Horror games are timeless, it doesn’t have to be Halloween when you play them. Whenever the scary vibe hits you, play one. The problem is, which one? There are TONS of horror games available, some great, some horrible, many that are slightly less than mediocre. This House Eats People is slightly above average, which is not a bad thing. It is unique, I promise, you have likely never played this style game before. The tricky part is reviewing this short horror adventure without ruining it.
Prepare to Take Pictures
You have taken on the role of a photographer for the local police department. The police chief is fed up with the mysterious disappearances around this old farmhouse. You are tasked with collecting some evidence for the ongoing investigation.
You are tasked with a list of areas/objects that need to be photographed then return to the police station with your evidence.
Sounds simple.
Sadly, it is not. Not at all.
Subtle Jump Scares
Moving around the game world is simple, much like most first person games, you move with the classic WASD setup and look around by moving the mouse.
Taking pictures is simple, point and shoot.
Sometimes you will run into a jump scare, some are atmospheric, some are implemented in a unique way. It is quite cool. I was not expecting them, but they didn’t have me turning off the game out of fear or anything. Just a subtle touch.
I don’t want to ruin this as it is part of the charm of This House Eats People.
The horrors here are more psychological than they are in your face blood and guts. More Norman Bates in Psycho than Texas Chainsaw Massacre in nature.
The great thing is this style of horror game is still in its infancy. So many go for blood and guts, over the top dismemberment, etc to get players flustered. This House Eats People has blood, but it is almost more tastefully used than just guts pouring out of a severed body.
Short and To the Point
This House Eats People is not going to eat up your free time. The farmhouse is three stories, counting a very simple basement area.
This may sound like there is not much gameplay to This House Eats People, you are right. Knowing what to do means you can finish this game in less than 10 minutes. Like I said, it is not going to eat up your free time.
There is no complicated story to remember, there are not a ton of characters to interact with nor remember their hints. Just go in, do your job and done. Simple. If only it was that simple.
Not knowing what to do, your first play through will probably be 15 to 20 minutes at most. It will get monotonous trying to figure out that one key action to progress the story though. Just remember to capture the whole room with your pictures.
For me, This House Eats People is very similar to Slide in the Woods a short, but fun, unique horror game that challenges you in different ways than you might expect.
Grab This House Eats People on itch.io and show Bedtime Stories some support. They have many games available and itch.io in general is an awesome website.