The Spencer Mansion from the original Resident Evil is one of the greatest settings in horror game history, surpassed only by RE2's Raccoon City Police headquarters and the titular town of Silent Hill. Every room hides a new horror, an imaginative, mind-bending puzzle, and a lethal enemy - each time you enter an unexplored area, it feels like anything can, and will, jump out on you. Channeling the evil spirit of Capcom's awful abode, Haunted Bloodlines also feels like a would-be sequel in the Silent Hill series, a first-person fear fest where reality warps around you and your sanity hangs in the balance. If you've just gotten finished with Silent Hill 2 Remake and want something fresh for the spooky month, you can try Haunted Bloodlines right now.
At its heart, Haunted Bloodlines is a - twisted, terrifying - family drama. For generations, your ancestors have presided over this ornate old mansion, and their sins have built up like the black mold coating Resident Evil 7. Played in first-person, you tiptoe from room to room, trying to uncover precisely what happened here and how it connects to you, in the present. But of course, it's not that simple. A horror game in the vein of Amnesia and Outlast, you're being stalked by a petrifying specter with a devilish grin - while you have no weapons or means of defending yourself.
And there's another twist. Like the rusted, chain link Otherworld of Silent Hill, in Haunted Bloodlines, you can use a pocket watch to jump backwards and forwards in time. The architecture changes, new clues are revealed, and it's only through piecing together the past that puzzles may painstakingly be solved. It's a disorienting effect, but in the best possible way. Check out the trailer.
The mansion is vast (I especially admire the dining room, which feels directly modeled on the classic Spencer Estate) but also alive, malleable, and organic. Just because you've cleared a room out, doesn't mean you can't turn back the hour hand and find more secrets buried somewhere in its history.
Developed by Horrified Triangles and published by Iphigames, if you want to try Haunted Bloodlines yourself there's a new demo available right here. We're still waiting on the full release date, but this certainly seems like one to watch - no pun intended.
Alternatively, get some of the best survival games, or confound your cogitations with the best puzzle games on PC.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.