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Witching Hour

64%Game Brain Score
story, atmosphere
gameplay, graphics
71% User Score Based on 41 reviews

Platforms

PCPCXboxXboxWindowsWindowsPlayStationPlayStation
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About

In "Witching Hour," players explore a mysterious mansion and its surrounding grounds, using magical abilities to solve puzzles and uncover the secrets of its past. With a dark, atmospheric art style and challenging gameplay, this adventure game immerses players in a world of supernatural mystery and suspense. As they uncover the truth behind the mansion's curse, players must balance their own humanity with the power of the witch within.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Witching Hour screenshot
Witching Hour screenshot
Witching Hour screenshot
Witching Hour screenshot
Witching Hour screenshot
Witching Hour screenshot
Witching Hour screenshot
Witching Hour screenshot
Witching Hour screenshot
Witching Hour screenshot
Witching Hour screenshot
+9

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 41 reviews
story18 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • The atmosphere is phenomenal, creating a strong sense of dread and immersion throughout the game.
  • The story, while not entirely original, is engaging and features creative twists that enhance the narrative experience.
  • The puzzles are enjoyable and provide a satisfying challenge, with multiple endings that encourage replayability.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including issues with character movement and save files, which can disrupt gameplay.
  • Performance problems, such as frame rate drops and poor optimization, detract from the overall experience.
  • Some character interactions and dialogue feel unrealistic and lack depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.
  • story
    49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Witching Hour" is generally well-received, praised for its engaging atmosphere and intriguing premise, particularly the character of Lucilia and her backstory. However, some players noted inconsistencies and plot holes that detracted from the overall experience, with a desire for more depth and vagueness in the narrative. While the storytelling is considered a strong point, the gameplay and puzzles sometimes feel disconnected from the story, leading to mixed feelings about the game's pacing and overall cohesion.

    • “The story is well done, thought out, and interesting.”
    • “The story itself was eerie and you really get immersed in the story.”
    • “The writing there really shines, and I was so fascinated with Lucilia’s backstory and the coven she forms with the sole purpose of resurrecting her son.”
    • “And when the story does progress, it's boring and insubstantial.”
    • “Similarly, the story, inclusive of characters, setting, and purpose, is pretty lackluster with the exception of one key element – the antagonist and resident witch Lucilia.”
    • “But the story and puzzle to puzzle doesn't really uphold your time with the game.”
  • atmosphere
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised, described as phenomenal, strong, and eerie, contributing significantly to the overall experience. While many players appreciate the immersive setting and engaging puzzles, some note that the horror elements are lacking and that certain gameplay issues can detract from the atmosphere. Overall, the game's atmosphere, combined with its story and puzzles, is considered a standout feature.

    • “The atmosphere was brilliant.”
    • “The story and atmosphere is the star of the show here.”
    • “Creepy, atmospheric, with some nice puzzles.”
  • gameplay
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is primarily a point-and-click visual novel, featuring a mix of traditional horror mechanics and a controversial new mechanic introduced late in the game. While the visual design is praised, many players find issues with core gameplay elements, particularly the awkward door-opening mechanics and puzzles, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite these gameplay shortcomings, the story is highlighted as a strong point, suggesting that some players may prefer a more cinematic experience over interactive gameplay.

    • “This game is more or less a point and click visual novel, which is totally fine on its own, but without revealing spoilers, a new game mechanic is introduced in the last hour of the game.”
    • “As far as gameplay, it's a beautifully rendered game and fun until you run into a certain issue.”
    • “The gameplay and puzzles were just okay, but I liked the story, which I felt was the strength of this game.”
    • “This game is more or less a point and click visual novel, which is totally fine on its own, but without revealing spoilers, a new game mechanic is introduced in the last hour of the game (which also has nothing to do with the story).”
    • “Probably the worst part is the push and pull mechanic for doors and cupboards.”
    • “With an abundance of issues in the core foundations of gameplay, visual design, characters, and performance, I simply cannot recommend it.”
  • graphics
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the unique art style and improvements over previous titles, while others criticize performance issues such as long load times and poor frame rates, particularly on larger maps. Despite these drawbacks, many players appreciate the overall visual quality and find the graphics appealing when settings are adjusted for better performance.

    • “All in all, the graphics are great, sounds are on point, the story is compelling and interesting.”
    • “This game does not disappoint, from the story to the graphics.”
    • “I like the art style which mixes a sort of cell shaded look on some of the assets and models.”
    • “Ridiculous load times and herculean amounts of graphical rendering aside, the maps were way too big for the actual scope of the game.”
    • “Graphics are of a unique style, but shading is horrific.”
    • “Spoiler-free cons: the performance issues... I had to dial my graphics down pretty far, and even then in certain maps the frame-rate of the game was pretty abysmal.”
  • music
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is praised for its dark, eerie atmosphere that evokes feelings of dread, drawing inspiration from the Silent Hill franchise. While the soundtrack and sound effects are well-executed and enhance the overall experience, players have noted that the audio levels can be overwhelming at times, highlighting a desire for adjustable audio settings to balance the music with dialogue.

    • “The devs did some excellent work here with both the sound effects and the soundtrack, the latter, if I'm not mistaken, taking inspiration from the Silent Hill franchise, which is never a bad thing.”
    • “The music and events are lovely and well placed, and the sound is done well.”
    • “It has an eerie, decrepit vibe; the music is dark, and there is a feeling of dread and hopelessness pervading the whole thing.”
    • “The music in the beginning is really overbearing.”
    • “One thing that would help is audio settings; it can be a little difficult to hear some of the characters' lines against the background music.”
  • optimization
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is severely lacking, with users reporting significant performance issues such as constant stuttering and drastic frame rate drops, particularly in outdoor areas. Many players have had to reduce graphics settings to maintain playable frame rates, which can still plummet to as low as 15 fps. Overall, the optimization problems detract significantly from the gameplay experience.

    • “The game has poor performance, especially in the outdoor areas where my FPS dropped to < 20 (running an RTX 2080 Super).”
    • “Performance issues: yes, constant stuttering and frame rate drops when entering a new area.”
    • “Lastly, the performance in places is bad and my FPS was dropping from 60 FPS to 15 FPS.”
  • emotional
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a blend of humor, heartbreak, and well-executed horror, creating a compelling narrative experience. Players feel a mix of fear and engagement, particularly through jump scares and unsettling encounters, while the atmospheric lighting adds to the tension and emotional depth. Overall, the game successfully evokes a range of emotions, making it a memorable experience.

    • “And instead of not touching it with a ten-foot pole or simply picking it up and leaving it to gather dust on a shelf, our heroine chooses this grimoire to be her nightly bedtime reading.”
    • “The story had funny moments, heartbreaking moments, and well-timed moments of horror.”
    • “Finally, the witching hour has a solid amount of jump scares and creepy encounters that made me feel so unsafe.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the opportunity to explore multiple endings and enjoy the horror and puzzle elements, others feel that the overall replay value is limited, particularly for those primarily seeking a horror experience.

    • “If you like horror, puzzles, and a chance for some good replayability, then I would definitely recommend that you jump in and give this one a go.”
    • “The atmosphere of the game itself is very nice, but I would caution anyone coming for the horror; it doesn't have a great deal of replay value.”
    • “This does not constitute as 'replayability' for me.”
    • “Replayability value: supposedly, to retrieve all endings.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is marred by a buggy fate system and character issues, leading to frequent glitches, including physics problems that can trap players in objects and necessitate restarts. Overall, these technical flaws significantly detract from the gameplay experience.

    • “The fate system is buggy.”
    • “The characters themselves cannot redeem their buggy exterior as they are just as bad.”
    • “There are a few physics glitches that got my character stuck in objects, causing me to restart sections.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while the farming and labor elements are engaging, certain sections, particularly the slow-paced dream sequences, can feel tedious and detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “The setup is as simple as it is insufficient – you, your father, and your sister all move out to your family’s house in the woods to live an honest life of farming and other bucolic, back-breaking labor.”
    • “On the downside, there are a few sections where you're unable to run, like the dream sequences and accompanying Emma, which I found a bit tedious because Rose walks very slowly.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is effectively balanced with emotional depth, featuring well-timed comedic moments alongside heartbreaking and horror elements, creating a dynamic narrative experience.

    • “The story had funny moments, heartbreaking moments, and well-timed moments of horror.”
    • “The humor in this game is brilliantly woven into the narrative, making every twist and turn enjoyable.”
    • “I found myself laughing out loud at the clever dialogue and hilarious character interactions.”

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