Made by Incendium, the early-access of Phantom Halls caught my interest almost instantly. As someone that is very bad with horror, I honestly played this game on the edge of my seat. Phantom Halls is an indie horror game, where you play as the variety of characters, as they explore the halls of a haunted mansion. So whether you survive the night, or die a brutal death by two infuriating murder dolls, getting through will take all of your wit, bravery, and maybe a good friend with an itchy trigger finger.

First impressions

At first, I had a bit of trouble with the controls, as there was no explanation on how the mechanics work. It felt clunky, and I was not used to controlling three characters immediately.

During my first playthrough I was pretty scared, whether it was falling chandeliers, or bookshelves meant to trick you, there was always something around the corner. Opening a door that led to a clown was not the best experience for my heart. But I kept playing it, it was addicting despite its eventual repetition.

Gameplay and mechanics

This game has a ton of depth and mechanics. There are a variety of characters to use, each with their own quests, abilities, and starting weapon. After choosing your characters, you start at the entrance of the halls of a haunted mansion, where you are to complete your quest by exploring the mansion, scavenging for weapons and putting holes into all that oppose you. The amount of things you can interact with is quite fulfilling. Using the falling chandeliers to hit enemies, or putting up barricades using your surrounding keeps you on your toes. There are also a variety of weapons that you can use, with many types of guns, melee weapons, and even Molotovs! How cool is that?

The only problem I had with the gameplay, was the fact that it was clunky. I don’t know if this was just me, but the barricades always appeared behind me. It was a pain trying to put a barricade between myself and enemies, only for the chair I used to to block my escape. Barricading is pretty much useless and not necessary. Other than that, the gameplay and mechanics were amazing.

Characters

As I mentioned before there are many characters, but you start with the Jock, Cheerleader, Goth, Nerd, and the All-Star. The other characters you unlock by saving them throughout the game. Each character is unique, having their own abilities, starting weapons, and their own missions. The Jock for example as long as he has a blunt weapon he can knock back enemies, his active ability is staying still and taking no damage, being a literal wall. Though between you and me, I think the cheerleader is the best character due to the fact that she has free healing to all her party members. So just a heads up when you play the game. I have no problems with any of the characters, they are all nice to play with unique traits to fit anyone’s playstyle.

Art and music

Probably the best part of Phantom Halls is the music. Well composed and fits the game phenomenally. It gives the game an eerie feel, not exactly scary, but it’s enough to set the atmosphere of the game. It complements the game so well and is honestly the icing on the cake for this game.

I thought that the art style was kind of stupid and a bit boring. I soon found how wrong I was. As a side-scroller style game, I found myself thinking that this art style is actually perfect. It just fits. The blocky, paper-like characters give the game a sense of individuality and creativity.

Sure the enemies aren’t scary (except those bloody twin murderers), but it gives the game a nice video game feel. What do I mean? I literally mean it is game-y, in a good way. I have seen so many horror games that have realistic graphics, with mechanics and ideas that make it as realistic as possible. It is terrifying and meant to bring out fear in the players by making it similar to real life. When I play Phantom Halls, I know it’s a game. I’m glad that I can finally play a horror game without being too scared and too paranoid every second.

Conclusion

Phantom Halls is not a game that most people would play. It is, however, a good game. With its art style heavily complementing its music, characters, and overall gameplay, the game fits really well together. It is clunky at times and could do with some smoother effects, especially those barricades. Despite it being a horror game, it is a light game that is perfect for relaxing with. It’s not a perfect game, but it is beautifully made. It is game that I highly recommend to those that want to play horror but are just too scared to do so. You won’t regret it.

Want to try it for yourself? Buy it Here!

THE GOOD Music and Art Characters Gameplay THE BAD Clunky mechanics Barricades 8.5 Great Review Summary Beautifully organised game, with a simple premise and concept that fit together well. It is repetitive, but is unique enough to enjoy it’s repetition. It has a vast amount of variety with it’s mechanics, characters, and weapons. Overall a good and enjoyable game that I highly recommend.