Incendium is offering a more light-hearted affair this Halloween.




HQ


HQ

Incendium’s Phantom Halls has been scaring Steam Early Access for a fair while now, but it’s chosen the spookiest time for a full release – October 31. In many ways, it’s actually not your typical Halloween game though, because while most are choosing to go for menacing terror this is more of a comic take on this horrifying holiday, one that ought to offer something slightly different to thrill-seekers. The question is, then, is it a trick or is it a treat?

The premise is that you play as a group of teenagers who are pretty much all archetypes, i.e. the goth, the nerd, the jock, and the cheerleader. Imagine Until Dawn with a little less subtlety and you get the drift. After experiencing some rather strange events, they decide to set up a club to tackle everything untoward, from zombies to giant bugs and everything in between.

Your ragtag group of adventurers set up a camp, and this serves as your home menu and base, from which you can go on ‘Cases’, which are essentially missions that can have from one to three party members. You can also upgrade this base, and unlock skill points for each character too, meaning you can take on the big bad monsters with more efficiency.

gaming, reviews, phantom halls
gaming, reviews, phantom halls

These characters don’t just differ in terms of personality, but they also have various abilities and specialities. The goth, for instance, has a handgun (that she probably stole from her dad’s gun cabinet) and has a special ability that lets her enshroud the party so enemies can’t see her, while the cheerleader has a pan and can cheer the party on and give them all health. These abilities operate on cooldowns, and there are also passive abilities for each character as well.

What’s more is that by completing Cases you can also unlock more characters, which in turn gives you more play styles to choose from. It’s not just extra club members you unlock though, but also Spoils, which are resources you can use back at camp. Most missions are replayable as well to get more Spoils, or if you just want to tackle the ghouls again for a laugh.

Replayability is also added by the fact that each level you go to is procedurally-generated, so you get different layouts, monsters, floors (elevators or ladders get you up and down), and challenges each time. Of course you’ll see the same rooms reappear as they’re snapped together in different sequences, but overall it’s a good way to ensure things are fresh each time, especially because the end of each Case requires you to run back through the mansion to the point where you came in, so you can escape.

gaming, reviews, phantom halls
gaming, reviews, phantom halls

As you go through each Case you can interact with the mansion in a number of ways, from moving objects in the way as barricades to triggering chandeliers to fall down on your head. There are plenty of traps, but also plenty of opportunities, as rummaging through the draws and boxes will uncover weaponry as well as torches and medkits. Scavenging is important, but it’s light enough that it’s not a slog – everything is useful, and you’ll have a fun time with most if not all the weapons you pick up.

That’s because everything packs a punch, but nothing is overpowered. Melee weapons are incredibly satisfying to use, and you really feel the force when you clobber a zombie from behind with a baseball bat (cartoon blood helps with that). The guns are obviously better for keeping distance, but your untrained protagonists aren’t that accurate, so every bit of equipment has an advantage and disadvantage. What’s more is that they slowly break, so it’s all about risk versus reward.

If you’re getting bored of playing alone and leading your party, controlling each person’s abilities and attacks, you can always play drop-in-drop-out co-op to get some human help, which as you might expect is good for taking down enemies sharpish. It’s also great to speed up the looting process, but it’s chaotic enough that you might find yourself vying over whether to go left or right or squealing as a herd of skeletons comes round the corner to attack you.

gaming, reviews, phantom halls
gaming, reviews, phantom halls

The game has this angular papercraft style draped over it, and the simplicity of the 2D platforming, along with the comic voice acting of all the stereotypes, gives the whole thing a ton of personality. It’s all tongue-in-cheek, but it’s by no means easy because of that since a few errors will throw your limited health points down the drain. It doesn’t help that all the levels are incredibly dark too, meaning enemies could be lurking anywhere.

Phantom Halls is a healthy mix of horror influences, playing on stereotypes from across the board and poking fun at them in what’s ended up a lovely little package. It’s got enough substance to it which mean it’s more than just a cheap laugh, though. The procedurally-generated levels offer a genuine challenge and are varied enough to keep you going back for more, but the real joy is in bashing and bruising the monsters either alone or with fellow adventurers. There’s a definite Scooby Doo vibe to these capers, and it’s a good alternative to all the other grim and gory horror games floating around this Halloween.




HQ

gaming, reviews, phantom halls
gaming, reviews, phantom halls
gaming, reviews, phantom halls

Keyword: Phantom Halls

CAR'S NEWS RELATED

Review: Reevaluating the Honda HR-V RS e:HEV - A pleasant surprise

A few months ago, we had the opportunity to test the Honda HR-V Turbo, which left us thoroughly impressed with its excellence among small crossovers. However, we must admit that our initial impression of the Honda HR-V e:HEV RS hybrid was less than favourable. Oh, how mistaken we were! The ...

View more: Review: Reevaluating the Honda HR-V RS e:HEV - A pleasant surprise

The 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor duo - 2.0L twin-turbodiesel & 3.0L EcoBoost V6 - tested in Sa Pa, Vietnam

We were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to experience the Ford Ranger Raptor with both the V6 petrol and twin-turbodiesel powertrains and compare them back to back in the dramatic backdrop of Sa Pa in Vietnam, full of challenging mountainous terrain. Here’s what we came away with. Only ...

View more: The 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor duo - 2.0L twin-turbodiesel & 3.0L EcoBoost V6 - tested in Sa Pa, Vietnam

Five reasons to LOVE the 2023 Honda WR-V

It's no surprise that the 2023 Honda WR-V is coming to Malaysia very soon, which is why Honda Malaysia took some of the country's motoring media members to Thailand for a short taste of what the small SUV has to offer. Our trip's goal was simple – drive Thailand's range-topping ...

View more: Five reasons to LOVE the 2023 Honda WR-V

New F1 Manager 2023 game now available for pre-order

It’s less than two months until F1 Manager 2023, Frontier Development’s second officially licensed Formula 1 management game, launches digitally with a physical release for console versions coming at a later date. From July 31 players will be able to take charge of any one of the 10 teams on ...

View more: New F1 Manager 2023 game now available for pre-order

FIRST LOOK: 2023 Proton X90 Premium and Flagship variants

As we inch closer to the launch of the all-new 2023 Proton X90, we took a much closer look at the top two variants, the Premium and Flagship models. As announced previously, there will be four different variants to choose from when it comes to the 2023 Proton X90 three-row ...

View more: FIRST LOOK: 2023 Proton X90 Premium and Flagship variants

First Drive: 2023 Honda Civic RS e:HEV - Making My Job Difficult

Having driven the Honda Civic quite a number of times over these last 2 generations of the model shifting toward a predominantly turbocharged era, I did meet e:HEV version with a degree of skepticism. When I first heard about the car’s imminent launch, I reckon that fitting an RS badge ...

View more: First Drive: 2023 Honda Civic RS e:HEV - Making My Job Difficult

SDAC-Ford organises beginner's off-road experience for Ford Ranger owners

SDAC-Ford (Sime Darby Auto ConneXion-Ford) recently organised a beginner's off-road driving experience for a group of Ford Ranger owners. As part of the Ford Ranger Getaways with the tagline “Living the Ranger Life”, the latest 'getaway' was organised at the M4TREC Beginner 4WD Course located in Semenyih, Selangor. We met ...

View more: SDAC-Ford organises beginner's off-road experience for Ford Ranger owners

Review: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ AMG Line - The Luxurious EV that can cope without a charging network

The Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ might have been late to the local EV party, but as we found out, it's probably the only EV we would buy right now. Consumers who are looking for the most technologically advanced sedans are often early adopters of technology and are interested in features such ...

View more: Review: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ AMG Line - The Luxurious EV that can cope without a charging network

First Drive: 2023 Perodua Axia - "Better, MUCH better"

Jeremy Clarkson finds Range Rover Sport no match for its big brother when it comes to carrying his shotgun

Five new racing games you need for 2023

These are the 50 best driving games of all time

Beyond games and esports – Gran Turismo’s untamed ambitions

Review: Was the 22-year wait for an F1 Manager game worth it?

2022 Rimac Nevera: An In-depth Look

Gran Turismo 7 gets launch date and is now confirmed for PS4 and PS5

BMW M2 Mixed Reality review: the best racing game ever created

How Gran Turismo returned to motorsport’s forgotten world

Need for Speed: Unbound review - bound for glory?

Wow. Check out Ferrari’s stunning 1,338bhp Vision Gran Turismo concept

OTHER CAR NEWS

; Top List in the World https://www.pinterest.com/newstopcar/pins/
Top Best Sushi Restaurants in SeoulTop Best Caribbean HoneymoonsTop Most Beautiful Islands in PeruTop Best Outdoor Grill BrandsTop Best Global Seafood RestaurantsTop Foods to Boost Your Immune SystemTop Best Foods to Fight HemorrhoidsTop Foods That Pack More Potassium Than a BananaTop Best Healthy Foods to Gain Weight FastTop Best Cosmetic Brands in the U.STop Best Destinations for Food Lovers in EuropeTop Best Foods High in Vitamin ATop Best Foods to Lower Your Blood SugarTop Best Things to Do in LouisianaTop Best Cities to Visit in New YorkTop Best Makeup Addresses In PennsylvaniaTop Reasons to Visit NorwayTop Most Beautiful Islands In The WorldTop Best Law Universities in the WorldTop Richest Sportsmen In The WorldTop Biggest Aquariums In The WorldTop Best Peruvian Restaurants In MiamiTop Best Road Trips From MiamiTop Best Places to Visit in MarylandTop Best Places to Visit in North CarolinaTop Best Electric Cars For KidsTop Best Swedish Brands in The USTop Best Skincare Brands in AmericaTop Best American Lipstick BrandsTop Michelin-starred Restaurants in MiamiTop Best Secluded Getaways From MiamiTop Best Things To Do On A Rainy Day In MiamiTop Most Instagrammable Places In MiamiTop Interesting Facts about FlorenceTop Facts About The First Roman Emperor - AugustusTop Best Japanese FoodsTop Most Beautiful Historical Sites in IsraelTop Best Places To Visit In Holy SeeTop Best Hawaiian IslandsTop Reasons to Visit PortugalTop Best Hotels In L.A. With Free Wi-FiTop Best Scenic Drives in MiamiTop Best Vegan Restaurants in BerlinTop Most Interesting Attractions In WalesTop Health Benefits of a Vegan DietTop Best Thai Restaurant in Las VegasTop Most Beautiful Forests in SwitzerlandTop Best Global Universities in GermanyTop Most Beautiful Lakes in GuyanaTop Best Things To Do in IdahoTop Things to Know Before Traveling to North MacedoniaTop Best German Sunglasses BrandsTop Highest Mountains In FranceTop Biggest Hydroelectric Plants in AmericaTop Best Spa Hotels in NYCTop The World's Scariest BridgeTop Largest Hotels In AmericaTop Most Famous Festivals in JordanTop Best European Restaurants in MunichTop Best Japanese Hiking Boot BrandsTop Best Universities in PolandTop Best Tips for Surfing the Web Safely and AnonymouslyTop Most Valuable Football Clubs in EuropeTop Highest Mountains In ColombiaTop Real-Life Characters of Texas RisingTop Best Beaches in GuatelamaTop Things About DR Congo You Should KnowTop Best Korean Reality & Variety ShowsTop Best RockstarsTop Most Beautiful Waterfalls in GermanyTop Best Fountain Pen Ink BrandsTop Best European Restaurants in ChicagoTop Best Fighter Jets in the WorldTop Best Three-Wheel MotorcyclesTop Most Beautiful Lakes in ManitobaTop Best Dive Sites in VenezuelaTop Best Websites For Art StudentsTop Best Japanese Instant Noodle BrandsTop Best Comedy Manhwa (Webtoons)Top Best Japanese Sunglasses BrandsTop Most Expensive Air Jordan SneakersTop Health Benefits of CucumberTop Famous Universities in SwedenTop Most Popular Films Starring Jo Jung-sukTop Interesting Facts about CougarsTop Best Hospitals for Hip Replacement in the USATop Most Expensive DefendersTop Health Benefits of GooseberriesTop Health Benefits of ParsnipsTop Best Foods and Drinks in LondonTop Health Benefits of Rosehip TeaTop Best Air Fryers for Low-fat CookingTop Most Asked Teacher Interview Questions with AnswersTop Best Shopping Malls in ZurichTop The Most Beautiful Botanical Gardens In L.A.Top Best Mexican Restaurants in Miami for Carb-loading rightTop Best Energy Companies in GermanyTop Best Garage HeatersTop Largest Banks in IrelandTop Leading Provider - Audit and Assurance In The USTop Best Jewelry Brands in IndiaTop Prettiest Streets in the UKTop Best Lakes to Visit in TunisiaTop Highest Mountains in Israel