Recent reviews by The Horror Network

Burn Me Alive is an indie horror collaboration between two developers; Davit Galoyan, CEO of the game's publisher ASDstudio, and Arshak Khachatryan, neither of which have any publicly available game release history. The plot for Burn Me Alive is set in Tennessee, 1977, and revolves around a man named Henry Gray who lost his wife and child in a terrible accident. The player steps in exactly 95 days after the accident occurred, and must guide Henry to perform an evil ritual that promises to bring his loved ones back to life.

That leads us to what this title has to offer, which is very little unless you're new and inexperienced in the horror genre. What you'll find here over the course of two hours is nothing more than a series of way-too-loud sound effects, a dim environment, some ineffective jumpscares, and exaggerated camera movements that try to curate a 'stunned' effect. The game itself is comprised of simply fetching several items, shooting a few enemies, and figuring out a couple of keypad codes. The story itself isn't awful, but it also isn't remarkable either. Though I will say I was pleasantly surprised that the main character didn't turn out to be in some alcoholic-induced hallucination, like so many other games that follow the 'dead family' bromidic.

There are a ton of issues with Burn Me Alive, and right off the hop one of the major problems you'll find is that the settings menu just does not work. Try as I may, I could not get the resolution to permanently change, nor could I get the game set to anything other than "borderless"; which means windowed and full screen modes are unachievable. Surpassing this annoying flaw is an even worse offender, one that lies in the background of the entire operation: this title has a massive memory leak. When my PC started chugging, I checked my RAM usage and it was at 95%. During the last part of the game, it went up to 100% and the game itself kept freezing due to my PC being overloaded. For reference I have 16GB of RAM and 8GB of VRAM, so this should not have occurred if the developers knew how to properly optimize their game in Unreal Engine. This is among a plethora of other optimization issues that probably wouldn't exist if the settings menu actually worked so I could use my proper resolution.

There are also several English translation errors, despite the credits showing that there were four people who helped out with translating Burn Me Alive from its mother tongue. Now, generally this isn't a big issue, and I try to stay away from admonishing ESL developers for having minor flaws in their English narrations. However, one big problem has been pointed out by several YouTubers to no avail (despite the developer telling me they listen to customer feedback). One of the puzzles is ridiculously difficult to solve because the only instruction that you are given is "finish the ritual the way that died those you want to resurrect". It's nonsensical, especially when you do not even know how your family died at that point in the story. What makes it even worse is that the item you have to pick up isn't even highlighted, so you have to stumble upon it.

Lastly, anyone who follows my work knows that I'm brutally honest, unbiased, and I tell it like it is. That is why I'd like to take a moment to issue a warning. With the limited amount of reviews on this game, I would be very careful with the ones that you choose to believe. A conversation I had with the developer[imgur.com] seemed to indicate to me that he was gunning for a free positive review for the simple fact that he sent me a key through Curator Connect. It could be a language barrier misunderstanding, but from the way the conversation went (and his total disrespect towards me and the value of my time) I suspect there was no misunderstanding. Take this for what you will, but I have no desire to work with this developer again in the future, and that goes for all of the ones that have tried to squeeze a free positive review out of me thinking that a key has earned them that. Your work earns you a positive review.

At the end of the day, Burn Me Alive is yet another humdrum indie horror game on Steam. It doesn't stand out from the crowd in the slightest, though if you could take away its plethora of problems then it might not be a terrible game to spend a couple of hours with. The poor optimization, lack of functionality, and massive memory leak truly keep it from being worthy of a purchase even on sale. Add in a disrespectful developer, who also lied about correcting issues, and you have yourself a publisher you may want to avoid in the future. And to my readers, I am sorry I haven't had much time to review lately, I barely find a free moment to breathe these days.

The developer provided a free copy of this game for review, through The Horror Network's Curation page.

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My Friend is a Raven is a bite-sized horror game with four vastly different endings that takes all of 20 minutes to complete, but what a weighty and lamentful journey it proves to be. You are Lutum, the last man alive in a plague-stricken world. Your apartment is rundown, barren of food and water, and you know the end is not far away. You know that your last interaction will be with your friend, the raven... but labels can be deceiving.

This is one of those few short, free horror games that leave you craving more and wishing that there were hours of content at hand. It's a deeply memorable experience that remains deliberately ambiguous at the start, but by the end of the fourth ending you have a deep understanding of what has happened. The artwork is a standout feature as well; the dark, harsh, almost purposefully rushed jagged inking cements the mournful despondency that the game sets out to accomplish. Despite the lack of music, or much ambience at all, the developer strikingly conveys the feeling of a lost, dead, and rapidly decaying world through visuals and minimal narration alone.

What My Friend is a Raven ultimately left us with is a depressingly poetic tale of despair, regret, revenge, and spite. It's necessary to explore all four endings to lift the fog from the story, each conclusion has a profound impact on how you will further view the big picture. Though it was released a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic had hit the world by force, this game conveys some grim truths and harsh realities about what we've been put through, and what we're still facing. It's only by mere coincidence that the moral of the story here coincides with what became real events. The moral itself can extend into many facets of our lives, and it can have a profound impact if you just open your mind.

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The Terrible Old Man was originally a short story by H.P. Lovecraft that was written in 1920 and published in 1921. It's one of his few tales that do not centre around building upon the microcosm of what later became known as the Cthulhu Mythos, and instead it's a dark standalone story. Cloak and Dagger Games' 2015 adaptation is superbly faithful to the written work, but this release serves as a reminder that just because one can create something, doesn't mean that one necessarily should.

The truth of the matter is that this particular short story just does not translate well into video game format. It's not really one of Lovecraft's best works, and by today's standards the plot is easily guessable with a foreseeable ending. The developer, who is the brilliant mind behind the free horror/mystery gem A Date in the Park, tried in vain to add some small puzzles to this tiny point-and-click adventure, but it's mostly just figuring out what characters to talk to first. The whole experience takes about 15 minutes to complete. Some other reviewers have knocked the artwork of The Terrible Old Man, but in truth it's the only thing that makes this release even moderately interesting. Sure, it's crude and ugly, but it's unsightly for a reason. The grimness of the artwork also adds some atmosphere to what would otherwise be a visually boring game to go with equally as boring gameplay.

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Puppet Combo is a game developer who is by no means a newcomer to creating unique and outstanding horror titles. He (previously solo, he has recently hired some new team members) has been consistently releasing games since 2012, with most years seeing multiple titles published; primarily on Itch and his Patreon. Murder House just happens to be his first foyer into releasing his work onto Steam. Doing so paid off with a lot of new attention and a rising popularity that he may not have otherwise seen had he kept lurking in the shadows of less prevalent sites.

And what a grand induction onto Steam that Murder House proves to be. Keeping with the signature style of the rest of his catalogue, this title is also a PS1-style retro survival horror game. You play as Emma, a day-one intern for a news channel that is covering the gruesome story of the Easter Ripper; a serial killer that murdered several children throughout the late '70s and early '80s. Of course there's no better place to film a mini-documentary than the infamous house where all of the killings happened. It should be safe though, since he was executed in 1985, right? Well, it doesn't take long before the team start to die one-by-one at the hands, or scythe, of the sinister blood-soaked bunny rabbit.

If you've played any of the first three Silent Hill games, then you'll already know what to expect with Murder House; you'll be finding useful items, keys, weapons, survival mainstays for health and ammo, and interacting with virtually everything to ensure you don't miss something. There's very little direction given on where to go and what to do at first, but once you get into the swing of things the gameplay becomes much easier. With that said, there are still many times where you'll end up wandering around the house with no clue where to go next until you stumble across the progression piece. This title also features tank controls... sort of. They're not as convoluted as a typical tank control scheme, which forces you to press the backwards move direction to move forwards if you're facing the wrong way, but it's a decent modern emulation and it does its part in making the game more difficult.

With the good comes the bad, and Murder House does have some quirks that need to be addressed. For one, being able to interact with an object means that you have to be spot-on facing it. If you're even so much as a bit off on your direction, you'll end up interacting with the wrong thing over and over again. Another problem is that your character will auto lock-on to the killer when aiming a weapon at him regardless if you're facing him or not, but when you let go of the aim it'll put you back in whatever position you were in and completely skew the tank controls. This latter issue caused my death quite a few times, as it forced me into running directly into the killer unless I was already facing him to shoot. Lastly, and with a bit of nitpickyness, a lot of the text dialogue doesn't match up with the voice narration, and the main character's name is even completely different sometimes.

Murder House is an exquisite exposition in '80s gore and a love letter to both old campy slasher films and the survival horror gods; tinges of the original Silent Hill and Resident Evil games are pervasive throughout the 3-4 hour playtime, while just a small pinch of Clock Tower is added in for good measure. There's even a tip-of-the-hat towards Harvester in at least one of the kill scenes, while a very famous Leatherface kill can be seen sometimes when you die to the killer. As an added bit of immersion, Puppet Combo even took it a step further and added several filter options, from VHS, old beat-up rental VHS, to PS1 and beyond, along with several CRT options such as scanlines. He also added an expanded ending in early 2021. The bottom line here is that if you love all of the things referenced already in this review, then there's no reason that you shouldn't already own Murder House.

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Coming out a little less than a year after their freshman title, Death Park, Antarctica 88 is Euphoria Games' second release. It's labelled as a survival horror game, but in reality it plays more along the lines what you'd find in the action-horror genre. The year is 1988, and you're a guy who is part of a four-man rescue squad in search of of a Russian geological research expedition that was drilling for prehistoric minerals below the frozen tundra of the antarctic. The team of scientists have gone radio silent, and to your gruesome discovery it turns out that most of them have been murdered. It's not long before you figure out what has been killing the team, but now you need to figure out where these terrible monsters are coming from.

I really feel like I say this about every Antarctica-based horror game, but there is heavy inspiration taken from John Carpenter's masterpiece film, The Thing; only not nearly as memorable, and on an indie developer budget. A lost expedition, a rescue team, mad scientists, and evil monsters... well, three to be exact. It's all here, it has all been done before, and I won't bore you with the details of a well-defined trope. Surprisingly enough there are six weapons to use throughout the campaign, and they all work as intended. There's a metric ton of ammunition scattered around each of the eight levels, alongside first aid kits and notes that flesh out the story a bit more. The campaign is fairly linear, and despite the store page claiming 'hardcore puzzles', you'll just be finding some not-so-hidden items required to progress.

From the get-go you'll probably think to yourself, "Wow, this plays like a mobile port", and that's because it is a mobile port. In fact, it functions and feels a lot like Dementium II HD, which was a NintendoDS port, but the engine is probably close to the same version of Unity that the developers of that game used. That's not to take a knock at the optimization, this title actually runs as smooth as butter, but it has that unmistakable, unshakeable quality to it. The graphics aren't terrible, but again they are that Dementium II HD quality and are really, seemingly unintentionally, dated. There is a day and night cycle, all dependent on your PC's own clock; the night version of the game looks far better and adds much more atmosphere than the day version.

Antarctica 88 can be completed in as little as an hour, though an average playthrough will come out to about an hour and a half. For those with patience and curiosity, there are four endings to explore, which will require a minimum of two playthroughs if you save scum near the end of the game. The developers created the soundtrack to the game, which is a never-ending unsuccessful attempt at making the player feel pressured and rushed; a more ambience-centric OST could've done a lot more to add to the game's atmosphere. While there's nothing here that's terrible, this release doesn't have anything provocative or stimulating to offer. It's like eating vanilla icecream, it is what it is; nothing more and nothing less.

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The Supper is a short and charming pixel art horror game with a straightforward set of point and click puzzles. You play as a monstrous older woman who owns a restaurant, when three unwitting patrons stumble through the front door seeking an evening meal. You've apparently been waiting for them, as you recognize a large chest that they're carrying. How do you know the trio of misfits? What could they possibly be carrying around with them in that box? And... what's the deal with your special, homegrown secret sauce?

All of these questions eventually get answered, and at the end of it all a bittersweet story unfolds. Half of the tale is guessable, but there is a surprise at the very end that's rather unexpected. Much like Octavi Navarro's other titles, The Supper focuses on storytelling rather than gameplay, and it showcases his masterful craftsmanship with both visual art and music. The experience is only about 15-20 minutes long, and it's free. If you enjoy your time with this delectable little slice of horror, consider picking up the artbook DLC to support his future works.

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Midnight Scenes: The Nanny is the third episode in indie developer Octavi Navarro's long-standing series that seeks to revive the campy cosmic horror from anthologies series' such as The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits. While the first two episodes were in black and white and presumably set in time periods where that was the norm, this third release is in stunning full colour and takes place in October of 1986.

Siblings Oliver and Tina are left at home with their babysitter, Veronica, while their parents board a flight to travel for work purposes. After deciding what to do for the afternoon, the trio end up heading to the nearby forest, and that's where the weirdness begins. This plot is a slow-burn, it takes quite a while to heat up unlike the other stories, but this game is also substantially longer than the developer's previous offerings; clocking in at around 45 minutes of spine-tingling fun. There isn't a definitive Twilight Zone feel this time, instead it would be more appropriate to equate it to Tales from the Crypt or even a slightly more gruesome version of Goosebumps.

The developer's artistic prowess keeps growing. There are clear dimensional properties at play in this release, namely a distinction between the foreground and background while walking. The choice of colours really pop as well, and they truly do bring about that 1980's vibe, along with the little nuances such as a VHS tape effect and standard definition aspect ratio. This is probably also the most memorable and extensive soundtrack that the developer has created to date. It all works well together, and there's really no complaints to speak of. If one had to nitpick, there may be some small disappointment with the ending; without spoiling it, for some it will add an air of mystery, for others it will seem unfulfilling. I was personally in the latter category.

Nevertheless, Octavi Navarro's games keep getting better and longer with each new release, and Midnight Scenes: The Nanny is no exception. Everything from the expertly curated pixel art, to the purposefully crafted soundtrack, and the attention to small details such as adding a VHS tape aesthetic and standard definition aspect ratio are all elements that combine beautifully to create a one-of-a-kind immersive experience. The developer expanding his horizons into the territory of Tales from the Crypt stories is indeed content that I'd be very interested in seeing in the future, even if he didn't intend for that to be done here it is something that is undoubtedly present. And perhaps it could be a spinoff into a new franchise for him.

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Originally aired, erm... released, in 2018, Midnight Scenes: Episode 2 is a continuation of Octavi Navarro's Twilight Zone inspired sci-fi point and click series. In this episode you witness a man named Richard board a seemingly innocuous flight to Washington, but in a twist only partially reminiscent of 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet', he finds himself in a terrible situation. Through a series of events propelled by internal monologue and character dialogue, the story of how Richard got here, and what is ultimately to become of him, unfolds.

Instead of mostly relying on Rod Serling styled narration at both the start and conclusion of the episode, as in the first Midnight Scenes release, this title offers an abundance of dialogue. The narration contributes well to character development, and players are far more inclined to actually care about the small cast that the game works with. The story is a very obvious amalgamation of ideas and events from The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, and even a tinge of The Thing, though despite these heavy influences the plot feels fresh and genuine. The developer changed up the mouse cursor in this release, so it's a lot easier to see it against the white backgrounds; additionally, the CRT screen curve at the edges of the game are a nice touch. As far as gameplay goes, there's very little, but there are a few very easy 'puzzles' to solve. That said, the enjoyment here purely stems from experiencing the story.

If you enjoy the aforementioned shows and movie, then you will undoubtedly love Midnight Scenes: Episode 2. It's always great to see a developer who can take an assortment of inspiration from other outlets and channel them into a creative endeavour that feels both like a continuation of said inspirations, and a brand new creation all at the same time. The runtime for this release is just shy of 30 minutes, which is just enough to be a full-length television episode. Again, the price here is a little steep for the playtime that you get, but the quality of the content you receive far surpasses the monetary justification.

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Here's a little piece of knowledge for my regular readers: The Twilight Zone is one of my favourite TV series' of all time and Rod Serling is one of my creative idols. There haven't been any games that've tried to emulate what the famous show accomplished, but Midnight Scenes: The Highway tries its very best to do just that. It's a short pixel art point and click horror game that begins with the trademark downward camera pan, and ends with a cosmic twist. It's a game that lies at the pit of man's fears, and the summit of his knowledge. And without a doubt, if you're familiar with the original show, you will read the dialogue in Rod Serling's voice.

I'm not going to go into detail about the story; that's yours to discover all on your own. Since this title is so short, giving any of it away would sour the entire experience. Suffice it to say, it's an enjoyable homage in every sense of the word. If I could give the developer any bit of constructive feedback, it would be to make the mouse cursor a different colour as it's far too easy to overlook a clickable area due to the white-on-white attribute.

The price of $3.39 CAD does seem pretty steep for a game that can be finished in 10-15 minutes, but the trade off is that you're getting something that's high quality. This isn't some asset flip filled with stock Unity garbage, it's a game that has beautifully detailed pixel artwork with seven environment scenes and several close-up spots beyond that. You're also getting a unique sci-fi story with an unpredictable outcome, even though it ends on a typical Twilight Zone note; which is perfectly fine, given the source inspiration. If you're a fan of The Twilight Zone and, like me, have been aching for a horror game with similar properties, Midnight Scenes: The Highway won't disappoint you.

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In GAME.exe, the year is 1999 and you're the new owner of a computer that was previously owned by a game developer. The developer in question committed suicide, and now his operating system appears to be haunted by him. You'll spend your time fixing some diagnostic errors, reading a few AOL-style chat messages, and playing the game that he made. The game that you have to win? Run around collecting 9 candles while being endlessly pursued by a monster. Once you win that game and reformat the system, the actual game is over. Honestly, that's really the long and short of the content here. It all takes about 30 minutes, which isn't bad if you can get this title on sale for around a buck.

If you're in the market for a horror game wrapped up in an OS framework, you're best off looking elsewhere; Simulacra, Emily is Away (and its sequels), IMSCARED, and EW/WE are great starting points that far exceed what GAME.exe is capable of. The concept this release presents is good, but its execution is uninspired. It's a simple Slenderman clone inside of a retro structure, with little else. Even if there had been more exploration in terms of what you can discover in the computer, or if the game you have to play had just a bit more depth, this review may have come out on a more positive note. With that said, it's clear that this is a new developer; be proud of what you have created, but now build on it... I would like to see more.

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