Why don't they laugh?

About

Why don't they laugh? is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Cornfield Games and was released on August 30, 2024. It received neutral reviews from players.

Welcome to Kensingtons’ Manor A young lady named April arrives at an old manor in Maine to assist the Kensington circus dynasty's last heir in preparation for selling his family home. While carrying out tasks for this cheerful old man, she unwillingly learns more about his family's history and gets dragged into the family disputes of his relatives... who seemed to have died long ago. Why has you…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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55%

Audience ScoreBased on 11 reviews

story5 positive mentions

optimization5 negative mentions

The atmosphere and setting of the game are immersive and well-crafted, creating a haunting experience.
The story has potential and is engaging, especially for players who enjoy exploring the backstory of characters and locations.
The voice acting, despite some critiques, adds to the overall immersion and helps convey the narrative.

The game suffers from significant technical issues, including bugs, poor optimization, and performance drops that hinder gameplay.
The story's endings and choices are confusing and feel disconnected, leaving players frustrated and unsatisfied.
Many gameplay mechanics, such as item interaction and exploration, are poorly implemented, making the experience feel tedious and unrewarding.

story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it intriguing and atmospheric, particularly appreciating the depth provided by collectible documents. However, others felt the narrative was anticlimactic and disconnected from the gameplay, leading to a desire for better integration and optimization. Overall, while the story has its strengths, including chilling moments and a compelling theme, it leaves room for improvement.
- “The story is stellar, the atmosphere is spot on for a haunted house, and the amount of things to look at and read is absolutely phenomenal!”
- “Loved the narrative, the theme, and the story of the game.”
- “It did have a good story if you read everything.”
- “I enjoyed my time with the ghosts of the circus more than I enjoyed the frankly weird and anticlimactic modern story happening in the game.”
- “I hope you guys optimize and tweak the story so I can come back to it and get blown away.”
- “The story revolves around us finding documents, etc., for the house owner as he plans to sell it.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
71%
The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant technical issues such as falling through the map, frequent frame-rate drops even on high settings, and overall poor performance. Many feel that the game's unoptimized engine detracts from the experience, suggesting that the price should reflect its shortcomings. However, some users have noted ongoing performance-related updates, indicating that the developers are attempting to address these issues.
- “I've noticed a lot of small performance-related updates being made, which really enhance the overall experience.”
- “The game runs smoothly on my system, and the optimization for different resolutions is impressive.”
- “The developers are clearly committed to improving performance, making the gameplay much more enjoyable.”
- “The optimization is terrible, and the interactable notifications are absolutely awful.”
- “Performance isn't great; all settings are set to ultra, with the frame rate dipping often even at high settings.”
- “The massive open house comes at the cost of poor optimization.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its engaging music, voiceovers, and immersive haunted house setting, contributing to a stellar storytelling experience. However, some users feel that while the creepy circus theme has potential, it requires further development to fully realize its horror elements and environmental design. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, though it may need refinement.
- “The story is stellar, the atmosphere is spot on for a haunted house, and the amount of things to look at and read is absolutely phenomenal!”
- “Good music, atmosphere, and voiceovers.”
- “The game also does a good job at creating an overall atmosphere.”
- “I can see what they're going for with this creepy circus atmosphere, but this game really needs to be an early access title. A lot of work needs to be put into not only the horror elements but the environments as a whole.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay of this indie horror game is criticized for being generic and unengaging, compounded by an unoptimized engine that detracts from the overall experience. Reviewers suggest that the lack of innovation and quality warrants a significant reduction in price.
- “Here is the first part of my gameplay:”
- “Gameplay impressions: https://youtu.”
- “Generic indie horror game with boring gameplay and an unoptimized engine.”
- “Because of generic and unoptimized gameplay, the price should be lowered by half or more.”
- “Does it affect gameplay?”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is well-received, contributing to a comforting atmosphere, particularly near the circus, and is complemented by effective voiceovers. Overall, players appreciate the quality of the audio experience.
- “Good music, atmosphere, and voiceovers.”
- “I do like the music and generally the audio of the game, especially when being near the circus; it's almost comforting.”