Harrowed Halls: Hell’s Thistle – Review

Dana and Rick explored an abandoned house on Maple Street when they were just little kids, and their lives were forever changed. Flash forward to today, Dana suddenly collapsed one day after work and in her coma, signaled to you to go back to take care of some unfinished business at that old house. Can you help Rick survive the haunted house and bring his sister back to life?

We became fans of the Harrowed Halls series ever since the excellent Lakeview Lane, and Daily Magic does not disappoint with this new sequel. Harrowed Halls: Hell’s Thistle brings back the familiar haunted house plot, but with enough juicy twists and turns to keep things interesting. Harrowed Halls: Hell’s Thistle thrives on the well-executed dark atmosphere with sinister undertone. The suspenseful environment makes it feel as if there is something creepy waiting to jump out at every turn of the road.

This is made possible by the game’s top-grade production. The graphics are spectacular, the artwork is exquisitely drawn, the special effects could not have been more stunning – Harrowed Halls: Hell’s Thistle is probably the most polished game from Daily Magic ever, visually-speaking.

Harrowed Halls: Hell’s Thistle does not go far from its safe zone when it comes to the gameplay. There is a rather overwhelming amount of back-and-forth navigation in the game, since there is usually a large amount of items in the inventory at once. There is also plenty of puzzles to solve throughout the game, with varied difficulties. Our favorite aspect of the gameplay is the hidden object scenes, which often incorporate some fun mini-games and clever interactions.

It took us only three and a half hours to complete Harrowed Halls: Hell’s Thistle, although we enjoyed every single moment of it. The 45-minute bonus chapter is unnecessary, but it does take the storyline a little bit further. The Collector’s Edition comes with all the usual tricks; a strategy guide, developer diary, wallpapers, soundtracks, concept art, screensavers, achievements, collectibles, and morphing objects.

Harrowed Halls: Hell’s Thistle is a haunted house-themed adventure done right.