Roguelike games can create intense tension due to the harsh consequences of losing everything and having to restart from scratch. This system effectively instils genuine fear and terror in players, as the threat of total loss looms over them. Most horror games are generally more forgiving in this regard, with the worst consequence being needing to reload a save from a setback. Anyone who’s played any of the Shiren the Wanderer games will vouch for the sheer stressfulness of those turn-based roguelikes. What if there was a game that combined the uncanniness of PlayStation-era Resident Evil with the madness of a Shiren‘s mystery dungeons? Chances are you’d be trapped in the House of Necrosis.
A suspiciously Jill Valentine-like special forces agent and her team are trapped in a mysterious mansion, and as far as the player is concerned, her goal is to get out alive. There are a few side characters along the way, but who they are and whether they’re the nameless protagonist’s comrades is kept vague. Plainly speaking, House of Necrosis is like a living nightmare in flux. The many floors are packed with monsters and demons, and piecing together anything from the scattered notes makes it feel like the story is just an excuse to mimic old survival horror games, though it does manage to add its own unique twist through the gameplay.
House of Necrosis‘ story is its gameplay. Don’t worry about any plot or characters; no one even gets a name. The protagonists’ story is the players’ quest to die, respawn, and repeat. The core gameplay involves turn-based roguelike dungeon exploration, where each step and action matters. The levels are procedurally generated, meaning that the environments are reshuffled with each run. This dynamic setup requires players to adapt to new layouts, enemy placements, and item distributions instead of relying on memorised pathways. This creates high replayability and tension, as no two descents into the depths play out identically.
Like a good survival horror game, House of Necrosis emphasises resource management and careful decision making, but in a turn-based grid system. Players are required to juggle scarce ammunition, healing items, and inventory slots while navigating its labyrinthine floors. While it might resemble old Resident Evil or Alone in the Dark, House of Necrosis plays more like Chocobo’s Dungeon, where every action, whether it’s walking, attacking, or using an item, advances the turn and gives enemies a chance to react. This shared setup makes exploration feel like a strategic puzzle, where mastering positioning, luring enemies into advantageous spots, and knowing when to warp back to the hub are crucial decisions that carry weight.
Throughout the descent, expect to come across guns for ranged combat but with scarce ammo, plenty of melee weapons, and creepy, horror-themed gear to help survive traps, monsters, and dangerous environments. Don’t get too attached to the good stuff because House of Necrosis limits resources each run, pushing you to use them wisely in the moment instead of hoarding for some imagined perfect situation. Since this is a roguelike, dying strips the heroine of carried progress, sending her back to a hub area to try again with newfound knowledge. There is an element of meta-progression: unlocking new dungeons, abilities, or story elements, which makes repeated failures feel meaningful rather than purely punishing. Yeah, it sucks to lose it all, but players gain a new understanding which is deeper than anything a game can offer.
House of Necrosis’ visuals intentionally capture the look of late-90s PlayStation survival horror games. Low-poly 3D models for characters, enemies, and settings give it a chunky, angular style that’s both nostalgic and eerily uncanny. The game blends 3D exploration with top-down dungeon crawling, while the mansion’s decayed hallways, wild gardens, damp caves, and stark underground labs are shown through pre-rendered backgrounds with fixed cameras and tank controls. It’s a fun balance and the best of both worlds, making the package feel complete. The graphics prioritise atmosphere and style over technical polish, successfully capturing the imperfect but atmospheric charm of 90s 3D horror while remaining clear and readable during tense turn-based gameplay.
For its price and modest visuals, it’s a shock how much value House of Necrosis offers. The game is much longer than it initially seems and has a wealth of postgame content and secrets packed into it. Seasoned mystery dungeon explorers can easily drop over 60 hours into this before they see the true final dungeon and learn every spell. Filling the in-game library requires dedicated farming and unlocks further progression systems. Players can also upgrade their weapons to higher tiers using Necrotic Blood and the Necrotic Tome, eventually creating ridiculously powerful endgame equipment and forming permanent bonds with favoured gear for better long-term runs.
The game even tucks away a tough late-game dungeon that requires following specific steps to unlock, rewarding those who manage to find it with generous prizes. The postgame focuses on mastery, optimisation, and replaying runs with upgraded tools, often adding dozens of extra hours for completionists eager to experience every system and challenge in full. Like many mystery dungeons, beating the story is when the game truly begins.
How much enjoyment one can get from House of Necrosis solely depends on their endurance and pain tolerance. Sometimes RNG can leave players walking crooked for a week after an unbelievably sour turn of events. The sting is indescribable and will make anyone thrust their fists to the sky to curse the developer, while seething and foaming at the mouth. Nonetheless, House of Necrosis is one of the most rewarding and thrilling experiences a horror maniac can have, so long as they have the guts to brave its floors.
