THE MUTE HOUSE Review (PC)

If Alisa has taught me anything, it’s that old habits die hard, and that the primitive nature of PSX-inspired video games is timeless—impenetrable, even. And that’s what brings me just the smallest glimmer of hope — knowing that, even with all of its warts and controversial fixtures, developers are still working head over high water to replicate the basic structure of a 90’s horror. Take THE MUTE HOUSE, for example; the game itself resides within the shell of a classic exterior—a sphere, of sorts, that primarily consists of janky camera angles, oftentimes laughable voiceovers, and puzzles that have the potential to make you question just about anything and everything. That, in short, is what December Blues Games’ creation brings to the table — and I’m all for the nostalgia trip.

THE MUTE HOUSE makes a genuine effort to instill familiarity in its core audience—a collective of fans who, from the way it waxes old habits and replicates former mechanics, are far more likely to find something to reminisce over. However, one burst of nostalgia doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a good game; to achieve such praise it must also capture a fascinating narrative, and not to mention an ironclad locale and sense if uncertainty. The question is, does THE MUTE HOUSE contain these things? Let’s find out, shall we?

Old Habits Die Hard

THE MUTE HOUSE tells the tale of Emily—a girl who, in an attempt to uncover the mystery pertaining to her sister’s disappearance, finds herself within the inner boroughs of a decrepit mansion. It’s within this mansion that, in a true love letter fashion to the PSX era and, more specifically, Resident Evil, each corridor contains several intriguing puzzles, inventory-based juggling systems, and the occasional boss fight. With all of this being the outer walls of its melting pot of nostalgic horror, the game itself stays true to the spirit of contextless storytelling; it doesn’t hold your hand as your gradually make your way through each room, nor does it provide you with any major pointers on how to tackle certain obstacles or approach particular puzzles. But that’s a minor proviso; if you’re familiar with the old-school horror, then you’ll no doubt have a basic understanding of how it works.

The story behind THE MUTE HOUSE isn’t what drives this experience; it’s the picture-perfect details and the amount of depth its independent developer went through the effort to capture. From the janky mechanics to the irrational nature of its design, and just about everything between — THE MUTE HOUSE is, for lack of a better description, a tribute to several keystone franchises that fleshed out over a decade of fantastic horror. And sure, while it does fall short in some areas—the lack of polish on its visuals and audio, for example—it’s difficult to tell whether or not any of this was implemented intentionally. But that’s sort of the beauty behind PSX-inspired imagery, though, isn’t it? If it looks like a PSX game, warts and all, then it’s doing something right, surely?

A Walk Down Memory Lane

There is a bit of learning curve to THE MUTE HOUSE, but that sort of comes as expected, given its association with unintentionally broken systems. Aside from the fact that you have little to no guiding light to point you in the right direction, the game also requires you to manage inventory, solve illogical puzzles, and compete against bosses that would soon rather test your patience than your natural abilities. But again, that’s sort of the theme you can expect to unearth from the game; it’s janky, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a bad game, all things considered. What I mean to say is that, if you’re accustomed to the nineties era—a period in which prolific developers were emerging from their former teething problems and grasping new ways to innovate in their crafts, then hey — you’re about to take a walk down memory lane with this one.

On the plus side of the game’s affiliation with janky controls and misleading gameplay, THE MUTE HOUSE doesn’t feature any game-breaking bugs or audiovisual drawbacks. Well, it contains some frequent bugs, but it does a splendid job of disguising them as intentional fixtures in the framework. The point is, while it’s certainly no picnic, least a structurally sound one, it is a hallmark to the origins of numerous iconic horror series. So, if you’re vaguely familiar with the likes of Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and Silent Hill, then you’ll feel right at home with the half-baked nodes and flaws of THE MUTE HOUSE. And I mean that in the nicest way possible, believe me.

Somber Memories

The piece of the puzzle that impressed me the most during the four or five hours that I poured into THE MUTE HOUSE was the ambiance and the sheer amount of detail that came out of the woodwork. In addition to the relatively short campaign sprouting various jump scares and intense combat, it also went through the commendable effort of establishing a somber atmosphere that, while still incapable of holding a candle against the likes of other, slightly newer horror titles, was genuinely frightful in all of the ways you would naturally expect from a B-list indie survival-horror. From its clever use of shadow imagery to its dull sense of isolated reality, the game itself was more or less designed to keep you on your toes from the moment you embraced its outer walls to the split-second you parted ways with it. There are ten extra bonus points, right there.

While the mechanics are slightly temperamental, to say the least, the gameplay can also be a tremendous amount of fun to piece together, doubly so when you’re essentially forced to learn the ropes without the help of another spiritual guide. And while this might not please everyone in the room, it’ll certainly keep avid fans of the survival-horror network from resorting to more forgiving worlds. It’s all hit and miss in that regard; it’s a double-edged sword that’s likely to annoy just as many people as it will remind them of their adolescent years.

Verdict

If you’ve an undying desire to plunge back into the bottomless depths of dopamine-fueled horror, fixed-camera angles, and questionably stunning PSX-inspired visuals, then I can safely say that you’ll be in more than capable hands with THE MUTE HOUSE. While it’s certainly no secret that its chosen genre is a niche one, its continuous efforts to capture the beating heart of a particular golden age of gaming is commendable, to say the least. To say that it has the capacity to resonate with audiences across all generations is an overstatement; it has its limitations in that regard, as it frequently relies on time-appropriate components that, regrettably, no longer hold up in today’s society — like fixed camera angles, for instance.

Thankfully, THE MUTE HOUSE does provide some interesting plot points and settings to untangle and explore. In addition to its ability to raise several questions and establish the moral boundaries between myth and reality, it also comes clean with a surprising array of intriguing characters and puzzling encounters to unpack and decipher. And, while I for one probably wouldn’t return to its inner circle to rekindle these things, I would make an attempt to point others in its direction to see it for themselves — if not to aid their efforts in finding a quality horror, then for the sake of scratching that post-PSX itch for a handful of hours.

The fact that PSX is on the cusp of being given a full-blown revival instills nothing but joy, truly. Suffice it to say that, if THE MUTE HOUSE is just one of the candidates that will help bring about its resurrection, then I can proudly say that its creators are doing an excellent job. Thanks for the memories, team.