Dollhouse
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Game Description
About Dollhouse
This haunting horror game draws you into the mysterious atmosphere of film noir. Delve deep into the mind of Marie, a detective trying to unravel the secrets of her past memory by memory. Use the ‘Focus’ feature to see through the eyes of your pursuer as you try to survive a suspenseful game of cat and mouse.
Features
- Escape your pursuer as you decipher the eerie story of your past in Singleplayer
- Customize and upgrade your character with 40+ Abilities and Passives
- Scan the environment and see through the eyes of your pursuer
- Creep through procedurally generated maps, no restart is the same in any game mode
- Murder wisely in competitive online Multiplayer where each player has a different target
- Deepen your fears with 14 playable characters in Multiplayer, each with a unique story
Announcements
No. of Reviews: 20
Review 1
Purchased!
Played through and found this game pretty interesting. First time playing a noir game, so maybe that is why it has grabbed my attention. First off, the atmosphere is pretty creepy, so i found that as a huge plus. It is a maze in every Chapter, and it is based around being chased by a Doll and mannequins. But after every feat accomplished, there is a new rut in the road such as the mannequins chasing you more, the mannequins causing effects on the character, and a few other aspects which i found unique. When you die, you lose everything and can find your body once you restarted to collect your memories, or just continue to play. So many things to collect in the chapters and the movie editor at the end of each chapter makes you want to collect as much as possible. No bugs that are game changing so far in single player for me. I haven't unlocked a lot of abilities, but i think the ones i have unlocked are amazing and all have their specific use. The only downside i have found is multiplayer. I have tried three times to try and play it, but have failed to connect to a server and play. Of course, the game tells you that part is still in beta, so i am not sweating it to much. People will complain about any new game that has a setup where every chapter is pretty much the same, just with a different overlay. And yes, you pretty much do the same thing in every chapter. But what makes it really shine is the story of the characters, the creepy atmosphere, how nothing stays the same after completing tasks, and just the different movies and the such you can collect. I have found this game very fun thus far. Call me easily pleased, but i am very happy with this game so far.
Review 2
Purchased!
This game is very creepy. I enjoy the style and the music is great. Stressful fun. If you love horror games that are less shooting and more atmosphere this is the game for you.
Review 3
Purchased!
After an hour and a half, this is the most frustrating and annoying game start I've ever played. The controls are barely usable, the introduction is obtuse and confusing, When you die, you are supposed to find your body to recover your pick-ups, but I can't get there without dying again. I still have no idea how the powers are supposed to work... the list goes on. I love the look of the game and the premise, but it is just unplayable.
Review 4
Purchased!
I apologize in advance for my poor English. Translated using Google. I write in English, because the game does not support Russian (one of the disadvantages of games for Russian-speaking players). :( I liked the game and the overall style of the game as a whole, but it requires filling it with more content and interactivity. I watched many video reviews of this game, and the opinion of these video bloggers, in principle, coincided with my personal impressions. The game has an original concept in which there is great potential, but it is almost not disclosed. From the description of the game: «The game has references within the following themes: sex, substance use (alcohol and tobacco) and violence». Unfortunately, only reference! And that so sluggish and short-lived, that you may not notice them! Used screamers are very monotonous and scary only at the beginning. After that, they most likely interfere with movement, which leads to irritation of the players and their unwillingness to continue playing the game. I'm still trying to playing the game, but unfortunately the gameplay is very quickly becoming a routine. Solving puzzles with periodic running through the corridors and "photographing" faceless and inexpressive mannequins, who periodically hammer you on the head. In my opinion, increasing the interest to the game can only increase the emphasis on sex, substance use (alcohol and tobacco) and violence, as well as adding more interaction. Just my personal wishes (for game developers). 1. Make the mannequins more expressive, so that they did not merge with the walls at least. Make a more variety of mannequins and their behaviors. 2. Make the killers "blind", but with more activity and reaction to certain player actions. For example, as «Liker» in «Resident Evil 2 Remake" - pass them stealthily very frightening. Mannequins can serve them "eyes". 3. When the killer approaches the player, use the sound of footsteps (knock of heels) instead of intense music. It would also help orient the player. Also, it would not quite prevent the various "threats" from the killer, both during the persecution and during his search. 4. Diversify the effects of mannequins on the player. For example: - make the movement of mannequins, regardless of the player view, while reducing their aggressiveness, but to add more functionality; - slow down/stop a player, including during his escape from killers; - just follow the player, while directing the killers to the player, giving out his location; - add sound effects to mannequins when pursuing a player (chuckles, sighs, etc.); - make false sounds, typical of a killer, create his silhouette, etc. 5. Mannequins allow “examination” for their temporary deactivation, as an alternative to "flashlight". In this case, make various consequences. For example, a “flashlight” removes the mannequins for a while, and the “examination” only “transfers” the mannequins to its original location. 6. To make the “examination” of mannequins more informative, for example the opportunity to get some kind of hint and add more interactive. 7. Make rooms unavailable for killers. At the same time, mannequins could interfere with the player to run in to room during the rescue from the killer. 8. Add playing erotic videos during the killer running behind the player (instead of annoying music) when killer knows location of gamer. 9. Work with the sound and add more audio effects.
Review 5
Purchased!
Dollhouse is a super immersive and spooky experience! One of my biggest fears in games is being stalked by something and this game plays on that so well. The puzzles were interesting and fun and I was kept on my toes throughout! Recommend it if you like horror games with a cool story that you need to discover underneath it all!
Review 6
Purchased!
Preface I don’t usually play horror games or review games but I am a fan of film noir which is why this has gotten my attention and I hope it gets more attention as I think it will have a cult following in a few years. Intro You play as Marie, a standard private eye that is basically Carmen Sandiego, instead of travelling the world stealing things, you are travelling in her mind stealing memories instead. You will be hunted down by some sort of entity in a cat & mouse experience. During your stay, you will fight different enemy types, solve a lot of puzzles, and analyze things for clues. In the end, you find out that it culminates to something very interesting and definitely worth your time as its something only unique to you, not anyone else. Good - A very interesting story that welcomes multiple playthroughs with a genius ending - Interesting “Focus” mechanic that lets you see through the monster’s eyes and look for objectives - A nice variety of abilities that players can unlock and use. - A good variety of environments - A nice variety of enemy types - Amazing music & voice acting - Inclusion of an aptly named “Voyeur” mode where players can play without dying - Decent campaign length with a lot of replay value Bad - Confusing/ not enough information for mechanics/ elements - Repetitive gameplay - Still has bugs (I know the devs are hard at work fixing them, I can’t imagine how it was at launch) - Can’t find a match for Multiplayer (I guess there aren’t enough players) Summary Dollhouse isn't your average horror game. It tries a lot of new things while some worked, some didn’t. If you are a fan of horror or film noir I urge you to check this game out. You won’t regret it!
Review 7
Purchased!
What a horrible game! It started nice (seemed like a copy of bioshock), then it quickly turned into a repetitive chore. You go around in the dark clicking everywhere. That what you will do, no history, no nothing. Please, do a favor to yourself and avoid this game
Review 8
Purchased!
I want to give my early impressions of this game. It's different. The atmosphere of Dollhouse is something unique. The music, the setting, it all really gives off Film Noir vibes, which is, in gaming, something that doesn't get explored as usually as it probably should, but when it does, for me is interesting. The way the main character is presented, you get the vibes that the story will be more than meets the eye, especially with, while not spoiling, the direction of some game aspects. It feels like an experience that the more you progress, the creatures and world will begin to make more and more sense in the context they're presented, and a story which will give you the satisfaction of piecing it together along the way that will feel rewarding. To a degree, from the environment, I found myself having the feeling I had, that I can only describe as what I felt during my initial exploration of the Bioshock games, or more recently, Evil Within 2. Something is wrong, and the more you understand, the more dangerous it becomes. I'm liking what I'm playing so far. It reminds me of the type of game I would love watching the Super Best Friends play. From what I've seen from negative reviews, complaints of repetitive gameplay are brought up, but from what I've played, I feel like it fits the style of the game. The puzzle solving, the pressure of always having to look around your shoulder in a maze setting. Not every release will blow you out of the park like God Of War, or Halo, etc. But I've been able to have some fun, in a genre of horror, that I usually personally stay away from. Does the game have some issues? Of course. It's rare even a AAA release comes out perfect. Considering this is a team early in their studio's life, I think it's fine. It's a smaller release, from a smaller studio that seems passionate about the project, and seems to be taking criticism head on, to make a fun experience. I see the type of game that reminds me of the days when companies were willing to take risks and try something new. Similar to the Xbox 360 and PS3 days, when new IP's had a better shot, and were willing to put out something different, because games are an art form, that has suffered due to the AAA market. I've enjoyed my experience so far, and hope to come back and update this once I've spent more time with it.
Review 9
Purchased!
Masterpiece. A game in which you can play a long time. Interesting story, many ways to passage and difficulty levels. It looks like labyrinth where you must find memories and things that can help survive. On the every map there are many different versions of enemies and traps. Beautiful design at everything, from the menu to the little things in the game. The text and voice acting is amazing. Opportunity to gain experience and develop skills can help with strategy, also finding death points can return everything if character die, I find this gameplay comfortable. Besides the usual mode in the campaign, there are modes where you can turn off threats or die without returning, but for the first pass it's better to play normal mode.
Review 10
Purchased!
The standout of this game is how hardworking the developer is. Rose’s Diagnosis updates have improved how the game plays. When I emailed the team about glitches I found they got back to me quickly and two updates later the problems I reported have been fixed. That kind of response is top notch. Like other players have mentioned the story is what works well. The gameplay mechanics take a while to grasp but the tutorial emphasized practice and I learned the ropes by chapter 2. Sticking to it and finishing the tutorial was key because it gets easier. Chalk was the best, I used it to mark doors and stations because I am terrible with mazes. I abused the beacon feature to get a start on puzzles and the hints were good. My main issue was I like to run but the exhaustion would screw me because I would run into enemies when I was tired. If I could carry more charges to kill mannequins that would be helpful. Gameplay was interesting with a big learning curve and the story was mysterious. I’d like to see a sequel where they can take what they’ve learned and make an even scarier world.
Review 11
Purchased!
In Dollhouse you play as a detective named Marie and you explore a hellish world that is created by your amnesia. The general goal is to collect film reels and figure out who you are. This game is carried by the story and it is weird and uncomfortable at times which is good for the horror aspect. Pros: -Excellent Narrative -Great music -Unique puzzles -Experimented with genre-bending concepts Cons: -Brightness is too low -Long tutorial -Repetitive Conclusion: After I got through the tutorial I got involved in the story and it kept me around. Each level has a different puzzle which was cool, but I wish they would expand on that and made each chapter more defined. I recommend playing with a headset since I missed a lot of the creepy sound cues at first. The mannequins got me a few times and the main enemy “It” had my heart racing. I felt anxious about dying after I found out that if I don’t collect my dead body I lose all my items and exp. That added to my dread when I ran into It but this permadeath feature should be optional. I played after the game-breaking bugs were cleaned up but that hurt my interest in the game, happy to say those weren’t an issue. I played this on PS4 first and just recently bought the PC version to play with friends. It is a few updates ahead, and a lot better than the current PS4 version.
Review 12
Purchased!
Broken/buggy game, don't buy! Not all the abilities work, controls could be done better and most importantly there are puzzles that are missing rather important pieces which you need to complete in order to advance through the game. A shame really as it's got a good theme, concept and style but it is completely unplayable and the developers have announced they are no longer supporting the game (after their last update made the game unplayable) Meaning its never going to be fixed and is a waste of money.
Review 13
Purchased!
I wanted something new to try and saw this game on my feed. I have to say it was not what I was expecting in a good way. The single player starts off with an overly generous tutorial which at first was a turn-off but I quickly realized how necessary it was since this game is so different than a lot of other games I've played. Off the bat, the story is pretty interesting with a creepy opening that introduces the main character as the “best detective in the world”. We later learn that is not the case based on her memory issues. You will go through the main campaign in a variety of cool looking areas. While travelling in these areas there will be a monster that will be chasing you and you can see through its eyes for key objectives and elements. You can also see where it is too which saved my life a few times. There are also a variety of different mannequin enemy types that will try to kill you. You also have some sort of OP Flashing mechanic that damages and kills them. Oh and during this time you gotta find these Memory Canisters to progress. You also have a shit ton of skills to customize yourself with as you level up. This looked out of place for a horror game, but I welcomed it as it adds another level of depth. On top of this, you can earn enhancements as minor buffs to your character stats. I know this is sounding like an RPG, and it kinda is. There are a variety of puzzles you need to solve too which is really cool, some are harder than others, and there is one where I had to do math, which was the scariest thing in the game. You also can analyze all the enemy types in the game to get more info about them and gain exp which adds to the detective aspect of the game. I know this is sounding less like a horror game with each sentence, but I think it overall it adds to its strength because of how the game is designed. There is a multiplayer mode which looks cool, but I’m having trouble finding players to connect to, which is a shame considering that the mode itself looks cool with a variety of characters. TLDR- This is like an RPG puzzle game with horror elements and a very interesting story. I appreciate all the hard work the devs put in to make something different and it shows. It’s not perfect with a few bugs and glitches but nothing game-breaking as I’ve read which the devs have already patched, thankfully. 7.5/10- Genre Bending Horror Game that doesn’t need jump scares.
Review 14
Purchased!
INTRODUCTION When i first bought this game, i was really excited seeing the videos & screenshots on the shop page. I decided that should be enough for me to get it, since i didn't wanna spoiler myself too hard. So about 10 Minutes into the game i was really confused and the controls/gameplay didn't feel all too good or inviting at all, after 50 Minutes i've already gave up without even close to beating the first level; (noting that and with in my mind that while playing this game had a review rate of 50% positive 50% negative, most players with short gametime leaving a negative review and vice versa for people that played it longer. ) So i left the game for the day and returned the next one. Everything still felt kinda weird there was no real "handholding" or guideline which i'm not used to. Nonethless i wasn't gonna give up on this game and as i really liked the idea & the setting behind it. Everytime i logged on to play it i've learned something new, and the story kinda bound onto me, i slowly got the grip of it and it started to actually be fun, the story took me into it's binding so that i just had to know what else will come. VOICE ACTING The Voice acting overall is really good, except the pursuer ( "enemy" ) can sometimes repeat itself pretty often which can get annoying over time if you deal with it a little longer. SOUNDTRACK There's not much to say about the Soundtrack except that it fits really well with the atmosphere and has overall a really good taste with it. SETTING Interesting ambiente, in 50s-60s film noir style with some maze like rooms. GRAPHICS I mean the graphics are not great, but they are okayish-good, they are fitting to the game, there's not really much more that can be said. GAMEPLAY You have to actually keep going and figure things out yourself, what was annoying in the start got really nice while playing for a while, it's not for every player tho. The levels will change and the enemy KI will swap it's pattern a bit and get a little more difficult every level. There are some puzzles which are often too easy, except one that took some time and was really nice to figure out myself. GOOD + Amazing Storytelling + Good character&story development + Not much guideline + Ambiente / Setting BAD - Repetitive Voicelines - Not much of a challenge in puzzles - Repetitive Gameplay PRICE, ENDWORD & RECOMMENDATION I bought it on sale for less than 2 Bucks ( 90% off ca. ) which is totally worth it. When i look at the normal price which is currently at around 20 Bucks, i say wait till it goes on sale, even if it's a small % sale, just go for it. This game has alot in it and i would buy it again. Big time recommend for a one-time playthrough.
Review 15
Purchased!
Dollhouse was typical of indie games where the game was far from perfect on launch. Bugs, unbalanced gameplay mechanics, and map generation issues were a problem at first. I had trouble with pickups spawning half in the floor/walls and weird enemy hitboxes. Luckily the team seems dedicated to updating and (surprisingly) listening to community feedback despite the awkward launch. The story is solid and the gameplay has been reworked. Visually the aesthetic fits the noir vibe they’re going for and I like the music/general atmosphere but I wish there was a little more color. Its seen positive changes since last month and the updates have made the game more enjoyable. Originally I would’ve given this game a C- rating, but with the patches and general changes I’ll bump it up. Final Score: B-
Review 16
Purchased!
So I purchased this game without reading up on it, because I wanted to start a new survival horror game without knowing what to expect, which is good because all of the trailers completely mis-sold the game. At the start Dollhouse seemed like it was exactly what I was looking for, aside from a few technical issues which unfortunately snowballed to the point where it was pretty much unplayable. TLDR: The game does not properly explain its overly complicated mechanics, a lot of which are broken; the gameplay is boring, repetitive, and far too difficult (even on easy mode) because of a lot of the player abilities don’t work correctly. ***Spoilers*** GIST OF THE GAME: Dollhouse is essentially a game where the player runs around a series of procedurally generated, themed dungeons while being constantly pursued by eerie mannequins which can only move when you’re not looking at them, and one main enemy which constantly searches the map for the player and delivers a one hit KO if it manages to get right next to them for about a second. The aim of the game is to collect film canisters which you then take to a randomly placed machine in order to extract a “memory” and when you get x amount of them you can use them to open door A, which allows you to do a puzzle and receive a key for door B, so you can go play a mini game to reveal a plot point, then run to door C to do one last mini game and finish the level - rinse and repeat for the first seven of the eight levels. Additionally, there are a lot of interesting abilities for the player and the enemies which change as the game goes on. MAIN ISSUES: 1. Tutorial – The tutorial doesn’t explain enough about the game. I got to the end of the game (which took hours) and I’m still unsure about several basic aspects of the game. Furthermore at one point during the tutorial I was supposed to puck up an item but the way-point was stuck in the middle of a hedge pointing at nothing. 2. Main Enemy - The AI for the main enemy is far too aggressive (think Mr X/Tyrant from Resident Evil 2, on steroids) and can kill you far too easily (I was dying pretty much constantly on easy mode). The game does allow you to get back the things you’ve lost after you’ve died but that’s only if you can find the spot where you died in a huge maze where everything looks the same (the game does let you set way-point markers but these disappear for various reasons and there is no map). 3. Chalk – This gets its own section because it’s a big part of what makes the game unplayable. The game allows you to draw chalk doodles on walls to set way points so you can find your way back to points of importance, but these often disappear when you die or if the game has given you the incorrect passive ability which erases them, or if you accidentally erase them yourself because you’ve tried to pick something up while looking in the same direction as the way-point because the same button picks things up, opens/closes doors, and erases doodles if you’re looking towards them. 4. Abilities - In the game the player can select from a plethora of different active and passive skills, which become more necessary as the game goes on, but unfortunately some of these have been mixed up (your passive which allows extra chalk doodles actually just makes your current ones disappear) and others just don’t work at all. 5. Horror – The game loses all value as a horror very quickly because the main enemy catches you so easily. It completely desensitises you to the enemies, and because of the broken mechanics I often found myself letting the main enemy kill me in a location which I knew I could get back to, rather than run from it and risk losing all my items for good. Overall, this game is an unpolished clunky adventure in frustration.
Review 17
Purchased!
Dollhouse is one of those indie games with amazing looking concept visuals, and so you think "Hey, this could be really good". And I think the developer's intentions were good, but after creating the base story of the game there came the harsh reality that this is a GAME. If this were a movie it would probably be very good, but like another high profile indie game, We Happy Few, this game doesn't deliver in the gameplay department. It has wonderful visuals (in the cutscenes at least), a promising scenario, and terribly boring gameplay. You get a sinking feeling when the game lets you out of the first room into what appears to be a hedge maze in the dark. Then you read the 'Discussions' forum on Steam and see that the developer claims the single-player is 6-8 hours long, but PROCEDURALLY GENERATED so it's got some replay value, and will differ from person to person. I can't think of too many games that do procedurally generated levels well, but either way this game is definitely NOT one of them. You go rambling around the hedge maze finding generic items. I imagine after I finish the 1st maze I'll get a cutscene of the woman's life, and then I'll get thrust into another hedge maze. Rinse and repeat until the game is finished. I'm not sticking around to find out though -- returned.
Review 18
Purchased!
This is a great game and excels at what it was made for. That said, it is not for everybody. Thus, I shall be listing what to and what not to expect from it. What to expect: - Horror: there is no fighting (on your part), running and hiding is the aim of the game. - Jump scares: yes, it's a HORROR for a reason. Keep a spare pair of underwear available when you are playing this game. - Interesting storyline and noir atmosphere I absolutely loved this game and highly recommend it to anyone that is a fan of the horror genre, whether it be movies or games. I hope the information listed will help you in your decision of whether or not to purchase this game. Happy Gaming!
Review 19
Purchased!
I really wanted to like this, the story is interesting, just not told in an interesting way?? I can't really narrow the problem. It's a maze/resident evil/puzzle.... There are mechanic that I never did really understand. For instance, you pick up these movie reels(memories) and you have 3 machines that you can plug them into ( to extract the memory) 2 kinda do the same thing and perserves them, the 3rd destroys them. Which sounds like a thing, but i don't know why i'd destroy them because you only get 15 and you need them to put together a film when the level is done, and you can't preview to see what you are destroying. The film splicing at the end makes do sense... at least it wasn't explained, i just made sure the 'direction' on the left all turned white, which meant i followed what the director wants and then turned it in! Basically you can beat the game easily, you just don'
Review 20
Purchased!
This game preyed on my fear of weird mannequins. It isn’t a traditional horror game and most of the anxiety it generates comes from using your resources carefully and finding your way through randomly generated mazes. Chases are good and the music adds to the dread when you find the mother-mannequin around the next corner. Being able to see through the eyes of your enemy is useful but I didn’t use it much, I liked exploring. The horror in this game isn’t in your face, but the occasional jump-scare did get me. However gameplay tends to get repetitive. Find memories, do a puzzle, avoid death. I get that they tried to be innovative, and that’s a risk with an indie title. TLDR: I appreciate an indie horror that tries something new, some of it worked well. Repetitive gameplay isn’t for everyone, but I enjoyed the game. Looking forward to more updates.
