The Charnel House Trilogy

What saddens me is whenever I discover a good game with great potential, I realize it has an unfinished story. The Charnel House is a trilogy, and don't get me wrong, the whole trilogy has been released, and you can play it once you purchase it. However, you'll only play three linear chapters, which sets you up for a game that was supposed to be released in 2016. You'll play with two different characters, Alex and Dr. Lang, who you'll meet both in the first chapter, then they'll have their exclusive chapter, which will give us a glimpse into their life. The story starts with a young woman, Alex, who is prepared to leave her life behind and travel somewhere else. At the train station, she met Dr. Lang, and they were both hidden at the same destination. Little did they know that this train had hidden so many secrets.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3432305524

I always enjoyed this type of game and Pixel art style, it made me feel nostalgic. The portrait of the characters is well done. The game's locations were limited, but each time you visit a place, it gives you a different feeling. The soundtracks were different and nicely fitting the melancholic vibe of the game.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3317087858

The puzzles needed some thinking and how to use the items you've got, but I found myself going back and forth at times, not knowing what to do next. The voice-overs are low-quality, but they are not too bad. The game is fully voiced, which is a huge plus for them.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3432305387

Pros:
+Interesting creepy story.
+Beautiful soundtracks.
+Good voice over (But low quality)
+Beautiful pixel art +Nice characters portrait
+Manual + Automatic save files.
+Steam achievements.

Cons:
-Unfinished game.
-No hinting system.
-Sometimes the text is a huge block which covers half of the screen.

The game has some creepy moments and gore, also some sensitive topics. It also ends in a cliffhanger, however, it can be concluded if you don't want to know more about the characters. It is a good classic game, so if you find yourself bored and want to play something to pass the time, pick it up.

[quote]𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑐𝘩𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑛𝑎'𝑠 𝐶𝘩𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒[/quote]
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Charnel House tRiLoGy is a very SHORT game made by a small indie studio.

I don't think you can call it a "trilogy" if it is just 3 very short episodes.. Call them episodes or chapters.
Trilogy implies standalone content, usually a continuation. This is clearly episodic.

I liked that it had voice acting and the pixel art was nice. Reminded me of early Wadjet Eye games.
The atmosphere was the selling point and the whole experience was creepy enough.

The game was way too short and due to that, very easy for a point & click game.
There are very little items and only a few screens which are recycled often.
Chapter 2 and 3 play out in the same space, so the screens are reused.

If you'd skip chapter 2, you would not miss out on the story. It feels like filler.
The story loves to imply and pull various info from a past we know nothing about.
This does not feel like a game but more like a movie.


Game can be completed in 1-2 hours, but I fell asleep and left it running on my PC.
Even when playing, it was such a slog, I'd alt tab and do literally something else.
Way too indie, feels like a 1st year B- student project.
It could have been a decent enough game, if they just put more effort into it! This game is something even a non-developer can create. Disappointingly short.

Very interesting game with weird twists - as much as I had no idea where it was going, I loved this game! (Also I'm a massive fan of pixel graphics hehe)

Such a great point & click game. I finally got around playing this game since I bought it a decade ago (2016 I just checked my purchase history!). I'll start by saying this game has a strong narrative and not so convoluted puzzles. Not once did I feel like having to randomly combine items to progress or trying to solve some mind-boggling puzzles that required me to look up a guide. The story was creepy and full of lore and great characters. The voice acting was superb (Jim Sterling voiced this!), plus the game allows you to manually save in case you're one of those achievement hunters. There's supposedly a sequel to this game with how they ended it but it's currently stuck in a development hell for years, plus the developer himself is sick in real life. So let's pray and hope for the best...

Story was okay. Probably could have skipped the very short middle story, it didn't add much. Had enough of the inventory collecting and puzzles of where to put something to make it a quick P&C romp. Get it on sale for sure.

I enjoyed this horror-themed point-and-click adventure game. It consists of three chapters that each take about an hour to complete. The puzzles are VERY straightforward, so I wouldn't recommend it for people who are looking for a challenge. But the story is creepy (especially the third chapter) and the voice acting is above average. Overall the game is quite engaging and its a nice way to spend an afternoon. It ends with a cliffhanger, and the sequel was never released, so skip this one if you want closure. Definitely worth it if you get it on sale. 6/10.

Boring, incoherent story with no real answers. Had a few creepy moments, but it never really built up to a finale. Cannot honestly recommend.

Criminally overlooked indie horror gem. It will exceed your expectations in terrifying ways.

Tʀɪɢɢᴇʀ Wᴀʀɴɪɴɢs ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ɢᴀᴍᴇ: Parent death (off-screen), child death (mention), car crash (mention), drunk driving (mention), stalker, suicide, body horror, eye gore, possible claustrophobia and trypophobia inducing situations

Divided into three independent but connected chapters, we are introduced to two strangers who meet up to embark on a train at night heading to Augur Peak. Alex Davenport, a girl who recently broke up with her boyfriend and has a complicated relationship with her family, and Dr. Harold Lang, who works in a museum.

In Inhale we follow Alex before she catches that fateful train, getting a glimpse of her troubles and unnerving flashes of what is to come. Sepulchre starts with Dr. Lang waking up, disoriented, and the exploration of the train becomes increasingly more disturbing until it reaches its conclusion while setting up the ambiance for Exhale perfectly. Once again we regain the control of Alex, who is forced to face some unpleasant realizations in this surreal experience. What is Gloria, the train? What is its connection to Augur Peak? How The Charnel House book connect to everything? What awaits Alex and Dr. Lang?

This game actually works as a prelude for a title called Augur Peak that has been stuck in development hell for a few years, but it seems there are plans for a 2024 release. As a standalone project, however, it is quite serviceable as a short quick game. The main focus of this game is the story, a lot seems to be quite symbolic or tied to another aspect that is just beneath the surface. The gameplay and puzzles are quite simplistic, somewhat even dull, and feel more like roadblocks than something that is supposed to keep the player engaged.

There is a lot of care put in its visuals, with impeccable atmosphere and nice sprite work, with Alex’s body language in the cold, or how the characters interact with the world around them is fluid and quite enjoyable. The soundtrack is fantastic, the piano melodies, the gripping choirs that enhances to mystery along with the changes in lighting throughout the story. The voice cast is solid and the direction is solid, which is quite a nice surprise.

While a decent title, it may be a good idea to wait for a more concrete release date for Augur Peak.

So far, so weird. The setting seems to be a nebulous "other" space -- the first third is set in NYC but for some reason the very American protagonist uses British slang ("gone eight" and "gone midnight" and "trolley"), everyone around the protagonist is British or has a very British name, the emergency lights are all blue like in the UK, and she takes a cab to an abandoned train station out in the middle of what appear to be the English moorcountry... And it just gets more incongruous from there. E.G.: A Scottish man who is apparently a native of a New England island. It's well-done and very atmospheric, but it feels like something written by a Brit who'd never been to the States.

Also, for what it's worth -- this is a pretty short game that evidently ends on a cliffhanger. It was released in 2015, it ends with the promise of further adventures in 2016, but despite his repeated assurances that the sequel is coming, the creator left game development years ago, they lost their publisher, and his last assurance was in a random Steam thread in 2020. :/ So don't hold your breath.

It was creepy and I loved it.

solid short narrative, worth a play.

This is certainly a hidden gem and certainly itched a scratch for the classic art style of an old point and click game, as well as an intriguing story attached to it!

Ever looked into the Steam forums under various threads to find out if you could get some really great recommendations? This is how I have found The Charnel House Trilogy. I was going through a lot of comments on classic point & click adventure game suggestions as next games to be played (in fact, some referred to these as must-have).

So, here we are, looking at a game that has pixelated graphics, great voice acting; something that is currently very, very (I mean very) cheap and something that - with its only 3 chapters - doesn't take very long to complete. The 3 episodes available can be played in any order and they will take around 2 hours to complete (all achievements included).

What starts out as a short chapter with Alex being at home in the evening and making sure she is prepared for a journey quickly turns into the supernatural with strange fellows on a train such as an all-too-familiar bartender, a somewhat absent-minded conductor and some weird people such as the silent but at the same time terrifying guy occupying 2-C.

Great episodes with some twists and definitely not your usual endings. Make sure to check it out if you 1) like pixelated adventure games 2) are fine with playing something out-of-the-ordinary and in case you 3) have played anything where Wadjet Eye Games, Clifftop Games, Wormwood Studios or Cloak and Dagger Games had been involved.

A short but a interesting and "disturbing" story. A really good game :)