It's not the first game of its ilk but Home Safety Hotline makes pretty good use of its Windows 95 concept, and translates a niche concept into an enjoyable experience. Reading the unlockable art book after reaching the credits, the game's creator spells out his intent on basing an analog game around a Dungeons and Dragons style bestiary. Framing that around a pest control hotline works surprisingly well and I think will really please a certain blend of horror fans.
The gameplay is fairly simple as most of what you will be doing is reading about various creatures and phenomena, which start pretty grounded but grow increasingly fantastical as you go. It can go a little tiresome to pore over these descriptions and try to match the occasionally vague clues the callers will give with a guess to whatever pest is invading their house. It kind of feels like studying, and it could be a little frustrating and stressful when it feels like multiple descriptions match up with the caller's dialogue. I only hit the fail state once, though, so it isn't too obtuse and at least you're treated with a freaky cutscene if you do mess up an in-game day. The writing is pretty good and I don't have any doubt some of the more inventive pests drawing from everything from fairytale folklore horror to modern liminal horror is going to stick in my mind. From a gameplay perspective, I wish that the calls came in a little bit faster as sometimes I felt like I was just waiting around for the next call with nothing to do (and I get that's probably what they were going for but it slowed things down a bit).
I did enjoy the freaky surreal elements of the game that oozes through the bonus videos you can watch, and you're rewarded for your hard work with a wacky inexplicable narrative that goes totally off the rails in an entertaining way by the climax.
Home Safety Hotline is a little brief for its asking price but was a charming time that kept my interest and I could see its moments of unsettling writing will get into my dreams.
The gameplay is fairly simple as most of what you will be doing is reading about various creatures and phenomena, which start pretty grounded but grow increasingly fantastical as you go. It can go a little tiresome to pore over these descriptions and try to match the occasionally vague clues the callers will give with a guess to whatever pest is invading their house. It kind of feels like studying, and it could be a little frustrating and stressful when it feels like multiple descriptions match up with the caller's dialogue. I only hit the fail state once, though, so it isn't too obtuse and at least you're treated with a freaky cutscene if you do mess up an in-game day. The writing is pretty good and I don't have any doubt some of the more inventive pests drawing from everything from fairytale folklore horror to modern liminal horror is going to stick in my mind. From a gameplay perspective, I wish that the calls came in a little bit faster as sometimes I felt like I was just waiting around for the next call with nothing to do (and I get that's probably what they were going for but it slowed things down a bit).
I did enjoy the freaky surreal elements of the game that oozes through the bonus videos you can watch, and you're rewarded for your hard work with a wacky inexplicable narrative that goes totally off the rails in an entertaining way by the climax.
Home Safety Hotline is a little brief for its asking price but was a charming time that kept my interest and I could see its moments of unsettling writing will get into my dreams.