Many times I postponed creating this review, to the point that it is now way overdue. Mainly because it never really managed to pull me in, while Haunted Lands, developed by Alevgor, appeals to me as a concept in more ways than one. I keep coming back to it because I always feel the tipping point, the moment where it finally clicks, is just within reach.
First of all, Haunted Lands is a straight up homage to Carmack and Romero’s Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion. There are the EGA-style graphics, which fondly take me back to that Apogee era when shareware was the main vehicle for discovering exciting software. On the other hand, there is the combination of action-platforming, exploration and horror themes. The game lets you choose between three main characters at the start, each with their own play style and characteristics, before sending you into a dark world filled with monsters, cultists and other supernatural horrors.
Stylistically, Haunted Lands does a great job at take on the Dangerous Dave visual style and conveying its world through purposely limited colours and frames of animation. The monsters and zombies you run into are, without exception, beautifully drawn and animated within those self-imposed limitations. The stages themselves are sprawling mazes that somehow remain readable despite their complexity. It just works.
The somewhat grounded limitations of the real world apply to Haunted Lands as well. Reloading takes time, and magic drains stamina, forcing you to take your time and play tactically. It is often better to step back and give yourself room to reload than to rush in headfirst and find yourself dodging enemies and projectiles while trying to refill your weapon. The gun-carrying redneck I am talking about even needs to stand still while reloading, apparently taking a moment to focus. Being overrun by monsters is the last situation you want to find yourself in.
The stages are extremely long, with branching paths, secrets and items to collect. Once you are invested, you can make a lot of progress, but the demanding difficulty and very limited hit points make every mistake count. Meanwhile, you are taking damage left and right due to the deliberately awkward reloading and charging mechanics tied to your weapons and abilities. You will often find yourself restarting from one of the sparse checkpoints and having to work through large chunks of a stage again. And again.
It is a cool concept, but for my taste the stages leave very little room for error. The pacing is restrained by its own design, resulting in gameplay that often feels jerky and somewhat cumbersome. In the first stage alone, there is a section where you need to take the correct sequence of doors in order to progress to the first boss. I’ve managed to get there many times, but one wrong turn and you’re sure to pick up one or two hits, which practically reduces your chances of surviving the boss encounter to zero.
And the crazy part is that when you reach a checkpoint, you are stuck with whatever amount of health you had left when you got there. This is a clear sign that Haunted Lands is out to get you. For some players, that level of punishment is exactly the appeal. For me, it simply confirmed that this is not a game designed for an audience like me.
If you make the time to really get into it, the game shows promise and will likely reward your dedication. Like most difficult retro-inspired games, the first hurdle is also the biggest. However, because Haunted Lands constantly pulls you into lengthy stages filled with branching routes and exploration, failure never feels quite as rewarding to me as it does in many other challenge-driven games. Success, on the other hand, rewards you in spades.
On the other hand, I genuinely believe there is an audience that can completely lock in and thrive on the level of concentration required to overcome its challenges. And once it clicks, it seems to really click. I’ve seen players clock more than 70 hours in the game, a testament to the appeal it can have for the true sweat lords.
If one game in my reviewing career has left me divided, it is Haunted Lands. The vibe, graphics and setting all speak to me. But the game seems to think it's too cool for casuals like me. It deliberately throws up a difficulty and accessibility wall to keep out the plebs, like a bouncer at an exclusive members-only club. It may well be the highest score I've ever given to a game that I personally struggled to enjoy. Yet despite that, I can clearly see its appeal to others.
And to be honest, I'm perfectly fine with that. Haunted Lands is made for a niche crowd, the kind of players who are willing to get chewed up and spit out, only to stand back up and do it all over again.
