Puppet Combo games tend to follow a particular look and feel of early PlayStation low poly graphics and sleazy horror movies from the 70s and 80s. Usually, the games produced or published under the Puppet Combo label are horror games that are either first or third-person and you could always expect liberal use of grungy VHS or film grain filters.
Most of the time, games from Puppet Combo run short and lean heavily on a simple premise and gimmick. Nun Massacre had the player set loose in a creepy orphanage where a crazed Nun will try to kill them on sight. There will be traps and several endings to see and maybe the player will be able to discover the secrets of the game. There are variations on this template but it is a winning formula for Puppet Combo.
Most of the time, Puppet Combo games are amusing distractions at best but were always priced accordingly. Gamers could master Murderhouse or Christmas Massacre in a few hours and be able to see all they have to offer in a day. What if Puppet Combo made something more substantial? Could his next game be his most ambitious and most replayable? Find out in this Stay Out of the House review!
Stay Out of the House
Developer: Puppet Combo
Publisher: Puppet Combo, Vague Scenario LLC
Platforms: Windows PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
Release Date: June 16, 2023
Players: 1
Price: $14.99 USD
Stay Out of the House begins with a very simple yet recognizable premise; try to survive and escape the clutches of a horror movie psycho killer. This may seem like familiar ground traveled to veterans or previous Puppet Combo games or to fans of Resident Evil 7, but Stay Out of the House aims to flesh out the concept further than anything else has before it.
This game bills itself as an “immersive sim”, a sub-genre within first-person shooters that relies on systems that follow rules instead of scripting events. Immersive sims are typically open-ended with a lot of options or choices for the player that makes for a reactive experience. Famous examples of this are Deus Ex or Prey (2017).
Stay Out of the House aspires to incorporate immersive sim gameplay within the scope of a Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style environment, complete with a deranged family of killers too. Before gamers can hope to be chased around by maniacs, two optional prologue episodes in the main menu help set the mood before the real terror can begin.
Night Shift is the first event in the timeline of events. In this prelude, players assume the role of a lonely gas station clerk in the dead of night. For some reason, this female character has an unusually male-sounding voice. Once you can get past this distraction, gamers are free to get accustomed to the controls, and mechanics, or play the arcade cabinet version of Power Drill Massacre.
It does not take long for the mood of this scenario to become unbearably comfortable. Things happen and the player has to react to them accordingly. This brief chapter climaxes with an effective and well-earned scare.
The second scenario is also a prologue for the actual protagonist who is with her significant other on a road trip and they decide to take a rest stop. Almost immediately things go south and the player is left to investigate what happened and to follow the trail of her missing guy. The tone and atmosphere are very closely inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but in densely pixelated abstract grime.
After the rest stop prelude, Stay Out of the House can begin for real and it lives up to its promise of being a highly detailed immersive sim horror game. Not only will players have to contend with trying to survive and get out of the house and try to escape the cornfield, but other people need saving… or not.
Saving the gas station clerk or several other captives can be saved or be used as bait to distract the butcher. Some tools can also double as weapons- though it is not recommended to fight since the odds are grossly stacked against the player.
There are puzzles and alternate ways to get around the house and surrounding areas. Like all good immersive sims, players can sneak around in the vents… though in Stay Out of the House a freakish baby that looks like it was cribbed from It’s Alive (1974) can be found there. This thing is really unsettling and doesn’t always attack; sometimes it watches and follows.
Another unique threat in the house is the granny in the wheelchair who screams a ghastly shriek that will summon the killer. She may not be able to get around too well and can be killed easily, but if the killer finds her body, he gets really angry and smashes up all hiding places in the area.
The way Stay Out of the House makes the player feel vulnerable is agonizing and the tension is indescribable. Sneaking around the house and avoiding detection and traps while reading notes and trying to find ways out is very effective at simulating the horror movie experience. As long as players can stay one step ahead of the killer, there is a shot at survival.
The drawback is that sometimes Stay Out of the House relies on some trial-and-error. There is an element of randomization since dying will spawn the player in a different area of the house and things in the house are changed. The “lives”, system also moves time forward one day. After day three, you get the worst ending and a game over.
Most of the endings are pretty bleak and the path to the coolest ending will have players explore a nightmarish bunker in a fourth chapter. Thankfully, each chapter is self-contained and can be selected from the main menu for quick access. There is no need to replay lengthy chunks of the other scenarios which makes replays very enjoyable and accessible.
Stay Out of the House does have some annoyances like how the look sensitivity feels a tad too slow. Trying to dart around corners or quickly looking to the sides is not feasible which is a hassle when fumbling around in dark vents. Thankfully the AI is very fair and after a bit of practice, it isn’t hard to feel for the killer’s line of sight and hearing.
A bold player might save inventory space by forgoing the light meter or motion detector entirely. After enough tries, a skilled gamer will develop a second-nature response to dealing with the killer’s AI and will be able to play him like a fiddle… until he catches on and decides to get naked.
Stay Out of the House does live up to the promise of being the proverbial “survival horror immersive sim”. It is complex and long enough to feel like a real video game and not like a glorified demo like most of Puppet Combo’s projects. It also does not overstay its welcome and becomes exhausting.
Stay Out of the House very easily could have become overbearing to the point of headache-inducing. Fear and tension can only maintain a high for so long until the feeling becomes tiresome. Stay Out of the House masterfully balances the horror and game mechanics into a beautifully cohesive nightmare… just don’t try to pet the other dog.
Stay Out of the House was reviewed on Nintendo Switch using a code provided by Puppet Combo. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy can be found here. Stay Out of the House is now available for Windows PC, macOS, (via Steam), and Nintendo Switch.
