A House of Many Doors

Genuinely my favourite game of all times. Someone said that some of the criticism is warranted and I agree - if you're in it for riveting gameplay or combats this won't be for you, although of course this is up for debate (I find it fine, a little tedious at times but certainly nothing that ever made me think I needed to close the game).
The writing is unbeliveably inspiring, and the game really takes you from breathtaking sight to breathtaking horror; the characters are *so good* and become really real in very few sentences; there's a sense of atmosphere unlike anything else I've ever read. Save-scumming is allowed and honestly up my alley. I'd personnaly disagree with the comments calling the art ugly, I find it extremely cool - the House is *full* of personality and the art (and the music!!) play such a big part of it. To each their own, I guess.
Anyway! Play HoMD for the story, choices, lore and atmosphere (and who knows, you might even like the light survival aspects of the gameplay!)

A House of Many Doors' gameplay is admittedly, very jank. Mostly it consists of trundling through empty rooms, on and on, to get to your next destination. The combat is worse, the mix of turn-based and real-time making it somehow both boringly slow moving and requiring incredibly fast reflexes. And all of this is compounded by the game's innumerable bugs, imbalances, and unintentional loopholes.
Why then is A House of Many Doors one of my favourite games of all time?
The obvious answer would be to say the game's luscious worldbuilding. Each location is described with strange yet perfectly clear imagery, the world is very well developed but it never feels like the game is simply dropping exposition on the player's head, and so much feels unique and different compared to the standard fantasy tropes that define the genre. This world building is definitely what drew me to A House of Many Doors in the first place. But if we compare it to its direct inspirations, the games in the Fallen London universe, particularly Sunless Sea, these games are just as successful in their worldbuilding -- and yet I think A House of Many Doors surpasses even these.
What I think really makes this game succeed is in its cohesion and structure. The problem I have with the Sunless games is that while they are in theory at least about the player character's unquenchable ambition -- a central plot thread that the player character will pursue at any cost -- in truth, these ambitions are the least interesting parts of the games (with perhaps the exception of Sunless Skies' Martyr King's Cup, which surprise, surprise is in fact written by Harry Tuffs, the writer behind A House of Many Doors). In contrast, A House of Many Doors main quest is not only incredibly interesting, but is also mechanically and narratively tied to the game's sidequests. To progress in the main plot, you need to explore and complete sidequests, and ultimately this then positions you to make the difficult choices that the plot demands. Through exploring the House, the player gains the insight necessary to decide its fate. Everything fits together into a compelling and thematic whole.
I would definitely recommend A House of Many Doors if you enjoy narrative heavy games and don't mind the slower pace. There is an overlapping audience with fans of the Fallen London games, but A House of Many Doors is a lot less bleak and unforgiving, so even if you don't enjoy those games, it might be worth giving this one a go.

I adore this game. I've played it off and on since it was released in 2017. The stories in this game are full of interesting lore and quests that add depth to this unnerving massive underground room. You play as a train driver that drives through various rooms to locate a way out of the "House." Along the way you recruit people to your train's staff as well as solve mysteries for those in the various cities you encounter. Each region of the House has it's own enemies and secrets to uncover.
Combat involves trains basically shooting their ammunition at each other. The game shows the two trains next to each other from a top-down perspective so you can see the stations and rooms in the train. This lets you direct your people on where to go for repair and where to shoot the enemy. One can aim the cannons but whether the accuracy is high enough depends on the installed weapons and any upgrades. I personally tried to avoid combat since that wasn't as interesting as exploring and uncovering stories.
The way this game projects a creeping horror is so well done. I also like how the attributes play a role in achieving one's goal or not (such as if Guile is too low, a test of Guile may be very difficult to overcome. In that case I may either risk the consequences of failing or back out to try again after I raised my Guile. Note that some decisions cannot be backed out of and returned to later).
Overall, for a creepy horror game, it's well worth the adventure. Can you find a way out of the House? Or will you be left wandering its halls forever?

Absolutely wonderful writing (I can't overstate how good it is), dense Lovecraftian atmosphere and weird moral choices make this an easy recommendation.
Despite the mediocre combat & sluggish pace of exploration (which can easily and quickly be fixed via mods and/or cheats, but I didn't even bother with those because I was so engrossed), I have nothing but fondness and admiration for this game and the developer who made it.
It's been updated since I last played it, too, so the experience has improved. I'll amend my review when I play the updated version.
I liked it even better than Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies. It dispenses with much of the tedium of the former and I think the worldbuilding is somehow more strange , mysterious and mesmerising than Sunless Skies. It's a gem and it deserves *way* more attention.

I admire the creativity and writing craft in this game but it is too complex and lacking quality of life features. It takes a long time to travel round locations and it feels necessary to keep a spreadsheet or notes to keep track. Thankfully there is lots of help available in the forum. Also, while the world is full of colourful characters and bizarre places, the world is too dark for my liking. I wanted to play a more passive explorer type character and not have to get involved in wars or politics. Still, I'm pleased to have tried it. There is plenty to appreciate but I recommend watching a video or two before committing to purchase.

it's like dnd for people who would eat glass under the slightest amount of peer pressure