MADHOUSE

I've known the creator, Paul Hubans, for a long time and we worked together on UFO 50 for many years, so this is a biased review in that sense... but at the same time, it should make it clear that I'm a genuine appreciator of his games! Paul always puts a lot of heart into his work, and MADHOUSE is no different. It's a (darkly) charming top-down action adventure with classic design sensibilities. Despite the horror themes, I find it to be a very cozy game to play - the pacing is brisk and consistently keeps you entertained with new narrative beats, setpieces, and objectives. Structurally, there is exploration, but it's not an open world that takes you far away from the main storyline. There's no aimless wandering around, getting lost in side quests, etc., which I find quite refreshing. Given that it's Early Access, it's worth noting that there are some rough edges and the story is only partially complete. But what is there is already quite juicy - at least a few hours of nutritious GAME without any padding. And then there's the Versus Mode, which is even more fleshed out... although I haven't had the opportunity to play it as much, the times I have were full of chaotic interactions that reminded me of various DOS splitscreen games from my youth, like Cyberdogs and Liero. Experimenting with all the different characters and weapons is really enjoyable. Also, I was impressed with the amount of bespoke details in each arena, which are based around a unique theme and mechanical gimmick.

TL;DR, MADHOUSE is an indie gem, made by a guy who clearly loves b-Horror movies, comedy, and a whole lot of gore. I've known Phubans for a while now, he helped work on my favorite game of all time, UFO 50, and he asked me to playtest this new game he's been working on. So i received a copy, tried the singleplayer and multiplayer modes, and I'm happy to report that it's a lot of fun! In Single-player, you play as a zombified man named Butch who comes back to life after being murdered by a jealous man in a classic horror movie set-up. Being an undead monster, you have a special rage ability, and this will be important later. It makes you feel powerful dashing through the various locales like suburbs, sewers, a military base, a carnival, and you can meet a bunch of funny weirdos along the way. Phubans draws a lot on his love for B-Horror movies in writing the NPCs, and you can tell he loves them and has a knack for comedic timing. This whole mode plays like a top-down, open world adventure game where you explore dungeon-styled areas, collect items, and fight bosses that introduce various characters; backgrounds and storylines. This is the mode that needs the most work and is why it's in Early Access so it can be improved and fleshed out all the way to the end. What I've played so far was really charming, and I'm excited to follow the development of the game and see everything new that's added! But the MULTIPLAYER mode is really where the game shines, for me. In the multiple versus modes, you got deathmatch, first to 10 kills, capture the flag, control points, and you can have a real blast pulling all-nighters with your friends. There's a WIDE variety of characters to play as, and surprisingly large stages with choke points, peekaboo corners, and unique gimmicks that encourage toying with. And remember how I said Butch has a special ability? Well, EVERYONE gets unique abilities and passives in this mode. The vampire can heal himself and turn into a bat, the clown bounces people off him and can teleport all over the map, the haunted doll can turn invisible and stick a voodoo needle in other players, etc. It's all extremely flavorful and fun, and this is the mode I keep coming back to. It's just full of funny moments that happen naturally and back-to-back, there's really no down-time when you're scrambling for items from chests and seeing someone get exploded across the map at the same time. It's all killer, no filler. Overall, MADHOUSE is my kind of game. It puts fun first, it's made with love, and it's really cheap! I wanna see more of this game in the future, so here's my review! 9/10, highly recommended.

MADHOUSE is one of the best games I've played in my whole life, and I really have to thank the Versus mode for that, but more importantly, the developer and the really great community of this game! ​ [h2]Versus Mode:[/h2] The Versus mode has some of the best combat I've ever played in a multiplayer fighting game. I've been a playtester of this game since April of 2024, and it has been one of the best experiences of my life! I've got to meet and make new friends while having an absolute blast playing MADHOUSE! If I could play this mode forever, I would! The Versus mode is a lot of fun and always different! The number of combinations you can have is incredible, yet it all works together, makes sense, and is a load of joy! [b]The maps, characters, modes, and everything else are very well made and obviously had tons of love and work poured into them! [/b] [i]The Versus mode gets a 5/5![/i] ​ [h2]Story Mode:[/h2] The story of MADHOUSE really feels like an older horror movie plot. It captures the time and story it goes for. It also loves to do the classic movie cliches! The story isn't afraid to put something in it either; it'll tell the story it wants to tell without toning it down or babying you into liking it, it'll just full on hit you with what it wants to happen, and it's really great for that! The combat in the story mode is honestly pretty tough, but you never get bored or want to give up; it makes you excited to try it again, especially in the boss fights! [b]From the maps, story, puzzles, characters, to just all of it, the story mode is one of the best times you'll ever have![/b] [i]The story mode gets a 5/5![/i] ​ [h2]Community:[/h2] MADHOUSE has a community, the main place to find them is in the official Discord server! (https://discord.gg/chJNBhThb5) Before I was a part of the community, I was more quiet, I kept to myself a lot, but as I played more and more with them, I actually became more comfortable talking to people, almost a little too much because before finding them I was more of an introvert, but now I'm really described as an extrovert both online and in the real world! I always love meeting new people on the server and playing with them in Versus! [b]It's a great way to meet new people, and it's a really nice community![/b] [i]The community gets 5/5![/i] ​ [h2]The Developer:[/h2] This game is made by one man, Paul Hubans, or Phubans as he goes online. I didn't really know him before MADHOUSE, but I've gone and played his past games, and I just have to say, I wouldn't trust MADHOUSE in anyone else's hands! Most recently, he's worked on UFO 50, which you should also go check out, and he made one of the best games on there, Night Manor! A great point and click game in which I won't spoil anything about! He's also made some other games you might know, like the Indie Game Legend! Anyway, besides his skills in making games, he's also a really nice and fun dude to hang around with! So if you ever see him, ask him to play some MADHOUSE with you and get to know him! [b]One of the most interesting and best game developers out there![/b] [i]The developer gets 5/5![/i] ​ [h2]Music:[/h2] One thing Phubans doesn't make is the music, but it's understandable when you have the god that PaleDeth is! In case you didn't know, MADHOUSE was originally released back in 2007, and this game is a remaster/finished version of that game! In the original, Phubans used music from PaleDeth as the background music, but in this MADHOUSE, PaleDeth is now working with Phubans to make custom music for the game! No other sound fits this game more than his, and I'd check out some of PaleDeth's other music too! [b]I've listened to almost the whole library I could find online, and all of it is great and perfectly crafted![/b] [i]The music gets 5/5![/i] ​ [h2]So, should you buy MADHOUSE?[/h2] [b]Yes! 100% you should! This is my favorite game ever, and it's worth way more than what it's listed for! You won't have any regrets! So stop reading this and go have fun![/b]

This game is awesome. As i am the musician for the game i might be a bit biased but i really do enjoy this game. I got in touch with Phubans about a year ago and he asked to use my music and also make some new music for the game... after playing some i ofcourse said yes. The vs mode is so much fun and i really enjoy the story mode altough its a bit hard but that just adds to the gamwplay. 10/10.

I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy this game as much as I did, but Madhouse completely won me over. It’s a perfect homage to classic horror movies—think VHS grain, creepy synth soundtrack, and that unsettling 80s vibe that gets under your skin. The 8-bit graphics somehow make it even creepier, letting your imagination fill in the blanks just like the old days. The atmosphere is chef's kiss—tense, moody, and genuinely unsettling at times. If you grew up on old-school horror or just love retro games with a dark twist, this is an absolute gem. Don’t let the simple visuals fool you—there’s real heart (and terror) in here.

Great singleplayer content and infinite amounts of multiplayer fun!

me and my friends like killing each other cool game

10/10 would chainsaw again

Such a fun game to play and at the beyond affordable price everyone should be playing it.

Fun retro horror game, perfect for Halloween. Haven't played a lot but seems promising and like some love was put into it.