Spine-tingling horror awaits those who can Stay Out of the House
Stay Out of the House feels like an interactive entertainment version of a grainy, VHS videotape that I rented from the local video store without my parents knowing then had to hide under my bed for three days until it was due back at the video store.
I know that doesn’t sound like a compliment, but I can assure you that it is. I mean, something had to be rather cool to go to those lengths, to risk the formidable wrath of the parental units, to watch and/or obtain it. Stay Out of the House definitely falls squarely into this realm of eccentric, edgy coolness.
Like most during the month of October (that now seems to be dubbed “Spooky Season” just about everywhere), I try my best to indulge in as much horror-related content as I can: books, movies, video games, TV shows, board games…you name it and I’m down with it this time of year. Stay Out of the House just popped up in my Spooky Season radar just the other day when I saw a random tweet about it and decided to check it out…and, hot damn, am I glad that I did.
The developer of Stay Out of the House is Puppet Combo, a one-man video game development studio run by Benedetto “Ben” Cocuzza. His little studio specializes in horror games, which have their roots in ‘80s horror movies, as well original PlayStation titles…although graphically Stay Out of the House reminded me more of a chunky, clunky Nintendo 64 title. A better description of the studio would be the one from his website, where it states that Puppet Combo “is home to sleaze, gore, madmen, slashers, and maniacs,” while further adding their studio’s “killers will turn your dreams into nightmares long after the VHS tape finishes playing.”
Stay Out of the House is Puppet Combo's largest project yet. Ben has gone on record, saying that he took all the time he needed to make Stay Out of the House what he wanted it to be, adding all the features he'd planned along the way. Now horror game fans can play this nail-baiting experience for themselves as the game is currently available on Steam or through Puppet Combo's Patreon.
However, Ol’ Ben, the gracious guy that he is, does have something of a warning for his fans. Stay Out of the House is not a retread of another popular game of his, Murder House, which many newer Puppet Combo fans feel denotes his signature style. On Twitter, Ben stated that if Murder House is inspired by Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Clock Tower, Stay Out of the House is inspired by Alien: Isolation, Thief, and System Shock. So, it's a stealth horror game rather than a puzzle-focused, survival horror game for those of you who like to split hairs about such things.
This new Puppet Combo game is, for the time being, only on the PC. Ben has said that there are no plans for Stay Out of the House on consoles at this time, but what else would a hip, indie developer say? Nevertheless, if you are on the prowl for a game that will truly scare the bejeezus out of you (I actually dropped the damn controller right out of my hands on the first real jump scare this game threw at me, even though I knew it was coming) this “Shocktober,” prowl no further than Stay Out of the House…just be ready to explain to your parents how this “rotten piece of garbage” found its way into their house.
💬 What are your favorite scary games? Please share them in the comments down below! Also, do you enjoy horror movies? Tell us what some of your favorites are as well!
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