The last game was gory, and you wanted a story. Now enter The House.
Built in 1970, and deserted some time after that, no one has entered the house since the entire family committed suicide due to reasons unknown.
Point-and-click your way through the house to unfold the mystery of what really happened to that fateful fictitious family. Best viewed alone, late at night, in the dark, and with the sound turned up.
Created by 25 year-old Sinthai Boonmaitree (xin) of Bangkok, Thailand, this interactive narrative combines excellent use of sound, animation, and timing to produce a very creepy atmosphere and a few very startling effects. Although the horror piece is similar to the previously reviewed NFH Propaganda and 99 Rooms with its loading screens that interrupt the progression from room to room, there are far fewer rooms for it to matter much at all. The House is much more like a game than the others, though there is nothing very difficult to figure out. Random clicking should get you through the whole 10-minute presentation without any trouble, save for a few frightening moments.
This one is for those who were disappointed—or just plain put out—by the previous entry. Originally planned for posting sometime in late October as the Halloween season approaches, I decided to post it this evening after reading all the negative comments the last one generated. I trust you will enjoy this one much more. Thanks go to Willoughby Jackson for suggesting it as a follow-up to yesterday's game.
Update: Due to bandwidth issues Sinthai was having with his hosting provider, The House is now being served up directly from the JIG servers with the kind permission of Sinthai, himself. Cheers, Sinthai! =)
Walkthrough Guide
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Wrote a walkthrough for this game... due to me spending about 15 mins to beat this. Freaked me out the first time... SPOILERS! CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
~The Front Door~
You're in front of the house. Wait until the words go by and the door shakes, then click on "Go inside". You will knock on the door. Soon it will open itself.
~The Dining Room~
Ok, so now you're within the house's dark shadows. In here is a family portrait, a window, and a door that's slightly open. Click on the portrait and leave it three times. That's right; 3! Afterwards, a ball will drop from the ceiling. Click on the ball a few times, then click on the portrait again. *CRASH* OMG! What was that? A ghost of the daughter should appear, sitting at the window... Afterwards, click on the ball a few times and *POP*. Soon you will hear a baby crying, and cover your eyes.. That head goes flying and freaked me out. Whew... but the darkness moved. Let's enter the bathroom.
~The Bathroom~
This will be a nightmare. Look at the mirror. There's a note. Click on it for a better look, then click it a couple times for weird effects. Click on the can of poison on the ground. WHOA! Silhouette of a woman at the fence thing? Maybe its just me. And now you can click on the toilet.. Clicky Clicky Clicky! (Like Mushu from Mulan; "Picky Picky Picky"). You're almost done. The jump scare is a hand popping up. Uh-Oh, heard a crash in the Kitchen, let's move!
~The Kitchen~
This may freak out those of 12 or under. Well, notice the doll moving by itself nearby the staircase? Click on it to have it pop-up. Click it a few times, then the note.. (I think) Then a shadow runs down the hall to your right. Click on the doll, and notice it was hanging? Well, a person will hang from the ceiling. Looks like a kid. Hmmmmm... there was a toddler, a mom, a kid, OH NO! THE DAD! Let's go to the Living Room!
~The Living Room~
Ok, there's a portrait of the dad, a note, and weird hallucinations that happen over-time. You know, clicky clicky clicky. You'll hear a gunshot, and... a weird ghost walks past the screen. Click on the dad picture again... EWW! His eyeballs and mouth... R.I.P., although we didn't know you. *Creak* That sounded like it came from the Corridor! Get your pillows!
~The Corridor~
This reminds me of the Grudge. There's a light switch, and a note on the ground. Hahahahaha... I flicked the light-switch on and off and clicked on the note that appeared... Clicky Clicky Clicky... OMGWTFBBQ!?!?!?! WEIRD LOOKING GIRL! WHERE'S MY PILLOW... T.T And after that...
~AfterMath~
If you can understand the storyline, you will learn that it was the daughter who had murdered the family. I don't understand much of why though.
But... CONGRATZ! You found out this mystery!
Hope you enjoy this guide as much as I had making it myself. Go Sinthai and JIG! Great work of horror. :) Gave me the chills for a day! See you... in the house..
-Josh
P.S. Do not believe those who say this was NOT scary! This truly is a living nightmare!
Posted by: Josh01 | February 21, 2010 7:32 PM