Haunted House, a reimagining of the Atari classic from developer Orbit Studio, will officially launch on October 12th, 2023. It will be available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox.
The original Haunted House remains a classic early horror game from the 80’s. The reimagining will add roguelite elements, more stealth, a friendly art design and more. You can watch today’s release date trailer on the Atari YouTube channel:
It’s a delight to see so many titles celebrate the spirit of Halloween, but the reimagining of Haunted House is intentionally more cartoonish. Its art design and roguelite aspects are both very friendly, which may disappoint some who were hoping for a reimagining that would emphasize legitimate horror.
After all, the premise is still about collecting the pieces of an urn. The original also offered just several lives to work with, creating more of a survival atmosphere, and even its cover art is a bit more self-serious.
This difference in tone is almost akin to Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, where both have their merits despite their unique approach to horror.
Today’s trailer does include a nod to the original’s floating eyes in the dark, which is some nice fan service. It also showcases a variety of stealth-driven stages, so although the reimagining mainly aims for spooky fun, there will still be some sense of urgency. The new footage also shows how players can use different strategies for the various enemies, which invites a little more creativity throughout the game.
Either way, the original 80’s game admittedly shows its age, and it definitely deserves both a remake and a newfound audience. Atari’s recent push for new content has been largely rewarding, with qomp 2 recently announced and their massive game acquisition from April.
You can read more about Haunted House and other Atari titles and updates by checking out the rest of our news section.
Comments