The Most Underrated Video Game You Should Play RIGHT NOW

Enter The Survival Horror

Now, that's a lot of words on how the game looks, but how does it actually play? Really well, thanks for asking.

Ostensibly, it's a stealthy game of cat and mouse. You hide from the killer as he moves around the home, as you attempt to solve puzzles and unlock new areas. While the format is familiar - with a lot of hiding in closets - the execution strikes a strong balance between challenge and tension. As I mentioned, you'll get caught a lot, but that's part of the fun, and thankfully doesn't result in an Alien Isolation situation where you become numb to the chase and meet every death with a deflated sigh.

That's partly down to the potency of the killer himself, but also down to the game's Escape Room-style structure. You're encouraged to experiment, try different ideas and work with the mechanics to progress. It means every death is a learning experience, even if it sets you back.

Even better, you do have options at your disposal to fight back or flee the scene, including a revolver that has a small amount of ammo littered around the environment. Now, the gun is as much a tool as it is a weapon, being able to shoot security cameras or even locks off doors, so it's always a choice as to how you want to expend your limited ammo. For instance there's this rotten old lady who stares at you from a chair and kind of acts like a watchdog. Now, you could sneak around her every time she's in the way, or you could take the risk and take her out with one loud bang.

The gun is also cumbersome to use, forcing you into a lengthy reload animation where you need to slowly chamber each bullet individually and make sure it's in the right place so when you pull the trigger, it actually fires. It's a cliche, but it means every shot counts. It also rewards exploration, as bullets and other resources can give you the edge as you progress.

Stay Out of the House rewards smart planning, but also on-the-fly improvisation, making for a horror experience that demands you pay attention no matter what's happening. It also rewards your patience with great puzzles and twists, whether that's having to find a bunch of body parts to correctly weigh down a machine, or introducing new roaming enemies to stop you ever feeling too secure.

All this is occurring as you piece together the overall plot as well, which is suitably macabre. Told through environmental storytelling and scrawled notes you can find, it's surprisingly engrossing, descending further into the realm of the supernatural the deeper into the house you get.

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