Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion (HD) is basically what happens if you throw every horror trope and setting into a blender and then serve it in a little plastic baby sippy cup. If it sounds like I’m being kinda harsh, then I sincerely apologize ; because I actually really like this game; but I can’t deny that it’s pretty simplistic in, well, just about every regard. BUT, despite everything against it (or more likely because of all the things against it), it’s ultimately a fun and casual kind of game with a very endearing personality. oh , and I hope you’re a fan of jumpscares. ….it’s literally in the name, bro. At its very basics, Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion is one of those randomly generated maze games. You have to get through a thousand rooms to get to the exit, you can save your progress each hundred rooms , and finding your way through one room takes on average roughly ten seconds. So… add that all up , and that’s not a whole lot of playtime, tbh. But we’re missing the bigger picture here, as one of the selling points is that the game is different every single time ; infinitely replayable. The other big selling point that I should probably mention is that THE GAME IS FULL OF SUPER LOUD JUMP SCARES RRAAAAHHHHH!!! …... did I scare you? probably not; it’s just text. While you’re running through the manor, like maybe every other minute or so (again, it’s random), something will just be thrown right at your face and go BOO and you’ll be all like AACK and then you’ll feel really stupid because it was just like a cardboard cutout of a cupcake or a pumpkin or something. There are also some more legitimately dangerous encounters with real monsters, so why don’t we take a moment and get to know ‘em! The swamp thing shoots slime balls at you to slow you down, but if you just hold down the run button , he should be easy enough to beat. The mutated centipede has its own holes and burrows around the rooms and can get around pretty quickly, but if you just hold down the run button , he should be easy enough to beat. The possessed school girl can go straight through any wall, but if you just hold down the run button , she should be easy enough to---- are you starting to see a pattern here?? Sure, that’s not every monster you’ll encounter (what, you think I’m just gonna spoil all of them? ), but aside from freaky appearances, they pretty much all act more or less the same; and you get away from them pretty much more or less the same way every time. The utter irony of it all is that we’ve got a randomly generated game with randomly generated monster encounters where the whole big selling gimmick is randomly generated jumpscares , and it somehow couldn’t feel MORE SCRIPTED. It’s a good script, though; like I still had a lot of fun playing, but there is definitely an underlying sense of deja vu throughout. spooky. On the production value side, Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion is an overall mixed but very charming bag. I might as well get the issues out of the way first. The game really only has like fifteen different “randomly generated” rooms they throw at you, so you’re going to see the same place over and over and over and over and over again; and sometimes even go through the same room twice (or even three times…) in a row. The “themes” for each floor typically consist of the most cliché horror location you can think of , like an underground lab, or a high school , or a prison (or.. y’know, a haunted house ). Said locations are almost always completely empty , with SOME rooms having like a chair or a table if you’re really lucky. The visuals in general feel like a 3DS game at best (I mean, they fit pretty well on that case I made), and the longer it goes on, it feels more and more like that ( admittedly really cool ) maze screensaver for Windows 95. Seriously, how is this “HD remake” any different from the original version? Speaking of 3DS games, the overarching plot is about as complicated as Monster Manor for Streetpass Mii Plaza , and mostly serves as an excuse for your nameless character to even visit the manor in the first place . But, like, I feel like the game knows all that. It knows that its non-existent plot is stupid, because it makes fun of it at every turn ; with “creepy notes” lying everywhere signed by “expendable lab assistant” , or a phone call going “please please PLEASE HELP ME!!! PICK UP THE PHONE!!!…. why’d you pick up the phone? go away, nosy brat! ” . It knows most of its locations are pretty generic, which makes the places that ARE pretty inspired stand out even more. And intentional or not , it knows that the graphics are kinda blocky , which makes the super detailed monsters (...which still don’t look all that different from the non HD release) even more of a pants wetting experience. But even with all the scares going around, the game is also consistently… pretty adorable, actually. The obvious thing is the “jumpscare” cutouts, with their little chibi designs and big smiles. You’ll also find silly looking posters in pretty much every environment . oh, and Spooky. what a great character. She’s so cute and funny, floating through the floor and dropping epic one liners before going through the ceiling. Her voice actor does a wonderful job; but honestly the standout performance was that one cute little cat around the middle of the game. She says a bunch of super menacing things in a super sweet way, and then just leaves . not sure what her deal was, honestly. It’s a good script, though; like I still had a lot of fun playing, but there is definitely an underlying sense of deja vu throughout. spooky. You know what IS different about Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion Heigchh Deee?? Well, it comes with all the original’s DLC packs free for ten bucks! Spooky’s Doll House and Karamari Hospital are kind of some odd inclusions because, aside from Spooky appearing at the end , they really both feel like entirely separate games rather than extras for the same package. They both have just one setting, have their own unique monsters, and even seem to be trying to tell a complete (but short) story . Plus, Doll House has -GASP!!- combat?? ...I mean, it’s pretty clunky, but it’s an attempt. Judged entirely on their own, neither game is all that special; I saw one reviewer call them “We have Resident Evil and Silent Hill at home” (respectively), and yeah… that sums it up. Still, included with the main game, they’re both ultimately fun, welcome bite-sized horror. I really hope I didn’t come across as overly negative or anything, because I love Spooky’s Mansion. This game is really just a mood. Some days, you might want to play some hyper gory horror game of a schizophrenic war veteran fighting his demons and learning to forgive himself for all the innocent lives he’s prematurely ended; and other days, you’re like “ ...yeah, Spooky’s Jumpscare Mansion sounds pretty sick”. I had a blast while playing, and considering the insane amount of hidden achievements I missed (not to mention that I got the “ bad ending ”), I could easily see myself beating this again and again. It might not be all that complicated, but it is just some super good fun.