A craft-based, isometric survival horror game with twisted monsters and warped reality. Scavenge and build to survive terrifying days and nights while using stealth and noise to fight enemies that stalk by sound. All styled with bold comic art and an ’80s horror vibe.
Developed by: Peripheral Playbox
Played on: Steam
Length: 1.5 hours
A review key was provided by Pirate PR.
As a horror enthusiast, I’m always chasing that specific high: the tension of a red-flecked health bar, the click of an empty chamber, and the dread of what’s around an isometric corner. When I heard I Hate This Place was adapting the trippy, Eisner-nominated Image comic into a survival horror experience, my hype meter was off the charts. It promised an 80s-soaked, neon-and-gore nightmare set in a rural hellscape.
But after spending some time at Rutherford Ranch, I’ve found that while the “vibes” are indeed immaculate, the gameplay loop feels like a tug-of-war between two different genres that don’t always want to play nice.
The Aesthetic: A Comic Book Brought to Life
Let’s give credit where it’s due: I Hate This Place is visually arresting. It perfectly captures Artyom Topilin’s art style, utilizing a cell-shaded look that makes the grotesque, flesh-like monsters pop against the dark, foreboding woods.
The most inspired touch? The onomatopoeias. Seeing a stylized “Thud” appear on screen with your footsteps or a “Crackle” near a campfire isn’t just a gimmick—it’s a core mechanic. In a game where sound-based stealth is paramount, these visual cues help you gauge exactly how much noise you’re making. It makes the world feel like a living, breathing graphic novel.
The Survival Paradox: From Resident Evil to Don’t Starve
The game’s biggest identity crisis lies in its mechanics. It starts as a traditional survival horror game—tight resources, terrifying monsters, and “bunker” dungeons that feel like classic Resident Evil levels. But then, the base-building kicks in.
At your home base, Rutherford Ranch, you can build workbenches, gardens, and scrap collectors. While this is fun for a while, it eventually breaks the tension. By mid-game, I wasn’t scavenging for my life; I was “overflowing with soup” and crafting enough ammo to turn a horror game into a third-person shooter.
When you have infinite bullets, the “Horned Man” and his cultists stop being terrifying and start being target practice.
Combat and Clunkiness
While the monsters are designs are top-tier—ranging from “Hand” creatures to ghostly spiders—the combat itself is a mixed bag.
- The Good: The stealth is well-realized. Distracting enemies with throwable cans and sneaking up for a “critical” hit with a baseball bat is satisfying.
- The Bad: Enemies often feel like “damage sponges.” Taking eight shotgun shells to down a basic enemy doesn’t feel challenging; it feels like a slog.
- The Ugly: The technical polish. Between unchangeable keybindings, awkward cutscene blocking, and some serious frame-rate stutters (even on high-end rigs like the RTX 4080 Super), the immersion frequently breaks.
The Verdict: A Haunted House with a Shaky Foundation
I Hate This Place is a game of “almosts.”
- The Ghost Stories (side quests where you enter a spirit realm to solve a victim’s death) are narratively brilliant but mechanically frustrating, often leading to aimless wandering in oversized maps.
- The Atmosphere is 10/10, but the Story feels like a first draft that needs more meat on its bones.
If you’re a die-hard fan of the comic or a horror junkie who values atmosphere over tight mechanics, there’s plenty to like here. However, for most, the £26.50 or $29.99 (Depending where you are based) price tag is a bit steep for an 8-10 hour experience that still feels like it’s in Early Access.
My advice? Wait for a sale, grab it for less, and enjoy the gorgeous art while ignoring the hunger meter.
