Gamers logo

'Phantom Halls': Indie Horror Gets the Comedy Treatment

Incendium Games proves fun and horror go hand in hand.

By Mark LoProtoPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
Like

The dim beam of your flashlight is barely enough to illuminate your way through the darkened mansion. Floorboards creak and the walls whisper a haunting song as you and your ill-equipped squad search for an escape from the living nightmare. As with the horror movies we've grown so used to watching, everything starts off quiet—that is until you cross paths with that first deadly ghoul that sets the tone for your haunted adventure.

Incendium Games welcomes you to the "Phantom Halls" of your run-of-the-mill haunted mansion. Guided by no more than your flashlight and equipped with all manner of weaponry, you'll explore the inner-workings of a massive estate filled with a rogue's gallery of fiends, ghouls, monsters, and specters.

The first thing you'll likely notice about Phantom Halls—at least it's the first thing I noticed—is the art style. I was never a fan of the 3D papercraft style, but I realized shortly after building my first paper figure (seen here) that I just hadn't seen it used for something that appealed to me. Phantom Halls calls to me in a major way. While I don't blindly love everything to do with horror, my weak spots are puzzle-filled haunted mansions and fun redesigns on enemies we've all seen and battled before.

As your avatars on this hellish journey, Incendium's designers created a cast of recognizable and eccentric characters with unique passive skills and abilities. Dozens of options are available, from the timid nerd to the vixen that's clearly tired of the "damsel in distress" stereotype, and each one plays differently enough to amp up replayability. You'll push your character of choice through the oversized mansion, picking up customizable weapons and traps along the way to make it a fair fight against a horde of creatures.

A game like this requires a hefty variety of enemy type to avoid getting stale and Phantom Halls features quite the selection. Haunting the halls of the procedurally generated mansion are gargoyles, evil clowns, living dolls, squirmy bugs, bats, zombies, ghosts, and other monstrosities. Making your way through unmanicured gardens, musty basements, and other unsettling environs, you'll find an endless stream of horrors and mini-bosses that aim to keep you from escaping.

The team at Incendium has obviously kept all manner of gamers in mind during development. Combat may be at the forefront of overall gameplay, but the mansion is a fully-explorable set piece that's going to attract gamers that love puzzle solving. Exploration winds up being another big component that fits so perfectly in Phantom Halls, creating a well-rounded experience with much to offer.

Kickstarter has become a breeding ground for the unique and fun concepts we never knew we needed. Phantom Halls is one such idea, mixing the accessibility of a 2D side-scroller with the quirky atmosphere of games like Grabbed by the Ghoulies. The team at Incendium worked hard to ensure that Phantom Halls is more than just a retread of old ideas. It's a fantastic use of genres we're already familiar with to create something new, playful, and delightfully spooky.

Currently in Early Access on Steam, Phantom Halls is undergoing further work for a more polished finished product that's expansive and infinitely replayable. The planned full release, labeled "v1" on the campaign page, is currently slated for October 2018. Though the Early Access version is pretty solid, Incendium hopes to use the crowdfunding as a means of perfecting the overall experience.

According to the Kickstarter, funds will be used to balance mechanics, polish the art and animations, optimize the experience, and fine-tune the script. In October, the full retail release will include everything that the thousands of Early Access gamers have been enjoying, including the officially licensed Evil Dead 2 content pack. This groovy bit of content features the dim-witted, chainsaw-wielding hero, Ash Wiliams, the famed cabin, and a set of quests based on Evil Dead lore.

Typically, I don't suggest backing a project for the rewards it offers, but Incendium cleverly enlisted the help of talented artist Matthew Skiff to design the art for several of the bounties. Inspired by Tales from the Crypt, Skiff drafted a glow-in-the-dark t-shirt and an EC Horror comics tribute sporting one of Phantom Halls' heroines knee-deep in zombies. There's also a plush pillow based on the in-game skeleton head design, character enamel pins, and nifty poster any horror gaming fan would love to hang over their setup.

While Incendium Games works hard at finalizing the full October release of Phantom Halls, you have something to ponder: Do you dare take on the horrifying beasts of this procedurally generated world on your own, controlling multiple characters at once? Or will you enlist the help of a friend in the game's co-op mode? However you wind up tackling it, you're in for a frightful and memorable good time.

horror
Like

About the Creator

Mark LoProto

Writer | Avid Gamer | Horror Enthusiast | A Voice for All Industries

Writing and building communities are my passions

Featured on all corners of the Internet

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.