It’s starting to seem like all I write about is spooky games releasing in time for Halloween; in this week’s catch-up, three of the four games are spooky ones about to launch. And here I am, back with another one! Haunted House is said to be the first-ever survival horror game, which launched over 40 years ago in 1982. It’s now been reimagined as a stealth-horror adventure game, and it is about to launch for PC and consoles.
The game follows Lyn Graves, who is the niece of a legendary treasure hunter. When her uncle disappears, Lyn and her friends go to his mansion to investigate. It doesn’t take long for Lyn’s friend to get swept away, leaving her all alone. Navigate shifting walls, unpredictable enemy encounters, and loads of spooky frights in attempt to bring Lyn back to her friends while also putting an end to whatever is infecting the mansion. If a spirit gets to Lyn, she’ll return back to the entrance of the house; the floor layout will have completely changed, and enemies rearranged. Lyn will have to collect gems to power up her skills to make her stronger through her next attempt.
As Lyn progresses through the house she’ll free her trapped friends, who then become playable characters. Each friend has different stats, making for different experiences depending on who you choose. Combat isn’t important here: it’s more about stealth movement and solving challenges, as well as using traps and items. The game is full of Atari Easter eggs, like collectibles and lore based on the original Haunted House and other titles from Atari’s golden age.
Haunted House isn’t one of those horror games that needs to be kept away from children. It has a whimsical art style that thinly veils the chills, and it rides the fine line between goofy and spooky. The gameplay is mostly stealth-based, with only light combat sequences.
Developed by Orbit Studio and published by Atari, Haunted House will be released for Atari VCS, PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, and Xbox One on October 12, 2023.
