If Darkwood has felt like too much of a psychological plunge into darkness, I Hate This Place might offer a more colorful alternative. This survival horror title draws on the 1980s nostalgia and leans on the distinctive comic series by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin for inspiration. While it shares Darkwood’s isometric perspective, I Hate This Place trades the suffocating dread for something a little lighter in tone, even if it’s still full of creepy elements like hungry tentacles, antlered stalkers, and oversized spiders.
What stands out immediately is how vibrant it looks. Unlike Darkwood’s murky, oppressive palette, I Hate This Place brings in splashy, bright colors that feel more Stranger Things than nightmare fuel. The creatures themselves have a funky, even playful design that softens the survival horror experience without losing edge.
It’s fascinating to consider how ‘dark’ can mean very different things in this genre. If Darkwood is plummeting into the ocean’s deepest trenches of dread, I Hate This Place hangs out closer to the twilight zone, where tension still exists but there’s room to breathe and even enjoy the strange atmosphere. This isn’t to say it won’t have its moments of fear, but it’s a gentler ride through eerie territory, blending nostalgia with unsettling mystery.
If you’ve been craving a survival horror that isn’t relentlessly bleak, I Hate This Place is worth keeping on your radar.
Source: rockpapershotgun.com
