It definitely feels like there have been a lot of great H.P. Lovecraft inspired games recently, and here comes yet another great one in Westmark Manor, by developer Nodbrim Interactive and publisher Toadman Interactive. Taking on the role of Professor Theodore Westmark, you will explore a shadowy alternate version of his family manor, avoiding dark corridors, curses, and bloody trails, as you seek a way out of this dark dimension.
Before I break down the gameplay in a more traditional fashion, I would like to bring your attention to how well the game allows you to customize the experience in a personal and user-friendly way. You will be asked a series of questions about your gameplay style, quite similar to the remake of the original Resident Evil, such as “How do you feel about obstacles?” or “How long do you enjoy the game length.” This fun and yet in-depth system allows you to play the game at your convenience, whether you want to enjoy the journey, or truly take on a challenge. What an unselfish game, and I think it really promotes that these developers value your time and experience and want you to enjoy a great experience, whether you are a busy veteran player, or a novice with more time on your hands, or any combo of the above.
The gameplay is intuitive and instantly familiar to fans of the adventure genre and the Amnesia series. In typical fashion, you can go around and pick up items and use/store them to aid you in exploring the manor and eventually escaping it. The Professor’s health is dictated by his sanity meter, which, if it reaches the end of it, he will die from a heart attack. Restarts are handled in a cool way. You start out with sanity points, which not only serve eventually as your resource to trade with a really creepy guy that scared me when he popped out at me the first time, they also act as your save points. The Professor will come along book podiums to save his game at along the way, which serve as your last save to load should you die.
Alternatively, Westmark Manor allows you to respawn in the same room you fell to the evil in, which also costs a sanity point, so it is important to balance which is more important – an item to prevent being cursed (which could also make you pay double sanity points in order to save or restart!), using a save podium after you have completed a good amount of work, or keeping enough spare to trudge through some more marathon like portions, or survive any surprises that the mansion may have in store for you. Luckily, as you explore the environment, you will come along more sanity points through facets of the story and different environmental actions, so as long as you manage everything well enough, you should be OK.
The audio and graphics in Westmark Manor do their job very well in setting the stage and tone of this dreamless, evil mirror world that the professor finds himself trapped in. The game recommends that you play in a dark, lightless room with your headphones on, as many a good horror game or movie should, and it definitely livens up the experience. Thought some of the walking animations are a bit stiff (though I like how it does show the Professor to be a bit more frail and thus vulnerable) it really reminds me of a game that scared me a lot as a kid – Disney’s The Haunted Mansion, which came out around the same time as the Eddie Murphy movie and played a lot like Luigi’s Mansion. The Professor’s look, lantern, and that of the game’s overall art style, reminded me of the Caretaker Zeke and the magic lantern from that game, and I felt a great rush of nostalgia from when I was a kid. Definite bonus points in that category, and I am very curious to see if the developers were inspired by that same game!
Overall, I am happy to play yet another great horror adventure game this year with Westmark Manor. 2020 may have been a crazy and tumultuous year so far, but I would be lying if I did not say it has produced some of the most fun and engaging games in recent memory. Westmark Manor has all the hallmarks of a fun summer horror game to enjoy on those warm moonlit nights, and I definitely suggest you give it a shot!
Graphics – 8/10
Audio – 8/10
Gameplay – 9/10
Story -8.5/10
Overall – 8.5/10
Check Out the Westmark Manor Trailer:
Westmark Manor is available for Windows PC via Steam and coming soon to GOG for $14.99.
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Steam Review
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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