Despite literally writing lots of articles about horror games over the past two years or so, I somehow only got round to playing a Puppet Combo game for the first time in early November last year. Benedetto Cocuzza has been making PS1-style horror games for the past decade or so… and I’ve somehow missed them.
Still, to my delight, DRM-free editions of a few of his games appeared on GOG in late October/early November last year. I eventually decided to buy a discounted copy of “Murder House” (2020), which had been reduced to about eight quid at the time.
It looked like a classic-style “fixed camera and tank controls” survival horror game inspired by low-budget 1980s slasher movies. Plus, I later learned that it had actually been banned in Japan – the home of classic survival horror games – presumably on account of being too horrifying. How could I resist?
Despite the game’s GOG page heavily recommending that you use a controller, the game is thankfully playable with keyboard/mouse controls too – and it even lets you customise the controls too. Personally, I’d recommend re-binding the inventory button to “Q” to allow you to open and close it quickly during frantic moments.
So, let’s take a look at “Murder House”. This review may contain SPOILERS. The game itself contains some mild FLASHING LIGHTS (such as how the flashlight sometimes flickers when you turn it on) and a constant ” video static” effect.
Woo hoo! This game even has 1980s-style VHS /horror novel cover artwork too 🙂
The optional “prologue” level begins in America in 1985, when a young boy called Justin gets his photo taken with the Easter Bunny at a shopping centre. However, he falls asleep in one of the photo booths and wakes up to find the centre completely deserted.
Whilst trying to search for a way out, he finds the Easter Bunny again…. walking towards him with a murderous look in his eyes and a sharp sickle in his hand! Justin escapes and then, depending on how well you play, eventually manages to find a friendly caretaker. However, it isn’t long before things end badly for poor Justin….
Very badly, if this segment from the main game is anything to go by…..
We then flash forward to 1988 and the events of the main game. Sometime after the notorious Easter Ripper has been caught and executed, a local news team have travelled to his old house in order to film a segment about him.
The estate agent hasn’t show up, so it is up to poor put-upon intern Emma to sneak into the house and unlock it. Filming begins, with lots of arguments amongst the crew and a few cynical ploys from the director to make the news segment “more dramatic” too.
Including silly Halloween costumes!
Eventually, the exhausted crew ask Emma to go and get some pizza for them but, when she goes to the van, it has been smashed up! There is a scary note on the windscreen! Is the Easter Ripper really dead?…
If you’ve watched literally any horror movie, you probably already know the answer to this question….
One of the first things that I will say about this game is that there were parts when I genuinely felt like I was a teenager again, playing the original “Silent Hill” (1999) for the very first time on a tiny CRT television late at night during the early-mid 2000s.
This is a seriously scary retro-style survival horror game, with some modern “run and hide”-style elements, which feels like a brilliant tribute to classic survival horror games, classic Hollywood slasher movies and older Dario Argento horror movies too. Needless to say, I loved it 🙂
In terms of the game’s horror elements, they consist of a mixture of suspense, gory horror, torture-based horror, slasher horror, creepy places, claustrophobic horror, paranormal horror, scary music and a small number of jump scares.
This dry description really doesn’t do the game justice though. With the exception of the slow-burn opening segment of the main game, it is often an almost constant feeling of dread, broken up by sudden moments of frantic panic. If you’ve played the modern survival horror game “Remothered: Tormented Fathers” (2018), you’ll be on familiar ground here.
Even the greenhouse outside the creepy “murder house” reminded me a little bit of that game too. Seriously, the graphics might look “retro”, but this game is terrifying!
As well as having to constantly avoid a scary serial killer who can open doors, can drag you out of hiding places and can slay you with just three swings of his sickle, the game also has a brilliantly creepy atmosphere too.
Whether it is the intense “retro horror” synthesiser music that plays whenever the killer appears or the claustrophobic house you are trapped inside or even the array of surprisingly realistic-looking CRT filters you can use, this game genuinely feels like playing an old survival horror game for the very first time again.
The gameplay is a really interesting mixture of old survival horror games too. Although I unfortunately haven’t played “Clock Tower” (1995), it seems to have been a heavy influence on the “avoid the killer” gameplay. The game’s camera also acts like the one from “Silent Hill” (1999) – ditto the flashlight, slow-burn introduction and piano puzzle too.
The door animations, combat, health meter and limited saving system are inspired by “Resident Evil” (1996). The killer looks like a scarier version of the theme park mascot from “Silent Hill 3” (2003). The game also has a “Silent Hill 4” (2004)-style real time inventory menu too.
Not only is there a real-time inventory menu – which doesn’t pause the game – but there is limited saving too! Seriously, this game is what you get if you put a lot of older horror games into a blender…
The 1990s were known for innovation in videogames, and “Murder House” (2020) pays tribute to this by adding a limited “sprint bar” mechanic – in the style of an old VCR tracking control. The in-game reason is that Emma has injured her leg and can only run for a short time, but it is mostly there to add extra suspense to the game’s frantic chase sequences (and encourage you to find a hiding place quickly!). Plus, the game also includes an optional first-person perspective mode too.
It also has the contrived puzzles you’d expect from an old-school survival horror game, but – although I eventually had to resort to a walkthrough – the relatively small game area helps a bit, and there are also clues for the puzzles as well. It also has just enough saving items not to feel unfair (if you really search, you can find about four of them) but they are also scarce enough to add a lot of extra suspense to the game.
You also get weapons – one is slightly hidden (ditto extra ammo for it too...) – but, outside of the final boss battle, they barely even slow down the killer. Still, the weapons can make the game feel a bit less scary once you find them. Especially since the game appears to… possibly… have auto-aim too.
To quote Futurama: “Who needs courage, when you have… a gun?“
The game also has personality and a brilliantly cynical sense of humour too 🙂
Not only are some of the arguments amongst the film crew genuinely funny, but there’s also a really cool set-piece inspired by Dario Argento’s “Suspiria” (1977), the Easter-themed villain is both hilarious and deeply terrifying at the same time, not to mention that there’s also a brilliantly funny playable sequence for players who hang around until after the credits.
It’s only a short set-piece, but this segment is one of the closest things I’ve found to a playable version of Dario Argento’s legendary horror movie “Suspiria” 🙂
As for length, this is a relatively short game. It took me about 2-4 hours to complete, albeit with some walkthrough use. If you actually know what you’re doing and have the nerve to play the whole thing in a single sitting, then it’ll probably take you less time than this.
I’ve seen Youtube videos where people have finished the whole thing in just an hour and a half. Still, this game is very much a case of “quality over quantity” and the average-sized old house where most of the game takes place in certainly adds a tense claustrophobic atmosphere to it too.
All in all, this is a brilliant modern survival horror game, which genuinely feels like something that could have appeared during the 1990s. If you’re a fan of classic survival horror, old slasher movies and/or Dario Argento movies, then this game is well-worth playing. It’s probably one of the scariest “fixed camera” horror games I’ve ever played!
If I had to give it a rating out of five, it would get a five. Play it… if you dare!
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