The Picture in The House (2020)

Developer: Dystopia Game Studio
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Adventure, Free To Play, Indie
Rating: 2.6 of 5, 136 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 1.3 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

You explore a decrepit house at a deliberate pace, solving ancient puzzles while uncovering a dark, narrated mystery.

atmosphericmysteriouspuzzlingdarknarrative-drivenslow-pacedexploratorylovecraftian

What players say

Players are split on this free Lovecraft adaptation: it nails the atmosphere and voice acting, but bugs are common, the game is extremely dark, and there is no save feature. Several reviewers recommend just reading the original story instead.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.