Seven Nights in Horshaw House

Falmouth University - Final Major Project (GDO750)

Role(s): Solo Developer

Studio: N/A

Team Size: 1

Platform: PC

Engine & Tools: Unity (C#), Audacity

Timeline: Jul 2023 - Dec 2023

Published: itch.io Page

Dev Diaries: Wix Blogs

Research Papers: The Tension of Terror, Reflective Documentation

Tags: 3D, Action, Atmospheric, Dark, Experimental, Indie, Mystery, Rich Story, Singleplayer, Survival Horror

Project Overview

A brief look at the game's concept, mechanics, and development journey.

In Seven Nights in Horshaw House, you take on the role of Detective Henry Ward, summoned to the ominous Horshaw House to uncover its chilling secrets. With a dark presence lurking in the shadows and a haunted past waiting to be revealed, your mission is to collect seven elusive skulls and bring peace to the restless spirits that haunt the house. But be warned—the evil forces within will not reveal their secrets without a fight. Explore, investigate, and face the unknown as you uncover the terrifying truth hidden within the mansion over seven nights.

This project examines how the removal of respite mechanics affects emotional and spatio-temporal immersion in survival horror games.

Development Highlights

Driving the vision, mechanics, and execution as the project's sole developer.

Programmed dynamic respite mechanics in Unity (C#), allowing players to toggle off features such as cutscenes, health recovery, hints, interactions, loading screens, player death, quick time events, safe rooms, checkpoints, static inventory, pausing, and tutorial elements during gameplay.
Developed the player controller, enemy AI, jumpscares, day-night cycle, interactions, spirit realm, notes, and journal system. Also incorporated a "King of the Hill" game mode inspired by the Halo franchise.
Integrated the Cinemachine plugin for smoother camera transitions and worked on VFX (such as fog and lighting) and SFX to enhance the atmospheric experience.
Conducted thorough playtesting, implementing a patch based on player feedback to improve the game.
Captured high-quality in-game beauty shots to showcase the visuals on the Steam page.
Oversaw the creation of the teaser trailer, directing its content and ensuring it effectively highlights the game’s features.
The game was featured in Falmouth University’s latest newsletter, “Three Scary Releases from the Games Academy this Halloween,” as an example of a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to game development.

Screenshots

Screenshots that highlight key moments and environments from Seven Nights in Horshaw House.