghost, vampire, werewolf, and zombie forms to escape the town. The game features vegan werewolves, hipster vampires, and other quirky supernatural beings.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 105 reviews

music48 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

Wailing Heights features a unique and charming comic book art style, with vibrant colors and expressive character designs that enhance the overall atmosphere.
The game has a catchy and diverse soundtrack that plays a central role in the gameplay, with well-executed voice acting that adds to the humor and personality of the characters.
The possession mechanic allows for inventive puzzle-solving, encouraging players to engage with the quirky undead inhabitants and their unique abilities.

The gameplay can feel clunky and tedious, particularly with the slow character-switching animations and the repetitive nature of some puzzles.
Technical issues, such as bugs and imprecise hit-boxes, can disrupt the experience, leading to frustrating moments where players may get stuck or encounter glitches.
The pacing can be uneven, with some players feeling that the game drags on due to excessive backtracking and the need to revisit locations frequently.

music
127 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
59%
3%
The music in "Wailing Heights" is a standout feature, intricately woven into both the narrative and gameplay mechanics, enhancing the overall experience with its catchy tunes spanning various genres like rock, jazz, and blues. Players appreciate the unique integration of songs that serve as character themes and gameplay elements, although some find the repetition of character-specific tunes during transitions to be tedious. Overall, the soundtrack, combined with strong voice acting and vibrant art, contributes significantly to the game's charm and appeal, making it a memorable musical adventure.
- “Music plays a central role in Wailing Heights, both thematically and mechanically.”
- “The soundtrack spans genres—rock, jazz, blues, and soul—each associated with the different undead inhabitants and their personalities.”
- “The music is amazing and fits the theme perfectly.”
- “The gameplay takes a good deal of patience, as the controls aren't the smoothest and the musical transitions between characters are long and unskippable.”
- “The controls are worse than clunky and while the music is charming the first few times you hear it, having to hear the entire possession tune every single time you swap between characters pushed me straight over the edge.”
- “But the same music playing over and over did get quite tedious after a while.”
gameplay
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
47%
13%
The gameplay in "Wailing Heights" combines classic point-and-click mechanics with a unique soul possession twist, allowing players to switch between characters with distinct abilities to solve puzzles. While the innovative mechanics and vibrant art design are praised, many reviewers note issues with clunky controls, repetitive tasks, and frustrating character-swapping animations that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game's creativity and musical elements provide a charming backdrop that appeals to fans of the genre.
- “The gameplay structure follows the traditions of classic point-and-click adventures but with a unique supernatural twist.”
- “It's a clever mechanic that gives familiar adventure-game puzzles an inventive spin, replacing the typical inventory-based logic with personality-driven problem-solving.”
- “The possession mechanic is new and interesting, and encourages a playstyle that's different from any other point-and-click game I've played before.”
- “However, the control scheme is sort of atrocious on a laptop/PC, and the character-swapping mechanic has overly long animations and jingles play every time you do it.”
- “Gameplay is minimal — find something this character hates or loves, ask, 'Hey, do you love this, do you hate that?' Okay, thanks, nice puzzle — and the story and characters are not half as interesting as the setting might suggest.”
- “The gameplay is quite a bit boring and tedious after a while, but the whole thing is saved by a very nice and original art direction.”
story
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
54%
7%
The story of the game is set in a quirky undead town and follows Frances Finkelstein, a former rock band manager, as he navigates a humorous and engaging narrative filled with puns and musical elements. While the unique art style and character interactions are praised, some players find the gameplay mechanics tedious and the puzzles overly complex, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, many appreciate the originality and charm of the story, making it a worthwhile adventure for fans of narrative-driven games.
- “Set in a quirky town populated entirely by the undead, it tells the story of Frances Finkelstein, the former manager of a once-famous rock band called The Deadbeats.”
- “The story is engaging and original.”
- “Wailing Heights is a musical adventure game with a lovely comic book art style, impressive voice acting, and an engaging story.”
- “Shuffling bodies around to progress a plot that squanders the world-building makes it hard to enjoy the songs and art design, and since they are pretty steeped in the context of the game, you have to push through a lot of bothersome mechanics and puzzle design to try and appreciate them.”
- “Even by most point-and-click standards, the puzzles here were really obtuse, and overall the story and the characters were all pretty dumb and lackluster.”
- “The storyline won't progress unless you trigger specific events, which don't always seem crucial to the story.”
graphics
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
21%
7%
The game's graphics feature a charming hand-drawn, comic-book aesthetic that complements its humor and horror themes, with vibrant colors and detailed character animations. While many players praise the artwork and music, some report technical issues such as glitches and pixelation that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are considered a highlight, showcasing a unique and engaging style that enhances the gameplay.
- “The game adopts a hand-drawn, comic-book aesthetic that perfectly suits its blend of humor and horror.”
- “The artwork is stunning and bursting with style.”
- “Wailing Heights is a musical adventure game with lovely comic book art style, impressive voice acting, and engaging story.”
- “I came across a lot of pixelated artwork and text, and the speech bubbles ran off screen a few times.”
- “Like a B-horror flick, this game is full of bugs, missing odd pieces of voiced dialogue, limited voice actors and subpar recording, goofy glitchy visuals, and some corny music.”
- “A lot of work has gone into the artwork, animation, and music of the game, but the gameplay itself can be a bit lacking.”
humor
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky, offbeat dialogue and a vibrant, comic-book aesthetic that enhances its blend of humor and horror. Players appreciate the funny exchanges and punny writing, which, while not always laugh-out-loud, contribute to the game's charm and nostalgic feel. Overall, the humor, combined with catchy music and creative mechanics, makes for an engaging experience, despite some technical issues.
- “The game adopts a hand-drawn, comic-book aesthetic that perfectly suits its blend of humor and horror.”
- “Each character speaks with a flair that fits the game’s offbeat energy, helping to carry the humor even through the more absurd dialogue exchanges.”
- “It feels like a love letter to both old-school adventure gaming and the spirit of rock ’n’ roll—a reminder that even in a town of ghosts and monsters, music and humor can still bring the dead to life.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is criticized for being quite buggy, with users reporting various glitches and broken dialogues that detract from the overall polish. While some minor issues do not significantly disrupt gameplay, the consensus is that the game requires further updates to address these stability concerns.
- “It's a buggy mess; there are dialogues that are completely broken and don't work.”
- “Unfortunately, it is buggy as all get out.”
- “As of right now, it's much too buggy.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with some noting that character switching and puzzle-solving can become exhausting. While the gameplay may feel boring at times, the unique art direction and engaging story help to mitigate the overall tedium. However, the lack of variety in music and controls also contributes to a sense of monotony.
- “But it's so unbelievably obtuse and tedious that it's kind of exhausting to play.”
- “The gameplay is quite a bit boring and tedious after a while, but the whole thing is saved by a very nice and original art direction.”
- “But the same music playing over and over did get quite tedious after a while.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The atmosphere of the game is deeply integrated, with music playing a crucial role in enhancing the world’s culture and the protagonist's backstory. The art style, dialogue, and sound design collectively create a vibrant and immersive experience, reminiscent of classic Scooby-Doo vibes, making it highly atmospheric overall.
- “Unlike most adventure games where music is merely atmospheric, here it’s part of the game’s DNA, reinforcing its world’s culture and the protagonist’s past.”
- “The art style, the atmosphere, the music, the dialogue... is right up my alley.”
- “The voicing and music bring all the life and atmosphere of this title.”
- “Progress is intuitive (with a couple of exceptions). The voicing and music bring all the life and atmosphere of this title.”
- “Classic Scooby-Doo inspired atmosphere.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Character development is highlighted by expressive and imaginative designs that blend grotesque and comical elements, contributing to a lighthearted tone. Players appreciate the interconnectedness of characters within the town, although some feel that the overall game design does not match the quality of the character and audio elements.
- “Character designs are equally expressive, blending grotesque and comical features in a way that keeps the tone lighthearted rather than dark.”
- “The character designs are fun, the music is top-notch (I have many of them playing on repeat in my head haha) and it's so fun to see how interconnected a lot of the characters are in the town.”
- “Excellent character design, sound, voice, and music, creating a vibrant atmosphere.”
- “Character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters on an emotional level.”
- “The progression of characters is predictable and uninspired, leaving little room for growth or meaningful choices.”
- “Despite the unique character designs, the story fails to explore their backgrounds, resulting in a missed opportunity for richer character arcs.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its catchy songs that enhance key moments with both emotional depth and humor. While it may not achieve the same level of emotional or mechanical complexity as top-tier titles, it compensates with a strong sense of personality and charm, particularly through the character of Frances, who embodies a sense of displacement.
- “The songs are catchy and integral to the experience, providing emotional tone and comedic punctuation to key moments.”
- “Frances is a man out of time, displaced in both the literal and emotional sense.”
- “It may not reach the emotional or mechanical depth of genre giants, but it compensates with sheer personality and charm.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its smooth technical performance and well-crafted execution, particularly for an indie title. The voice acting and dialogue enhance the overall experience, contributing to a theatrical feel that complements the soundtrack effectively.
- “Technically, the game runs smoothly and feels well-crafted for an indie production.”
- “The voice acting complements the soundtrack well, with performances that embrace the theatricality of the script.”
- “The dialogues are long but entertaining, buoyed by witty performances and a rhythm that feels more like a stage play than a traditional narrative game.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Many users feel that the game is somewhat short and lacks significant replayability, suggesting that once completed, there isn't much incentive to play again.
- “Felt a tad short and there's not that much replayability.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying the game feel redundant.”