Info about Hillthorn:

Official game description:
Only the foolish and the desperate attempt to wander the mazelike trails of Hillthorn. Even those who know their way may still stumble upon dangerous wildlife or a local villager’s piercing gaze. But a child has gone missing, time is in short supply, and you’re the one being tasked with unraveling the mountain’s secrets. Welcome to Hillthorn, a dark investigation game unlike any other, where the mystery unfolds without a single word spoken.
**A World in Cards**
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Every eerie and unsettling detail of Hillthorn's story is revealed entirely through Clue cards, which can be Investigated, Explored or in some instances Talked to in your search to get closer to truth behind the disappearance.
**You Are an Outsider**
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You've been tasked to find a missing person, though it’ll take some finesse to draw information from the locals, who seem reluctant to share details with someone outside their flock.
**Time is in Short Supply**
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The clock is ticking. There are too many threads to follow and too little time. Something seems keen on letting you revisit untrodden paths, but at what cost?
**Features**
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*   Discover a strange mountain and uncover its secrets.
*   Card-based investigation with no dialogue.
*   The clock ticks with every action.
*   Short, atmospheric mystery.
*   Multiple endings to discover
*   Knowledge as progression.
*   No Generative AI

Release date: Nov 10, 2026

Categories: Detective, Card-based Gameplay, Puzzle Solving, Multiple Endings, Time Loop Mechanics, Lovecraftian Horror, Knowledge Lock Puzzle Game


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.99 - $11.99
  - Reasoning: The reviews are mixed but consistently separate gameplay quality from value. Players praise the storytelling, replay value, and multiple endings, but many say the short 3-4 hour length makes the current price feel too high. One translated review explicitly argues the fair price is roughly 20-40 yuan versus the current 50 yuan, which implies a fair range around 40-80% of the current $14.99 price. Other translated complaints that all achievements take only four hours and that content does not match pricing support a lower fair base-game range. Positive comments about replay value keep the estimate from going even lower, yielding an approximate fair range of $5.99-$11.99.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 4.0h
  - Story completion: 2.5h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: 4.5h
  - Reasoning: The 1h40 finish report and the 3-4 hour finish estimate support a story-completion estimate around 2.5 hours. Reports of about 4 hours for 100% and nearly five hours to 100% the entire game support a general game-completion estimate of about 4 hours and an endgame/completionist estimate of about 4.5 hours. No reliable typical session-length evidence is provided, so sessionLength is null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is described as enjoyable from the outset through strong card combat, a working timeloop and occult hook, and a seamless tutorial; later endings are reported to become repetitive or lose the friction that defined the main run.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: N/A
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: Seamless tutorial teaches the basics in about five minutes; Card combat appears once per ending rather than repeatedly; The timeloop and small-town occult story hook lands for the player
- Player Archetypes:
  - Value-Conscious Short-Game Skeptic (deep sale)
    - Motivation: To get a worthwhile amount of mystery content for the price paid.
    - Playstyle: Checks completion length and pricing norms, then waits for a deep sale or skips the game.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Detective Mystery Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: To solve an intricate detective mystery and explore a unique puzzle-driven world.
    - Playstyle: Plays for investigation, puzzle solving, thriller atmosphere, and a smooth mystery experience.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: detective game fans; investigation fans; spooky fans; thriller fans
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Ending and Achievement Completionist (buy)
    - Motivation: To uncover the full story through multiple endings and achievement completion.
    - Playstyle: Replays narrative branches, hunts endings and achievements, and fully completes the game.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Strong immersive atmosphere (weight 0.93): The atmosphere is repeatedly called impeccable, excellent, and gripping, with many noting how immersive the game feels. Elements like lighting, audio, and environmental details contribute to a spooky and mysterious tone.
- Beautiful art style and presentation (weight 0.91): The art style is often called interesting, beautiful, and well-suited to the atmosphere. The overall presentation, including UI and visual effects, is frequently praised as stunning and artistically clever.
- Enjoyable card gameplay loop (weight 0.84): The core gameplay loop involving card placement and deduction is found very enjoyable and well-made. Many highlight the satisfying mechanics and the clever integration of cards with the narrative.
- Interesting and well-crafted story (weight 0.74): The story is frequently described as interesting, well made, and presented in a unique way. Players find the non-clichéd plot full of suspense and the storytelling engaging.
- Novel card-based detective mechanics (weight 0.67): The card and puzzle format is praised as a novel system for conversing, deducing, and solving puzzles through card art alone. Many find the card mechanics an excellent twist on detective and puzzle games.
- Innovative and creative game design (weight 0.67): The game is praised for its unique ideas, innovative playstyle, and creative combination of cards with mystery puzzle-solving. Many find it a fresh and original experience.
- Clever and satisfying puzzles (weight 0.65): The puzzles are well-crafted and require careful thought without being overly difficult. Players enjoy the layered puzzle design and the satisfying process of piecing together clues.
- Fun mystery detective experience (weight 0.44): Reviewers describe it as a great little mystery game that is really fun and unique, with moments that make you go 'oh, this works?' Many enjoy it as a detective-esque game that scratches the investigation itch.
- Intriguing secrets and post-game content (weight 0.44): Players enjoy the many stones to uncover, easter eggs, and post-game content that add depth. The secret ending and extra super good ending provide additional motivation.
- Multiple endings encourage replay (weight 0.4): Players appreciate the multiple endings and alternate routes, which provide strong replay value. The story is described as tasty and worth exploring through different paths.
- Unique time loop and deduction (weight 0.37): The time loop system adds an anxious but engaging layer to the deduction gameplay. Players enjoy the recursive storytelling and the satisfying process of gaining clues through repeated loops.
- Excellent music and sound design (weight 0.3): The music and sound design are frequently highlighted as wonderful and crucial to the mood. Combined with art and lack of spoken words, they create a really great atmosphere.
- Highly polished and well-made (weight 0.25): The game exhibits a great level of polish and appears to have been made with love. Players note the high quality and charming touches throughout.
- Challenging but fair difficulty (weight 0.23): The difficulty is generally considered just right, though at times confusing. The game doesn't hold your hand but gives nudges if stuck, and puzzles make you think carefully.
- Horror and occult elements (weight 0.23): The dark style with Lovecraftian atmosphere and occult happenings in a small town works incredibly well. Horror elements and shocking scenes are found enjoyable.
- Seamless tutorial and smooth gameplay (weight 0.2): The tutorial is seamless and teaches the game in about five minutes, making it easy to pick up. The game plays very smoothly with quality-of-life features that are amazing.
- Compelling characters without dialogue (weight 0.2): Despite having basically no dialogue, the characterization is surprisingly fleshed out and the pure visual storytelling is appreciated. The minimalistic design enhances immersion.
- Funny and charming moments (weight 0.13): Despite being a dark investigation game, it is genuinely funny at times. Charming touches like cards moving around during combat add to the enjoyment.
- Reminiscent of Obra Dinn and Blue Prince (weight 0.07): The game reminded at least one reviewer of the feeling of playing Obra Dinn or Blue Prince for the first time. It offers a similar sense of discovery and deduction.

Common complaints:
- Poor value for price (weight 0.9): Many players feel the game's content does not justify its price point, citing insufficient content and high cost for a short experience.
- Story length underwhelming (weight 0.71): Players note the story is short and ends quickly, leaving them wanting more and feeling disappointed by the brevity.
- Limited content and scope (weight 0.49): The game only features one case and feels small in scope, with few interactions and possibilities, making it feel like a demo.
- Clichéd and predictable story (weight 0.48): The narrative is described as unoriginal and predictable, especially for those familiar with Lovecraftian themes.
- Translation and spelling errors (weight 0.27): Multiple translation errors and spelling mistakes were found, especially in the French version, which sometimes hindered puzzle solving.
- Confusing puzzles and interactions (weight 0.27): Some puzzles are unintuitive or confusing, with unclear progression and moments that stall progress.
- Achievement-related frustration (weight 0.26): Certain achievements are missable and require resetting or deleting save files to obtain, causing frustration.
- Unsatisfying endings (weight 0.26): Several endings feel lacking or provide no sense of closure, even after achieving all endings.
- Odd story elements (weight 0.25): Some story and content elements are odd, such as investigating a control panel that turns out to be a sign, and contradictions in the narrative.
- Low replayability (weight 0.23): The game offers little replay value, with mostly the same route and minimal changes, and players are not motivated to replay.
- Suspected AI-generated content (weight 0.22): Players suspect AI-generated art and translation errors, contradicting the store page's claim of no generative AI use.
- Lack of depth and immersion (weight 0.21): The story lacks depth and context, with shallow dialogue and investigation items that provide little useful information, reducing immersion.
- Time limit pressure (weight 0.09): The time limit from 14:00 to midnight creates inflexible pressure that some players find stressful.
- Progress-blocking design (weight 0.09): Using the single token at the church locks out the profane path, potentially blocking progress and causing frustration.
- Inconsequential talk card (weight 0.09): The 'Talk' card is dramatically inconsequential to solving the game, making it feel pointless.

Gameplay feedback:
- Card-Based Mechanics (weight 0.91): The game centers on card-based mechanics where cards act as actions, objectives, and even a 'Talk' card. Cards are used for storytelling, discovery, and progress.
- Puzzle Solving Gameplay (weight 0.82): Gameplay is puzzle-based, requiring deductive reasoning, item usage, and multi-layered puzzle solving. Puzzles layer together to unlock different outcomes.
- Multiple Endings (weight 0.77): The game features multiple endings, including alternate routes and a secret paradox ending, encouraging replayability. Six possible endings are available to discover.
- Detective Mystery Game (weight 0.56): It is a mystery and detective game focused on investigation and deduction, often with puzzles and multiple endings. Players follow story threads and solve cases.
- Time Loop System (weight 0.39): The game uses a time loop structure where each day resets at midnight or 14:00, wiping inventory and requiring players to repeat runs to solve mysteries. A time anomaly loops midnight back to 2 PM.
- Innovative Gameplay Mechanics (weight 0.31): The game features innovative playstyle, novel mechanics, and an innovative interface that combines UI with narrative. The card placement system is central to discovery and progress.
- Story Exploration (weight 0.31): Players explore a unique world and follow story threads to 100% completion. The game presents story exploration and recursive storytelling as core elements.
- Repeated Playthroughs (weight 0.27): The game encourages repeated playthroughs, with shortcuts and new information/clues to discover on subsequent runs. Subsequent runs remove friction with shortcut cards.
- Dark Lovecraftian Theme (weight 0.26): The game has a dark Lovecraftian style and horror elements, creating a spooky thriller atmosphere enhanced by lighting.
- Case-Based Gameplay (weight 0.26): Gameplay is case-based with multiple cases and branching options to replay, featuring investigation mechanics and an inventory system.
- No Dialogue or Text (weight 0.2): The game features no spoken words, dialogue, or written text, relying on visual storytelling and a minimalist design.
- No Hand-Holding (weight 0.2): The game doesn't hold your hand and can be played with zero hints, but it provides nudges when stuck.
- Post-Game Content (weight 0.19): The game has a main story and post-game content, including unresolved mysteries and achievements.
- Easter Eggs (weight 0.17): The game contains easter eggs and unresolved mysteries that guide the player, with achievements to unlock.
- Time Pressure (weight 0.15): Players solve puzzles against a time crunch, adding tension to the investigation.
- Card Combat and Board (weight 0.14): Combat involves clicking moving cards multiple times to strike, and the game includes board mechanics with card-based gameplay.
- Context Cards (weight 0.14): Context cards provide small pieces of information when investigating, aiding deduction and puzzle solving through card art.
- Linear Progress (weight 0.14): Progresses in a linear fashion with little required thought, with the core gameplay route remaining largely the same across multiple endings.
- Resource Management (weight 0.07): Resource management involves a single token that can be spent on either the church or profane path, adding a strategic choice.

Performance notes:
No performancepoints

Recommendations:
- Too short for full price (weight 0.73): Many reviewers feel the game's content volume is too small to justify its full price. They recommend waiting for a significant discount or buying only on sale.
- Great mystery despite length (weight 0.52): Reviewers highly recommend the game for its intricate mystery and engaging story, even though it is short. They advise focusing on the experience rather than hours per dollar.
- Positive overall recommendation (weight 0.35): Many reviewers give a strong recommendation, praising the game as excellent, perfect for an afternoon, or highly enjoyable.
- Worth it on sale (weight 0.34): Several players suggest the game is worth purchasing at a discounted price, such as 50% off, rather than at full price.
- Not for length-focused players (weight 0.32): Players who prioritize game length or hours per dollar may want to skip this title, as it is short and offers limited replayability.
- For detective game fans (weight 0.27): The game is particularly recommended for fans of detective, investigation, or thriller genres, as well as those who enjoy card-based puzzle mechanics.
- Try demo or base mechanic (weight 0.19): Some suggest trying the demo first or recommend the game if interested in the base mechanic, to help decide before purchasing.
- Play in English (weight 0.08): One reviewer advises playing the game in English rather than French, possibly due to translation or localization issues.
- Fraudulent no-AI claim (weight 0.07): A reviewer does not recommend the game due to an alleged fraudulent claim about not using AI, which may concern some players.

Other player notes:
- Comparisons to Similar Games (weight 0.31): Reviewers compare the game to titles like Obra Dinn, Blue Prince, Cultist Simulator, Rusty Lake series, and Monkey Island. The vibe is also likened to Twin Peaks.
- Familiar Story Told Well (weight 0.2): The story is relatively short and not especially novel, but it is told in a novel way that engages players.
- No Generative AI (weight 0.2): The store page and reviewers confirm that no generative AI was used in the making of the game, though some suspect visual or translation work may have been outsourced.
- Low Price Point (weight 0.19): The game is priced at 15 euros normally, 12 euros in a bundle, and some reviewers suggest a price range of 20-40 RMB.
- Six Endings Available (weight 0.17): The game features six distinct endings that players can unlock, adding replay value for those who wish to see all outcomes.
- Short But High Quality (weight 0.16): The game is considered somewhat short, but its quality compensates for the brief length according to some players.
- Comparisons to Books (weight 0.08): The game is compared to the novel 'The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle' for its narrative style.
- Trigger Warnings Included (weight 0.08): Trigger warnings are provided at the top of the game to alert players to potentially sensitive content.
- Paradox Ending Requires Menu Clues (weight 0.08): To reach the burned house and achieve the paradox ending, players must use main menu cards as clues, a non-obvious mechanic.
- Alternative Cases After Finish (weight 0.08): The game offers a large number of alternative cases to explore after finishing the main story, extending playtime for dedicated players.
- Demo Impressed Reviewer (weight 0.07): A demo was available and impressed the reviewer before purchase, indicating the game's early appeal.
- Achievements Included (weight 0.07): The game includes achievements for players to unlock, adding extra goals.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.17): Players frequently cite the game's short length, often around two to three hours, as insufficient for its price and lacking replayability. Many also feel the content is too small, with only one case or few puzzles, and the story lacks closure after all endings. Some note contradictions and visual errors that further reduce satisfaction.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.08): Reviewers highlight the fun and unique detective deduction gameplay, with innovative card mechanics and puzzles that make them think. The engaging story, good art, and dark atmosphere contribute to a genuinely enjoyable experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.08): Frustration arises from translation errors that block puzzle solutions, confusing or overly easy puzzles, and a repetitive setup after each time reset. Technical issues like an achievement requiring save deletion and story inconsistencies also cause annoyance.
- Admiration (weight 0.06): Players admire the game's creativity, particularly the card-based detective mystery concept and clever subversion of expecting players to sabotage their perfect sequence. The intricate story, beautiful atmosphere, and artistic presentation are also praised.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Satisfaction comes from the intentional design with many clues to uncover through repeated loops, gradually understanding the truth. Recursive storytelling and layered puzzles allow new discoveries and different outcomes, and achievements lead to fully understanding the plot.
- Engagement (weight 0.04): The gloomy and gripping atmosphere, along with puzzles that require thought and a story that is interesting and not too simple, keep players engaged.
- Immersion (weight 0.04): Immersion is achieved through excellent presentation and lighting changes, combined with art, music, lack of spoken words, and thoughtful touches. Card exploration and special effects, along with distinct lighting and audio in each part, create a strong immersive experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciate the art, sound design, and music that create a great mood, as well as the modern card narrative gameplay and beautiful art style.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Surprise is felt through unexpected moments, such as a jarring discovery midway that uses atmosphere like a jump-scare, and the game surprising players even after they thought they knew its capabilities.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Enthusiasm stems from great gameplay and puzzles, with card mechanics described as an excellent twist on detective and puzzle games.
- Intrigue (weight 0.02): The novel card game mixed with mystery concept and an intriguing story explored in a fascinating way create intrigue.
- Slight disappointment (weight 0.02): Slight disappointment arises because the story is short and lacks depth in some areas, and the game is too short and pricey for its length.
- Satisfied (weight 0.02): Players feel satisfied because the game felt worth the money and the card placement is satisfying.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Nostalgia is evoked by reminding players of the feeling of playing Obra Dinn or Blue Prince for the first time, and of click-based puzzle games from childhood.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement is caused by the game being genuinely funny at times.
- Impressed (weight 0.01): Impressed by the type of scenes managed with card mechanics and lack of spoken words.
- Contentment (weight 0.01): Contentment comes from enjoying the buildup and visual storytelling.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Desire is expressed as wishing there was more content.
- Mild disappointment (weight 0.01): Mild disappointment is due to the game length being short and the story being clichéd.
- Wistfulness (weight 0.01): Wistfulness is felt because players wish the game was a little bit longer.}