Following its announcement in June, a date is in place for the new take on Atari’s Haunted House game. As busy as next month may be, this one is looking to carve a chilling name for itself when it launches on October 12, 2023. Developed by Orbit Studio, the Haunted House revival will be available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Atari VCS.
Atari shared a new trailer that shows off more of the isometric action. Promising an “all-ages thrill ride,” the latest spin on Haunted House hopes to give us something more enticing than previous revivals. Orbit Studio has thrown stealthy, roguelite gameplay into the mix with light combat. As you’ll see in the video, the visuals attempt to creep along the line between cartoony and spooky.
Grave situations
Released over 40 years ago, the original Haunted House had folks firing up their Atari 2600 to piece together a magic urn. A pair of white eyes represented the player as they traversed 24 rooms across four floors, encountering the likes of bats, ghosts, and spiders along the way. Flash forward to 2023 and we have Lyn Graves venturing into her uncle’s mansion to investigate his disappearance. On the hunt for the renowned treasure hunter’s whereabouts, Lyn has to free her friends and fend off frights. Those friends will also be playable, each with their own advantages.
After falling prey to a spirit, Lyn will be sent back to the mansion’s entrance. That’s where the rougelite elements come into play, as the floor layout and enemy arrangement shifts with each attempt. Haunted House prioritizes stealth, so staying in the shadows and setting traps is preferable to leaping straight into combat. For longtime fans of the original and Atari in general, Haunted House should have plenty of callbacks in both lore and collectibles.
If it lets us play as disembodied eyes at some point we’ll call it a proper revival.
