I Hate This Place

When I Hate This Place is at its best, it feels like a great 80’s B movie which is full of over the top mystery and horror. A great story is propelled by a superb environment, ensuring fans of the comic series won’t be disappointed. Sadly, survival horror fans may feel somewhat short-changed, by the uneven and often far too easy resource system, along with a plethora of performance issues. Still there’s great fun to be had, with some fun stealth and a brilliant soundtrack.

I Hate This Place is an interesting isometric horror adventure. The open-world level design creates an intriguing setting to explore, where players can encounter different quests. Hiding from the monsters that patrol each area fills the experience with tension and anxiety. Unfortunately, an imperfect control system and a few bugs slightly lower the overall evaluation of the game.

I Hate This Place would have been perceived much more favorably if the developers had abandoned the survival elements and instead focused on exploring its deep lore and dynamic world.

This isometric survival horror title impresses with its striking comic-book aesthetic and 1980s atmosphere, although it ultimately falters in execution. Despite having veterans from the Bloober Team involved, the project suffers from technical inconsistencies and a lack of polish (no pun intended). The core crafting and stealth mechanics show promise, yet the final product feels unrefined and frustratingly clunky.

I Hate This Place is a good adaptation of the comics for the virtual world, bringing faithful visuals, onomatopoeia for every character action, and an introduction to the comic universe. However, the game stumbles with imprecise aiming, a low variety of enemies, and an unengaging protagonist

I Hate This Place has a strong identity and some genuinely compelling ideas. Its early hours make effective use of sound, darkness, and isolation, and its visual style gives it a personality that’s hard to ignore. But the systems underneath don’t push back hard enough to sustain that tension. Survival becomes comfortable, and for a horror game, that’s just a shame and something I can’t ignore. I didn’t hate my time with I Hate This Place, but it could have been so much better.

With its comic book visual style, isometric viewpoint and focus on crafting, I Hate This Place is a unique entry in the survival horror genre. It's just a shame that it's let down by gameplay that feels rough around the edges and a lacklustre story.

I don't hate I Hate This Place, but I'm disappointed that it didn't end up in a better place, because it definitely has the potential to do so.

I Hate This Place had a lot going for it, with a unique setting, an interesting isometric layout, and crafting at its core. However, it doesn't reach its full potential, and all of its systems are lackluster, resulting in an experience that is underwhelming overall. The resource economy is broken, the day and night cycle feels pointless, and the controls on consoles are so frustrating that the end result is headache-inducing, rather than an enjoyable experience. There are some moments of greatness, especially in its stealth gameplay and paranormal environments, where the exciting nature of the survival horror genre shines through, but those moments are quickly fleeting. I do recommend I Hate This Place to survival horror fans if there is nothing else to play and they're on a budget, but I wouldn't go into this game expecting the next big thing.

I Hate This Place feels like a project that began with a far more ambitious vision for its world. The lackluster survival and crafting systems make little sense given the game’s short length, which leaves no room for these mechanics to properly breathe. While its dungeons are engaging, featuring effective horror elements and enough loot to encourage exploration, the open world, flat characters, and mediocre combat significantly hinder the overall experience.

There was enough about I Hate This Place to keep us engaged right to the very end, but the longer we played it, the more it annoyed us. It feels dated, confused and amateurish in everything it tries to do, and it's such a shame because you can tell there was heart and vision behind it. It just needed more time, talent or maybe both.