Horror games and horror movies, you either like them or you don’t… A lot of haters then often wonder, why do you like these things so much, I mean the story is even tremendously bad? A horror fanatic will often answer: It’s all about the jump scares you get and the adrenaline that comes with it. The story is just some glue to stick these pieces together and a new setting to experiment with new jump scare situations. My experience with The Conjuring House is exactly how I imagined it as a horror fanatic.
The story of “The Conjuring House” is just like your ordinary horror movie. There’s a house at the end of the street where no one tends to go because it’s supposed to be haunted due to the dark history upon the house is built. Spooky things happen in and around the house, like unexplained sounds, people have gone missing, ritualistic murder happenings and the feeling of being watched. It’s a horror game that doesn’t rely on blood and gore to freak the hell out of you, but they use a lot of more paranormal horror elements to create this unsettling ambiance that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat while playing this game. For example, squeaky floorboards, doors closing on themselves, the protagonist’s agitation and the feeling that somethings waiting for you around the corner. All of these little details transport the player to his/ her very own horror movie and lets the player experience his inner fears firsthand.
The Conjuring House’s story starts at a mysterious decaying building, the Atkinson Mansion. It has a fair amount of gruesome history including ritualistic practices and disappearing people. As a journalist, you intend to pay a visit to this mansion and investigate the death of the owner. You quickly start to realize that the house isn’t your ordinary family house, as the house isn’t allowing you to leave. A few minutes in the game, exploring the house and searching for a way out, you’re confronted with a demonic presence that takes on the form of a hideous dark toned woman. During your exploration, a book is found that helps you realize that there’s only way out: vanquish the demonic woman. This can only be done by burning five artifacts that were used ritualistically to summon this demon. It’s up to you to wander around the house, find keys or equipment to open locked doors and find the artifacts to secure your survival. All of this, while being haunted by this demonic woman and some other dark fiend beings.
The game’s best aspect is the creation of this macabre mansion. The way the environment has been created helps to set the tone perfectly. The developers have done their research well when they were given the assignment to make this home as dark as it possibly can: molded walls with peeling wallpaper, creepy dolls, torn paintings, water dripping from walls in some areas, … The mansion is a labyrinth filled with unique rooms and dark places that’ll easily get the player lost during his search for these artifacts. Even though you’ll often get lost due to some panic attacks, a “mental map” of the mansion can be created in your mind that’ll help you with your quest. The mansion’s rooms each have a distinct look that’ll help you orientates your whereabouts. The creation of this “mental map” is very important if you want to escape the demonic woman that has the intention of killing you. You’ll have to run for the “safe zone” if you want to survive these paranormal attacks. It takes some time to get acquainted with these rooms, but once you’re there, it’ll definitely heighten your survival percentage.
Each time you boot up the game, you also need some time to gain your focus on the objectives. The fact that this demonic presence can pop up anytime doesn’t really help your startling feeling. You also won’t be fully able to get used to the creepiness that the mansion delivers. I mean, most of the time you’re exploring the mansion in silence to build up some tension and the game tends to break this “silence” with some earing moments like a rustling wind, a door closing on its own, sound of thunder, a creepy sinister laugh, … It spooks you every time because you know that there’s something lurking in the dark that can materialize in an instant before you or even behind you. Then again, I noticed that some things seemed to be scripted. For example, there’s always the same door that shuts when the player passes that certain area, BUT it still works to set the mood, you’re just less startled than your first experience playing this game. These little paranormal happenings can also be a bit of warning, to let you know that danger is very close, and you’ll have to be on your guard.
“Talking about progression, the game is very linear and isn’t implementing “groundbreaking” features.”
Just like “OUTLAST”, you’re not a hero with superpowers that can battle against these spirits. The only superpower you get is a protection rune that can be found throughout the mansion, but these are very limited. The moment you’re being grabbed by this demonic presence creates a little opening that allows you to fend off this woman for a brief moment. If you use this rune, the rune breaks and gives you a heads up that you won’t be able to defend yourself again unless you find another rune. Keep a hold of these runes for as long as you possibly can because the further you progress through the story, the harder it will get. Your protagonist also has a flashlight in his arsenal that can be used as an exploring tool. You’ll have to find batteries throughout the mansion to power up this tool, so it can be used to lighten up dark rooms and uncover the secrets that it holds. At the beginning of the game, the rooms still have some lighting effects that allows you to safely wander through. However, some rooms will only be available for you to explore if you have a working flashlight. You have to keep an eye on your spare batteries if you want to explore. In the mansion are also “safe zones” that have been inscribed with special warding that protects you from these angered spirits, it’s also the room where you can save your progress. Keep in mind, to close the doors if you want protection. Otherwise, the demons can still pierce through these defenses. If you see an enemy, the best way to survive is to run and find a “safe zone”, otherwise you’ll have to try to avoid detection. Avoiding detection in this game is very hard to do, so make sure you marked the nearest “Safe Zone” on your mental map.
Talking about progression, the game is very linear and isn’t implementing “groundbreaking” features. You progress through the story by finding and collecting keys or tools to open up the next door. There aren’t a lot of puzzles as the game focuses heavily on “fetching objectives”. This is a very standard formula for horror games and this can quickly become boring and lose the player’s interest. This also influences the replayability of the game. There’s nothing more for you to explore, other than the objectives that have been given to you. Even though, I liked how the game’s story unfolded there are definitely some things that could have been done a bit differently. The game has some amazing paranormal moments that have a great impact on the player because of the use of a first-person view but I couldn’t help but notice that I, as a player, was more scared than the actual protagonist. The protagonist rarely shows off any sign of “being frightened” after such a paranormal experience. During your playthrough, the protagonist talks to himself to uncover our objective but the way the protagonist is telling this seems like he’s seen a lot worse than what he’s experiencing right now. The protagonist couldn’t convince me that this is a terrifying experience. I also didn’t have any graphical issues and that’s always a plus for me.
Conclusion:
The Conjuring House is definitely a great horror game if you like exploring and jump scares. The atmosphere within the house has been done so perfectly, that its hard not to get scared. The design of the mansion is the game’s greatest aspect and will keep the player startled every time he/ her plays the game. Even though the game isn’t doing something groundbreaking with its “fetching objectives” quest, it’s definitely a good horror game that’ll get you some jump scares and rushes of adrenaline. If you want to experience a haunting yourself, this game is the perfect way to start a terrifying journey that’ll keep you busy for a couple of hours.
