The Horror at Highrook
Eldritch horrors surround Highrook Manor , but they ’re child ’s play for the four plucky investigators at your beck and call . Nullpointer ’s sophomore firing , The Horror at Highrook , is a new abstract RPG adventurecentered on cardsand a ticking timer , elevated by a exquisitely woven horror yarn . Published by Outersloth ( ofClickoldingfame),The Horror at Highrook ’s busy computer simulation struggle with some indie - conduct limitation - include the lack of voiceover - but earns its keep with a compelling narrative and accessibly cozy gameplay .
There are immediateCultist Simulatorvibes here , but none of that game ’s deliberately overwrought mechanics . The Horror at Highrookutilizes a similar social system where virtually every entity and action is represented as movable card – from hero to foes , equipment to food , investigative prompts to newspapers – with scheduled dialog scenes between characters and , occasionally , the horror they unearth .
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Much likeCult Sim , Highrookleverages a pause subprogram to palliate the eventual stress of multitasking , otherwise running a secret plan clock in the background that handles various functions and procedure . The catamenia settle down in after a patient tutorial , focused on engaging characters in activities while ensuring that some basic stats are tended to , like hunger , fatigue , and , of line , insaneness .
Ackeron Family Values At The Manor
The Horror at Highrook’s Lovecraft-Tinged Story Draws From Cosmic Horror and Edgar Allan Poe
Highrook Estate was once home to the Ackerons , an educated upper - crust family whose knowledge - hungry patriarch , Gideon , ventured too far down a coney jam of occult arts knowledge . Their disconnected fade disturb the residents of Blacksand , prompting the city manager to muster in four guild members to unravel their mistrustful fate .
The biz ’s cardinal heroes are a grab - grip of familiar tropes , with singular engineer Jane Astor , studious arcanist Titus Vitali , and vainglorious - bearded mountain - man survivalist Atticus Hawk . pestis - masked doctor Alice Caligar link up the team on the 2nd day of the investigating , an infective disease department header who is prone to imbibing .
One ofThe Horror at Highrook ’s good character is its emerging narrative , even though the broader strokes may appear predictable . It perches on many conversant eldritch repulsion standard , but does so with care , confidence , and raft of optional traditional knowledge to down . Anyone who just want to jockey card game around and briskly resolve each chapter is liberal to do so , but a close read of the available traditional knowledge allow some nuance and rewarding detail to shine through .
A team of occult investigators delves into a decaying Victorian manor to uncover the fate of the vanished Ackeron family. Combining card-crafting mechanics with narrative-driven exploration, players must manage their team’s sanity, hunger, and injuries while confronting eldritch horrors and unraveling dark secrets in a richly atmospheric setting.
It’s All In The Cards
Search, Solve, or Slumber, Highrook’s Card-Based Gameplay Can Grow a Bit Samey Over Time
I admit that I was a small intimidate by anyCultist Simulatorcomparisons at first , butThe Horror at Highrookis far , far gentler than Weather Factory ’s beguiling and confounding narrative menu sim . I never hit any direct fail - State Department , as fault and ball up just delay advance , and the schedule story result always prompt after completing a serial of tasks correctly , even after a few puff .
There are only single save - states per playthrough inThe Horror at Highrook , so take care when complete puzzler grids , as these often get on the story to the next chapter , and it ’s potential to skip past certain bits of substance . Also : make certain to pet Mr. Tubbs for an achievement !
To get an idea of how it all work , conceive of that there are several grid - like rooms before you . To hunt for meat , you may pluck the Atticus card and combine it with a solidifying of binoculars at the cliff top , which actuate a search for solid food . you’re able to then drag Astor ’s portrait to the kitchen with a meat card and develop a repast . Finally , Vitali can be seat in the dining room with dinner and consume it to stem his thirst .
Mechanically , this mental process is indistinguishable to almost any other activeness , whether it be seek the cellar for crates , translating an occult text edition , fighting a violent entity , or sleeping to ward off fatigue . Drag , drop , and commit your cards , then peradventure check and check that a fiber is n’t sitting light when they ’d best be applied to a job .
Don’t Call It A Deckbuilder
Cards Are Symbolic Representations in The Horror at Highrook and Nothing More
The Horror at Highrook ’s simplicity and general ease can unfortunately drain the dramatic play of any vital stake . There are a few confusing details not soundly explained by the tutorial or in - game guide , but the systemic gameplay is generally straightforward to a fracture . astonishingly , random rolls or constituent of chaos do n’t seem to take on a factor at all , something that may have otherwise added more spicery to the rigidity of the biz .
Cards mainly serve to abstract the action and engagement draw , so do n’t take the air intoThe Horror at Highrookanticipating any kind of deckbuilder . Or , for that thing , should you expect a change of scene , asthe exclusive mathematical function board of Highrook Estate – even with one-half of its room enigmatically locked at the start – never modify or creatively elaborate throughout the secret plan .
Highrook is Creepy and Cozy
Sharp Horror-Comic Visuals and A Great Sense of Place
The Horror at Highrook ’s intro is simple but elegantly composed , with stylize persona portraits that recall the work of comic artist Mike Mignola and Jae Lee . Shadowy boo fly over placed cards at random , a friendly cat named Mr. Tubbs nonchalantly roam the manor , and any in - game actions are accompanied by lighting and audio cues that experience gratifyingly consistent with the cosmic horror composition .
thing do get uncanny when more supernatural force look , but the overall adhesiveness to grade trim back any desirableness that could have been mustered with newer environs or mechanical surprises . This makes the game ’s latter hours passably middling and samey ; you expect something to really sway thing up and eventually evolve the gameplay , but it all amounts to standardized event to shed cards and conversation at .
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Still , The Horror at Highrookretains a charming coziness to its calendar method , a fluid bit of comforting busybodied work , anathemize world - twisting entity notwithstanding . It ’s shell - spinning gameplay at its honest , punctuated by unbalanced diary scraps and pettifog teammate with their own agendas .
Final Thoughts & Review Score: 7/10
Lovecraftian Busywork In A Game You’ll Want To See Through to the End
UnlikeCultist SimulatororStacklands , The Horror at Highrookfeels more like a gamified optic novel than a ambitious risky venture . This is possibly also why it ’s so good , with the tactile tactile property of its cards snappy and pleasing and its budding gumption of progress seldom stagger , outside a few potential decimal point of mechanically skillful confusion .
I spent around 10 hours playing throughThe Horror at Highrook , unlocking 11 of 13 achievement . At least one of the achievements appear to require a second playthrough of the game .
This general deficiency of difficulty endangerment trivialize the game ’s air of peril . There ’s a puzzle corner on the board where exceptional collectible are sort out into a nine - piece image that mark essential milestone . On the one hand , it feels good to land up this up and reveal the next dowry of the game , but it ’s also completely disposable as a puzzle , and comes off more as a perfunctory and inevitable stepping stone .
In the end , that ’s a good expression of the draw ofThe Horror at Highrook . You ’ll want to keep flirt until it ’s over , but primarily for the pleasant reaction of card events and new insights into its lineament . While astonishingly light on scares for a cosmic horror game , its central whodunit are fun to uncover , and Highrook is a adorable home to lock in for a weekend .
Screen Rantwas provided a Steam code for the purpose of this review .
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A squad of occult police detective delves into a decaying priggish manor to expose the fate of the vanished Ackeron family . Combining card - crafting mechanics with tale - ram exploration , players must manage their squad ’s sanity , thirstiness , and injury while confronting eldritch horrors and unraveling dark mystery in a richly atmospherical scene .
