Haunted House, released in 1982 for the Atari 2600 console, was an early attempt at bringing “atmosphere” to the console. I am hesitant to refer to this as a horror game, but I would not argue if you did. Well, Atari have released the first trailer for a remake of this classic game. For those wondering, it is coming to the PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One series, Nintendo Switch, PC’s (via Steam), and of course, the Atari VCS console (how are the Amico fans doing, y’all alright?).
Haunted House gives players the chance to control Lyn Graves, the niece of legendary treasure hunter Zachary Graves. Bringing along close friends, Lyn visits her uncle’s mansion to find that evil has taken over somehow. The spirits quickly attack the unsuspecting teens and take Lyn’s friends deep into the home. Your job, of course, is to capture the evil spirits and save your friends and uncle.
Not exactly a Shakespearean play, it is still a story, and it is arguably better than the original game’s storyline. In the original, you collected pieces of a chalice as you explored the various rooms. In the remake, you are collecting the pieces of a magical urn in which to capture the evil spirits.
Gameplay is very much stealth based and less “action/killing”. This gives the game a family friendly feel and should be suitable to play with younger players in the room (give them an unconnected controller and let them enjoy the fun too).
Haunted House will feature roguelike levels, this means each time you play, the game will be different so forget maps and such. They will be useless from game to game. For some, this is a great time, for others, it is a nightmare.
While this is a haunted, horror, themed game, the action is squarely in the family friendly area – think Nintendo’s Luigi’s Mansion, just viewed at a 3/4 overhead angle instead of full on 3D. No word on if we can find Lyn’s corpse hanging in the game somewhere.
Atari have also added in many Easter Eggs to give the game a bit of retro fun. Expect to find collectibles related to all things Atari. This is quite cool, and I wish more companies would do this with their history.
Source: The Otaku Authority
Haunted House by Atari
Developer – Orbit Studio
Rated: E for Everyone
In App Purchases: Hard to tell, as of this writing, no mention
Platform: Xbox One series, PlayStation 4 and 5, Steam for PCs, Nintendo Switch and Atari VCS
Available: “Soon”, probably closer to October
