An English Haunting is utter nonsense. That’s what you’d be saying if you were one of the narrow-minded scholars that occupy Professor Patrick Moore’s establishment. Irrespective of Moore’s illustrious career in the Metaphysic Investigations Department, his career has come to an abrupt halt, and he has 72 hours to clear his good name.
When a donation made to the university is hastily withdrawn by his colleague, Professor Ward, who promptly disappears, Moore seems to lose everything in a heartbeat. His only way of underdoing this turmoil? Having concrete proof of the supernatural, presenting it to the university, and undoing this unfortunate mess. As if that wasn’t hard enough, this is London, 1907.
An English Haunting is a point and click adventure from Postmodern Adventures, who you may remember from the superb Nightmare Frames. Fundamentally, this is a detective piece: one part is uncovering the story behind your colleague’s disappearance, and the second is accumulating enough evidence to prove the existence of ghosts.
Moore, while a reputed scientist, is also a believer and well-read – not just in academic papers but in gothic horror, too, as you will see in a book quiz reminiscent of the movie quiz in the aforementioned Nightmare Frames. Best dust off the Shelley. That said, he’s not naive and will call out the various mediums that are prevalent in the era: he needs hard facts, and quickly at that.
An English Haunting Review
His travels will take him around London to various scholars looking for clues as to the whereabouts of the other professor, as well as scoping out a possessed property that could provide the evidence that’ll prevent the department from being closed. However… the plot thickens in An English Haunting, and considering the supernatural element, there are times when the volume knob gets cranked in places.
This occurs roughly halfway through, taking our protagonist to Scotland, some fresh air and some locals hinting towards The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow and Chronicle of Innsmouth Mountains of Madness (a wink towards H.P. Lovecraft, too). Despite the change in pace, the narrative settles once more, and that goes batshit crazy towards the end, delivering a brilliant climax and satisfying conclusion.
It’s no coincidence that An English Haunting gets compared to the other two point and click games – not due to the coincidence of themes or the genre, but the brilliant pixel art visuals and authentic early 1900s soundtrack that also adds to the unsettling atmosphere quite nicely.
Like any book, movie or website review, nobody knows what has been omitted from the final product. Still, judging on the references throughout – from said literature, phenomena and archive photographs, Postmodern Adventures, a.k.a. José María Meléndez, has no doubt researched the subject thoroughly, other than assuming the English refer to crows as ‘ravens’ or mum as a ‘mom’.
Super Natural
An English Haunting has captured my imagination, leading me down a path of Lot 249, ectoplasm, and handlebar moustaches, which I cautiously tread. Blood and guts don’t phase me, but the supernatural and paranormal do, and there were some elements of the game that had me temporarily filling my pants, but in reality, it’s not particularly scary, just the very real mindsets of the time.
Without giving anything away, those themes are again covered in titles such as Botany Manor, where competent women missed out on an education due to the men pulling the strings. This is prominent here, albeit not an overbearing message. You’ll probably be too distracted by some of the cameos. No, it’s not one of those point and click in-joke vehicles, though fans of Nightmare Frames will be in for a treat if they keep their eyes on the prize.
An English Haunting Review Summary
An English Haunting has been on my radar since I finished his last game and announced on X of this new project. In fear of sounding immediately impatient and ungrateful, I’m eager to learn what José will do next. Whoever assumed that the genre is a niche clearly is missing out on these works of art. An English Haunting is thoroughly engaging, thought-provoking, and entertaining experience that resonates well after the credits.
