Wacky pixel art survival game
HOUSE is a paid action game from Bark Bark Games. In this retro pixel art survival challenge, you are tasked with surviving in the eponymous house, filled with a lot of monsters and traps to make sure that you’ll never see the light of day again. However, instead of setting traps and waiting for you to stumble upon them, this game responds and changes with you.
With 8-bit pixel art style and chiptune music, HOUSE is a nostalgic experience with the difficulty of modern Souls-like games. Imagine a cross between The Long Reach and Friday the 13th The Game.
Difficult, immersive, and addictive
The difficulty of HOUSE stems from the fact that its traps and enemies are hard to guess and anticipate, much like Syobon Action in concept. Everywhere you go is an average-looking house, but with surprise traps and enemy entrances. Bear traps, spikes, giant mice, and monsters that look like characters from pop culture are some of the oddities you’ll face.
Other than scaring and surprising you, it has a coherent story that unfolds the more you play. Furthermore, it gives you a lot of gameplay options. You may choose what suits your personality or you may try to unlock them all. For one, it has multiple endings—ranging from the straightforward good and bad ones to those that require specific conditions to unlock.
There are divisive elements to the game too, though. For example, the house itself is responsive and feels like a massive enemy in itself, providing replayability. On the other hand, the quests remain exactly the same, which takes away the fun of doing another run. Also, keep in mind that there’s no pause button in this game, just like Elden Ring.
A memorable video game house
HOUSE takes the haunted house trope to the next level. With a mix of ingenious and mysterious elements, the game offers an assortment of challenges for the player to face, often by surprise. Furthermore, this Bark Bark Games title comes with a lot of storytelling potential both in your in-game choices and the multiple ending scenarios they create. However, not having the option to pause is a downside.
