A Stylish Survival RPG Drenched in B-Movie Camp
It is always a bit of a hit-and-miss affair when comic books or graphic novels cross over into the medium of film or games. Marvel took a while to find their footing before the creation of the MCU in the late 2000s, and unbelievably, even Spider-Man couldn’t get it right until the turn of the millennium. However, for every success like Sin City, you have a Tank Girl or a V for Vendetta that didn’t quite nail it.
Hopefully, the game conversion of I Hate This Place, based on the successful run of comics from Image, will hit the mark with this new survival RPG. Let’s see if it does.
I Hate This Place is developed by Rock Square Thunder and is their second game following The Light Bringer in 2022. Both games are very different but share a distinct isometric visual style.
The Horned Man and the Hunt for Lou
In this game, you take on the role of Elena. Along with her friend Lou, she takes part in a summoning ritual to awaken the Horned Man. Naturally, things go pear-shaped; Lou is taken, and Elena is left alone in a strange world. She heads out to find her friend and discover exactly what happened.
The world that Elena discovers is full of strange creatures, alien abductions, and crazy cultists. It is a place full of B-movie camp rather than realistic horror, and the dialogue and narrative embrace this notion effectively. However, sometimes I felt that the tone wasn’t quite right; with so many things going on story-wise, I occasionally lost focus on the thrust of the main arc.
Exploration vs. Nocturnal Nightmares
The gameplay is a mixture of survival horror, stealth, combat, and resource management. And from there, the day/night cycle creates two distinct phases of play. Daytime is when you can do a lot of exploring and gathering resources, while at night, all manner of monsters want to kill you. Speaking of survival elements, I Hate This Place leans into an old enemy: hunger. Yes, whether you love it or hate it, keeping Elena fed is key. If her hunger worsens, your stamina bar depletes, which is very annoying as stamina is vital for avoiding monsters.
Your Aunt and Uncle’s ranch serves as your base of operations. Here, you can build items like workstations or food management systems to make your life easier. You can also upgrade your weapons and build water storage. All of this works well enough, though don’t expect a complicated building simulator.
Stealth and Survival
I liked the main story beats and side quests, which range from the mundane to the surreal. Most of the creatures in the game have poor sight, so using sound is key. You must tread carefully, avoiding puddles or broken glass. You can also distract enemies by throwing objects one way and then slipping past while they are investigating.
Combat Constraints
Combat is okay, but I found the lack of a dodge button and the fixed camera to be a bit of a problem. The enemies aren’t necessarily the issue, but the controls in these situations take a while to get used to. I spent a lot of time hitting enemies, running away, and trying not to get grabbed. When you do get grabbed, you take a lot of damage, which is a massive drain on your health. Furthermore, it feels like the monsters need a lot of shots to take them down, even with a shotgun, which is a major problem when resources are low. Consequently, stealth becomes key, and avoiding combat is the best strategy, which is a bit of a shame.
The visuals beautifully echo the I Hate This Place’s comic book roots with striking colours and style. There’s a clever mechanic where sound is visualised; like in a comic, text bubbles reading “Thud” might appear when you move. The overall design is executed nicely with a great colour palette.
The audio works fine as well, with some fully voiced characters here and there, and a soundtrack that hits the mark in certain places even if it feels less effective in others. Overall, the visuals and sound design are among the highlights of the game.
An Interesting World with Frictional Fights
There is a lot to love about I Hate This Place, especially in terms of the story, visuals, and audio. However, I do think the gameplay loop, the combat and stealth, isn’t as fun as it should be. Combat, especially, feels a bit too unforgiving, and generally is unenjoyable. I liked the quests and the exploration though, as the world design is very interesting, but on the flip, I wouldn’t have missed the survival mechanics.
I Hate This Place is just about worth a whirl though, as you look to enter into some B-movie horror.
Important Links
Survival Horror Meets Crafting in I Hate This Place – Out Now on Xbox, PS5, Switch & PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/survival-horror-meets-crafting-in-i-hate-this-place-out-now-on-xbox-ps5-switch-pc/
Get Ready to Scream: I Hate This Place Unveiled, Bringing Open-World Horror to PC and Console – https://www.thexboxhub.com/get-ready-to-scream-i-hate-this-place-unveiled-bringing-open-world-horror-to-pc-and-console/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/i-hate-this-place/9p9n7vg2bf53
