The Charnel House Trilogy

What saddens me is whenever I discover a good game with great potential, I realize it has an unfinished story. The Charnel House is a trilogy, and don't get me wrong, the whole trilogy has been released, and you can play it once you purchase it. However, you'll only play three linear chapters, which sets you up for a game that was supposed to be released in 2016. You'll play with two different characters, Alex and Dr. Lang, who you'll meet both in the first chapter, then they'll have their exclusive chapter, which will give us a glimpse into their life. The story starts with a young woman, Alex, who is prepared to leave her life behind and travel somewhere else. At the train station, she met Dr. Lang, and they were both hidden at the same destination. Little did they know that this train had hidden so many secrets. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3432305524 I always enjoyed this type of game and Pixel art style, it made me feel nostalgic. The portrait of the characters is well done. The game's locations were limited, but each time you visit a place, it gives you a different feeling. The soundtracks were different and nicely fitting the melancholic vibe of the game. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3317087858 The puzzles needed some thinking and how to use the items you've got, but I found myself going back and forth at times, not knowing what to do next. The voice-overs are low-quality, but they are not too bad. The game is fully voiced, which is a huge plus for them. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3432305387 Pros: +Interesting creepy story. +Beautiful soundtracks. +Good voice over (But low quality) +Beautiful pixel art +Nice characters portrait +Manual + Automatic save files. +Steam achievements. Cons: -Unfinished game. -No hinting system. -Sometimes the text is a huge block which covers half of the screen. The game has some creepy moments and gore, also some sensitive topics. It also ends in a cliffhanger, however, it can be concluded if you don't want to know more about the characters. It is a good classic game, so if you find yourself bored and want to play something to pass the time, pick it up. [quote]𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑐𝘩𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/32399565/]𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑛𝑎'𝑠 𝐶𝘩𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒[/url][/quote] [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/] Follow [b]IndieGems[/b] [/url] for more reviews like this one. [/quote]

Ich weiß nicht mehr, woher ich dieses Spiel habe oder worum es geht, da es leider nur Englisch ist - aber einige Szenen wirken schon sehr verstörend. Aber macht nichts, es ist ein schnelles einfaches 100% Spiel per Guide :)

Tʀɪɢɢᴇʀ Wᴀʀɴɪɴɢs ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ɢᴀᴍᴇ: [spoiler]Parent death (off-screen), child death (mention), car crash (mention), drunk driving (mention), stalker, suicide, body horror, eye gore, possible claustrophobia and trypophobia inducing situations[/spoiler] Divided into three independent but connected chapters, we are introduced to two strangers who meet up to embark on a train at night heading to Augur Peak. Alex Davenport, a girl who recently broke up with her boyfriend and has a complicated relationship with her family, and Dr. Harold Lang, who works in a museum. In Inhale we follow Alex before she catches that fateful train, getting a glimpse of her troubles and unnerving flashes of what is to come. Sepulchre starts with Dr. Lang waking up, disoriented, and the exploration of the train becomes increasingly more disturbing until it reaches its conclusion while setting up the ambiance for Exhale perfectly. Once again we regain the control of Alex, who is forced to face some unpleasant realizations in this surreal experience. What is Gloria, the train? What is its connection to Augur Peak? How The Charnel House book connect to everything? What awaits Alex and Dr. Lang? This game actually works as a prelude for a title called Augur Peak that has been stuck in development hell for a few years, but it seems there are plans for a 2024 release. As a standalone project, however, it is quite serviceable as a short quick game. The main focus of this game is the story, a lot seems to be quite symbolic or tied to another aspect that is just beneath the surface. The gameplay and puzzles are quite simplistic, somewhat even dull, and feel more like roadblocks than something that is supposed to keep the player engaged. There is a lot of care put in its visuals, with impeccable atmosphere and nice sprite work, with Alex’s body language in the cold, or how the characters interact with the world around them is fluid and quite enjoyable. The soundtrack is fantastic, the piano melodies, the gripping choirs that enhances to mystery along with the changes in lighting throughout the story. The voice cast is solid and the direction is solid, which is quite a nice surprise. While a decent title, it may be a good idea to wait for a more concrete release date for Augur Peak.

So far, so weird. The setting seems to be a nebulous "other" space -- the first third is set in NYC but for some reason the very American protagonist uses British slang ("gone eight" and "gone midnight" and "trolley"), everyone around the protagonist is British or has a very British name, the emergency lights are all blue like in the UK, and she takes a cab to an abandoned train station out in the middle of what appear to be the English moorcountry... And it just gets more incongruous from there. E.G.: A Scottish man who is apparently a native of a New England island. It's well-done and very atmospheric, but it feels like something written by a Brit who'd never been to the States. Also, for what it's worth -- this is a pretty short game that evidently ends on a cliffhanger. It was released in 2015, it ends with the promise of further adventures in 2016, but despite his repeated assurances that the sequel is coming, the creator left game development years ago, they lost their publisher, and his last assurance was in a random Steam thread in 2020. :/ So don't hold your breath.

Charnel House tRiLoGy is a very SHORT game made by a small indie studio. I don't think you can call it a "trilogy" if it is just 3 very short episodes.. Call them episodes or chapters. Trilogy implies standalone content, usually a continuation. This is clearly episodic. I liked that it had voice acting and the pixel art was nice. Reminded me of early Wadjet Eye games. The atmosphere was the selling point and the whole experience was creepy enough. The game was way too short and due to that, very easy for a point & click game. There are very little items and only a few screens which are recycled often. Chapter 2 and 3 play out in the same space, so the screens are reused. If you'd skip chapter 2, you would not miss out on the story. It feels like filler. The story loves to imply and pull various info from a past we know nothing about. This does not feel like a game but more like a movie. Game can be completed in 1-2 hours, but I fell asleep and left it running on my PC. Even when playing, it was such a slog, I'd alt tab and do literally something else. Way too indie, feels like a 1st year B- student project. It could have been a decent enough game, if they just put more effort into it! This game is something even a non-developer can create. Disappointingly short.

Boring, incoherent story with no real answers. Had a few creepy moments, but it never really built up to a finale. Cannot honestly recommend.

[h1]Auch du, Brutus?[/h1] Hört man den Entwicklername Owl Cave, weiß man sofort, in welche Richtung [i]The Charnel House Trilogy[/i] gehen wird. Das mittlerweile 10 Jahre alte Point-and-Click-Adventure lehnt sich in Erzählstruktur und verwirrend mysteriösen Ereignissen stark an Twin Peaks an, was auch im Jahr 2025 noch wunderbar funktioniert. [b]Inhalieren tut gut - Geschichte und Gameplay[/b] Wir spielen als Alex, die sich in der ersten von drei Episoden bereit macht, eine Reise nach Augur Peak anzutreten; natürlich sind Schicksalsschläge und nicht verdaute Ereignisse aus der Vergangenheit dabei. Episode 2 und 3 spielen dann im Zug selbst, wobei wir zunächst den Archäologen Dr. Lang begleiten und darauf wieder Alex. Seltsame Fahrgäste, Zeitsprünge und Metaphern sind an der Tagesordnung. Insgesamt baut die ca. 2-3 Stunden lange Geschichte die Spannung allmählich auf, um dann in der letzten Episode (vielleicht etwas zu) theatralisch zu Ende geführt zu werden. Pluspunkt ist die dichte unheimliche Atmosphäre, die die manchmal holprige Erzählung begleitet; offener Horror tritt selten und wenn nur als drohende Soundkulisse und in Episode 3 in Erscheinung. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3461457660 Aus Sicht des Gameplays sind wir sehr klassisch unterwegs, ähnlich wie die Blackwell-Reihe: der Fokus liegt auf der Geschichte, nicht den relativ einfachen Rätseln, die kaum über Sammeln und aus dem Inventar an der richtigen Stelle anwenden hinausgehen. Für mich waren es letzten Endes auch etwas zu viele "Zwischensequenzen", die mir das Heft aus der Hand nahmen. [b]Ein Dolch, drei Geschichten, kein Ende?[/b] Bereits während des Spielens kam der Verdacht auf, hier nur den Auftakt zu einer größeren Geschichte zu spielen. Dies bestätigt sich spätestens mit dem Abspann, der auf den Nachfolger Augur Peak 2016 verweist. Nun, das ist nie passiert: Gesundheitliche und finanzielle Probleme hinderten den Entwickler an der Fertigstellung. Hat dies Einfluss auf das Spielvergnügen? The Charnel House Trilogy ist in sich abgeschlossen und das vordergründige Geheimnis um Alex löst sich zufriedenstellend auf. Wenn man damit leben kann, dass Anspielungen und Ausblicke nie eingelöst werden, braucht man einen Nachfolger auch nicht. Die Qualität der Geschichte hätte es aber verdient. Immerhin ist Owl Cave im Forum ab und an aktiv, sodass die letzte Hoffnung nicht gestorben ist. [code]Wer etwas mit Twin Peaks und Point-and-Click-Adventures anfangen kann, sollte dem Spiel eine Chance geben. Atmosphäre und eine gute Geschichte sind zu erwarten, die Rätsel könnten unterfordern. Und es hat einen Archäologen![/code] Lust auf Reviews mit einmal mehr und einmal weniger archäologischen Anmerkungen? Probier doch meine Kuratoren-Gruppe [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/archaeoplays#curation]The Archaeologist plays…[/url] aus!

I liked the pixel art and having full voice acting is nice, too. But, well.. the game is really short and the title is misleading. I expected three games, or at least three full episodes, but instead it’s just three short chapters, two of which take place in the same, rather boring location. The game then ends abruptly, leaving a huge cliffhanger and a lot of things unexplained. Like an appetizer for the real trilogy to come. So, yeah.. this came out more than ten years ago, I seriously doubt we’ll ever see a sequel. There are almost no real puzzles and while the narrative has some interesting ideas, it’s mostly just confusing. It's not terrible.. but would I recommend it? No, not really.

Extremely unlikable protagonist, uninteresting and unlikable other characters, story is all over the place and the game tries to be a lot more clever than it actually is, much like the protaganist. The constant profanity is also painfully awkward and I'm no puritan by any measure. Didn't care one bit for this.

Criminally overlooked indie horror gem. It will exceed your expectations in terrifying ways.