Haunted House Renovator

TLDR; too broken, I can't even play the game at all, PLAY THE DEMO INSTEAD. Somehow the demo is more functional. I did request a refund but it's been in my library for like a month because I was hoping for an update soooo who knows if that'll be approved. I have tried SO much to get this game to work, it's so unfortunate that I was never even able to play it. The demo was fantastic, it was so much fun; both cute/silly AND creepy/cozy? Those are my most favorite things in the world! But I haven't been able to do jack shit with it. It'll say I have over an hour of playtime, because that's how much I have tried to boot the game only to get a black screen or a white screen and I'd close it out and try again, sometimes I'd just leave the room for a while in hopes it was just taking a long time to load, I've had to reboot my fucking beast of a computer just because the game refused to close all the way. Hell, I even did all the same things with my Steam Deck- since, for some god forsaken reason, Infinity Nikki works on my Deck but not my PC after the apocalyptic 1.5 update, so I was wondering if maybe that would work here too- obviously it didn't. I think something that irritates me the MOST is that I haven't, so far, seen a the devs say anything about the technical issues. The thing that pushed me to be like "eff it, no more second chances, no more waiting for patches and updates" was the update they put up today where they added all this new content and even said "We've listening to your criticisms and feedback!" and they added like a new maid ghost and a new tutorial; cool, good for them. WISH I COULD SEE THAT. I know I'm not the only one with issues, and even the people who can play the game have a lot of issues with bugs from what I've seen, why are they adding in cute fun stuff (and yes also fixing the fact that the learning curve was apparently too steep with a new tutorial, thats not the same level as the maid) when the game doesn't work for a lot of people. I'm usually not so mean spirited about this type of thing, but I am SO disappointed. I hope they wake up and smell the ectoplasm and actually optimize the game and fix it, I'd be willing to go back and buy the game, at full price, if I see adequate evidence of them fixing this. DEVS, PLEASE FIX THIS BEFORE THE TECHNICAL DEBT IS OVERWHELMING I BELEIVE IN YOU <3

EDIT: The dev responded to me with "we published 12 patches in the span of 6 weeks so we're definitely not delaying patches". I want to be clear that yes, I understand there have been many patches--my frustration was that for two weeks the devs made clear they intended to put a very broken game on hold for an update that shouldn't have been needed from the start (also, 12 patches is a lot of work, I acknowledge that, but it's disappointing that even with that, the game is still very broken). I have played with the most recent patch: - Garbage still clips into the walls and becomes unreachable - Banishing haunts still doesn't always work - Can't even take pictures of all haunts, game doesn't register it - Wallpaper preview is still broken - Tasks still don't always mark as complete when they're finished (magic circle to banish wraith, for example) - I gave up so there might be more I'm glad the tutorial was finally implemented, though I'm confused as to why it was made to be a whole separate area--the demo had more of a tutorial than the actual game, and I was expecting more comprehensive explanations within the starter apartment. I'm not sure if a whole separate area was warranted, but I will chalk that up to preference (though it seems like an unnecessary amount of work for the devs to have focused on) Are there improvements? Yes, I think so, but fundamentally the game is still too rough to review positively. The devs are continuing to patch, and I do think they listen to their players, but the actual fixes and implementations are very slow to manifest, if they ever do. Basically, this game still feels like buggy early access. Hold off on buying it for now, and probably for a good while. ---------------- I wanted to wait to review this game until after their big update; however, this game is so incredibly broken and buggy, and frankly shouldn't NEED such a big update over a MONTH after they've released it (the update, as far as I can tell, is predominantly the tutorial they should've had from the start). A game with this many bugs should be patched accordingly, not put on hold for a Big Great Tutorial Update. Every update introduces new bugs and doesn't fully fix the old ones (such as awful geometry--enjoy getting trash consistently stuck in the walls and not being able to 100% a job) The processes for banishing the wraiths and other entities is broken at best--I've had the game not acknowledge that I've banished a wraith, then let me "banish" it again, but still didn't acknowledge this task, which I need to do to complete the job? Also the amount of times I've apparently not cleaned all garbage or stains, but the scanner won't reveal it, is infuriating. Not to mention the wallpaper preview often not working when you switch patterns, the upgrade UI being clunky, haunts (or their sounds/effects) reappearing when you load a save, tasks not completing when you've actually completed them...the list goes on. This game, at its release, was essentially a very rough early access build marked as a completed game, and it still feels like EA. Every update and patch had such a long list of "fixes" (that often didn't work) that read more like an early access game updating their incomplete game, rather than a finished game ironing out minor bugs. I've uninstalled and reinstalled this game several times, and you can see by my playtime that I've spent a good amount of my time trying to enjoy this game, but I shouldn't have to uninstall and delete everything just so the game isn't so broken that I can't advance past the starter apartment after restarting. I'm incredibly disappointed in a game that I was so excited about, and have had to warn friends against buying something that, as it stands, is an unfinished game in my eyes. I'll probably end up wasting more of my life trying to enjoy this game, and maybe at some point I'll actually truly enjoy it; until then, I've uninstalled it (again) and am going to wait until the update...and the several patches after to fix everything the update breaks.

So first off, I can say that my short time of 5 hours in, i have not encountered any bugs that have caused the game not to work. So I am a big fan of House Flipper and I thought, this is going be an interesting game. I have been HEAVY into simulation games lately and this one fell behind. Now as for my feelings on the game. When you first start there is a very minimal tutorial section. After you complete that, it kind of hands you the reigns and your left to your own devices. With that said, I like game that doesn't "hand hold" my way through it. So I have been just playing and discovering and have enjoyed my time with it. I can see me investing quite a few hours into it. The only real negative I can say and this is just a minor one, it does kind of chug on Steamdeck. That's my main Steam device, but it still plays. If I wallpaper a whole room, the FPS drops down to like 10, but comes back up and stabalizes. I hope there are updates to come and the developer continues to add content. With a few minor tweaks here and there, this one could really be a top tier simulator/renovator.

Honestly it is a good game, it's just such a shame it's so full of bugs and gives little helpful information. I couldn't tell if the hauntings were bugged or if I just wasn't following the instruction properly. Some rooms would ask for fixed or replaced furniture, but there was nothing to indicate what was missing so I'd have to randomly place from the catalogue in the hopes that's what it needed. It needs definitely needs quite a few updates before I think it'll be really enjoyable. Maybe at least a slower introduction of the tools or actions to better understand what everything means. I've rated as recommended because it does have potential, it just needs fixing first. I'm going to come back after a fair few updates I think.

I don't feel like the reviews for this game are fair. Yes, it has it's bugs, it's glitches and it's issues, but that is always to be expected with new games. Heck, Phasmophobia had just as many issues when it was released and people love that game. This game has only been out for a month and a half at the time I'm writing this and it takes time to fix the bugs and glitches when they are reported. I personally enjoyed the game, the concept of there being a story line along with just the renovating of the properties is great. Additionally each property has it's own unique theme relating to the entities that are haunting it. I don't regret my purchase. I look forward to what the developers have planned for this game

The game has beautiful graphics, different mechanics both for the renovation and paranormal aspects, a (so far) simple but solid story line and voice acting. The concept is great. Unfortunately it is bugged. I was stuck and unable to move at all twice (had use the unstuck button), couldn't find the missing object for the haunted statue thingy two out of two times (first two levels) and when choosing a wallpaper the preview is often either completely white or the majority is. Some mechanics are also really frustrating. Again, the wallpaper. The lower wood pieces are always the same color that doesn't always match what it will actually look like on the wall. Finding the matching wallpaper to the damaged one on the wall is also a nightmare. It would be great if fixing it would automatically use said wallpaper like when you fix damaged flooring. A big menu that displays multiple wallpapers and colors (again like for the flooring and ceiling) would get rid of the very frustrating, tedious and time consuming scroll mechanic that is in the game now. I REALLY hope these things get fixed at some point because the game concept is really good and I LOVE the overall vibe so much, but unfortunately the game is really frustrating to play the way it is now.

I feel this game should have been released into Early Access. I 100% acknowledge I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes between devs and publishers so do not know if this was ever considered an option. This is based on my experience with other games in early access vs. full release. Let me be clear. I LOVE this game. I am active in submitting bug reports through their system and have had conversations on their Discord. I have genuinely enjoyed, most, of my time with this game. However. I had high hopes with this latest big patch that some of the more lingering issues would be fixed and they are not. For every good, there is a bad and some have been here since the FIRST demo. I played all demos and was part of the beta test before the game went live (at the time, after that test the launch was pushed back a few weeks, it wasn't enough.) Let me be clear. I am still playing this game. I am still enjoying this game, but I cannot, at this moment, recommend this game. Some positives: The new tutorial is much more 'hand holding' and I like that. I had no problem with the original tutorial but this makes it a lot easier to be doing one thing at a time. (The old tutorial is the first level of the game, and I say it's still in tutorial mode since it limits what you can do at the start and guides you, a little. But the new one being added is much better.) They removed the music mini-game from pet capture (though the instructions for the mini-game are still present.) This makes pet capture go more smoothly. (Please note: I am not 100% through the latest build. Unsure if the issues with capturing the cat and the dog persist.) I no longer get possessed as I complete the ritual to banish the wraith. That was always quite annoying. The decision to combine some of the tools was a good one, less switching around. The inputs for turning objects we purchase has been fixed (when an update happened two builds ago, there was key conflict.) The game runs better than it used to, I have far less stuttering. However, rooms will not clear that should. Items will be crossed off as 'completed enough' but still listed when clearly they are done. i.e. replacing wallpaper when the entire room has been redone, twice, cleaning stains off of walls or floor when there are no more stains, garbage not being picked up (and this is separate from when the trash has glitched into the wall and you cannot pick it up, also still a problem). Not recognizing repaired lights so needing to buy more. Forgetting a room was clear when returning to it after finishing others, having to-do items return to the list (usually buying things, like lights). I'm still having to pay for the 'reduce cost of wallpaper' TWICE. Instead of being able to buy it once then buy the 'wallpaper free' option. The wallpaper preview is still half-broken. I say half because some I can see clearly, others show me a mostly blank image with a tiny bit of the pattern on the side too small for me to see. Saving a job, exiting, then returning has several tasks no longer finished and some needing to be redone, more than just the 're-buy the lights' from being on a job for awhile. And when this happens some of them CAN'T be re-done. I no longer got credit for banishing the lantern ghost since I had to save and quit then come back. Currently, we can't re-do missions, only re-enter them at the point we left. Let me be clear. I love this game. I am having a lot of fun and I'm more than happy to continue to play and help the devs improve this game until it's really ready for everyone. However, in it's state, I cannot give this a full recommend. If after reading this you're willing to give it a shot, maybe swing by the Discord or submit a bug report, great. Just be 100% aware that it's not perfect and it IS still cooking.

You know i read the reviews for this and thought hard about buying the game. Looked into it and thought if it works it would be right up my street, it has worked and i love it. Could do with a few tweaks here and there, like what missing or broken items to replace but nothing major. Looking forward to more updates and hopefully DLC when it's ready!

It's a fun game with a lot of bugs. The bugs aren't game breaking and the developers are actively working on fixing issues and adding features.