The Horror at Highrook Review Summary

Last updated: 2026-02-21
  • Enjoyable gameplay experience and compelling story.
  • Great visuals, art design, and atmosphere.
  • Improved accessibility compared to Cultist Simulator.
  • Limited replayability, depth, and complexity.
  • Repetitive, grindy, and lacks challenge.
  • Short length and pacing issues.
The Horror at Highrook header

Emotions

What players like:

Common complaints:

Gameplay feedback:

Performance notes:

Recommendations:

Other player notes:

Review evidence

Why players say this

What players like

Enjoyable Gameplay Experience: Players find the game to be fun and enjoyable, with satisfying gameplay mechanics. The game is praised for being engaging and providing a good time.

Compelling Story and Characters: The game features a well-written and engaging story with intriguing characters. Players appreciate the depth and development of the characters, as well as the overall narrative.

Lovecraftian Horror Story: The game features a compelling Lovecraftian horror story, with elements of cosmic horror and eldritch themes. Players enjoy the narrative's engagement with Lovecraftian mythology.

Improved Accessibility Compared to Cultist Simulator: The game is noted for being more accessible and less stressful than Cultist Simulator. It retains similar gameplay elements but is easier and more forgiving.

Great Visuals and Art Design: Players praise the game's gorgeous visuals, character designs, and overall art style. The art direction is noted for its high production values and unique aesthetic.

Common complaints

Limited replayability and depth: The game is criticized for its lack of replay value and depth in both gameplay and narrative. Many players find it too short and linear, with little incentive to replay beyond achieving specific accomplishments.

Repetitive and grindy gameplay: The gameplay is criticized for being repetitive and grindy, with certain actions becoming tedious over time. This repetitiveness detracts from the overall enjoyment.

Lack of challenge: Players report that the game is not challenging enough, with gameplay being too easy and simple. This lack of difficulty reduces the overall engagement and satisfaction.

Lacks complexity: The game is seen as too simple and lacking in complexity compared to other games. The mechanics are simplistic and do not evolve or become more challenging.

Lacks trial and error: The game is noted for its absence of trial and error mechanics, which limits strategic depth. Additionally, the writing and overall difficulty are seen as lacking polish and depth.

Gameplay and performance

Story-driven narrative gameplay: The game features a linear, story-rich narrative where players navigate through a plot with a team of characters. It includes story development and a major focus on narrative elements.

Similar to Cultist Simulator: The game shares similar mechanics and gameplay style to Cultist Simulator, including card mechanics and timers. It is also compared to other games like Book of Hours and Citizen Sleeper.

Straightforward and linear gameplay: The gameplay is described as straightforward, linear, and easy to understand. It is objective-based and can be repetitive, but it is generally enjoyable.

Narrative horror elements: The game incorporates narrative-driven gameplay with horror elements, including Lovecraftian themes and detective elements.

Survival mechanics: Players must manage survival mechanics such as hunger, sanity, fatigue, and health for multiple characters.

Game runs smoothly: Many players have noted that the game runs smoothly without any performance issues.

Buggy cutscenes reported: There are reports of cutscenes being buggy, affecting the overall gaming experience.

Improve Steam Deck interface readability: Users have requested an interface that is easier to read specifically for the Steam Deck.

Bug with Devourer behavior: Players have reported a possible bug related to the behavior of the Devourer.

Optimization issues: Some players have mentioned optimization issues, though the specifics are unclear.

Recommendations

Recommended for Lovecraft and board game fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of Lovecraftian themes and board games. It is particularly suggested for those who enjoy mystery-solving and Lovecraftian lore.

Try the demo first: Many reviews suggest trying the demo to see if the game is enjoyable before purchasing the full game. This helps determine if the game mechanics and style are suitable for the player.

Fans of similar games may enjoy: If you enjoy games like Darkest Dungeon or Cultist Simulator, this game might be appealing. It is suggested for fans of card-based management games and similar genres.

Highly recommended game: The game comes with high recommendations from various reviews. Players express strong satisfaction and would recommend it to others.

Worth it during a sale: Several reviews mention that the game is better purchased during a sale. It is suggested to wait for a sale price to get better value.

Extra review signals

External guides: The primary user complaints revolve around the necessity of using external resources like wikis and spreadsheets to manage inventory and understand item details. While some users appreciate the game's balance of challenge and accessibility, others find the lack of in-game explanations frustrating and immersion-breaking.

Other review notes

Language barrier problems: Some players experienced issues related to language barriers, which may affect their understanding or enjoyment of the game.

DLC mentioned in reviews: Several reviews mention the DLC, indicating that it might be a significant aspect of the game that players are discussing.