Erich Sann: Horror Academy

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Steal the violin from a music academy before its old musician finds you.

Platforms: Android, iPhone
Price: Free with ads
Rated: 4.4 out of 5 on Google Play (about 16,500 reviews, 1M+ downloads); 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store (about 2,000 ratings)
Players: 1
Controls: Touch: stick to move, swipe to look, buttons to crouch, hide and pick up items.
Made by: IndieFist
Released: 2019

No. 30 of the clown horror games · No. 7 of the tentacle horror games · No. 6 of the old man horror games

Google Play App Store (as Erich Sann: epic horror games)

What frightens A grey-haired old musician with bloodied hands stalks the halls of an abandoned music academy, listening for you, while you search classrooms, a library and the cellars for the violin. Other stalkers, among them a clown and a rabbit in a top hat, can take his place.
Content: jumpscares, blood, violence.

Erich Sann: Horror Academy is a first-person hide-and-seek horror game for phones by IndieFist. You sneak into an abandoned music academy to find a violin, search its rooms for keys and music sheets, and hide from Erich Sann, the old musician who hunts you through its halls.

About Erich Sann: Horror Academy

Erich Sann is a horror game by IndieFist, a small studio, first released on the App Store in April 2019. Its Google Play page now calls it Erich Sann: Horror Academy; on the App Store it appears as Erich Sann: epic horror games, and its own text calls it Erich Sann: The Scary Academy. IndieFist has said the game draws on H.P. Lovecraft's story of Erich Zann, and the Android package still carries its first name, Requiem for Erich Sann.

You enter a run-down music academy at night: a courtyard with a green-lit fountain and statues, tiled corridors, a music room of stools and stands, a library with a giant globe, and brick cellars with a boiler. Somewhere inside is a violin. Erich, an old man in a waistcoat with bloodied hands, walks the halls, and he comes for any noise you make.

Play follows the Granny formula. You search rooms for keys, music sheets and objects, and each music sheet you find opens a new mission. When Erich is near you crouch, hide and wait. The developer has explained that you get five lives, and every time he finds you and lands a hit you lose one. You can choose which enemy hunts you, including a clown in a ruffled costume. Ghost Mode lets you explore without being hunted to learn the building, and Extreme Mode makes it darker and harder.

Players' main gripe is that there's no map and no warning when he's coming, so finding one item can eat an hour. It's free with ads and plays offline. If you liked Granny, Evil Nun or Mr. Meat, this is the same kind of search-and-hide in a bigger school building.

How to play Erich Sann: Horror Academy

Sneak into the academy and start searching the rooms nearest the entrance.
Pick up keys, music sheets and useful objects; each music sheet starts a new mission.
Listen for Erich: crouch, hide and wait when he comes close.
Use what you find to open locked rooms, light the boiler and reach new parts of the building.
Find the violin and escape the academy without being caught.

Screenshots

Erich Sann screenshot: the grey-haired old musician in a waistcoat running toward you down a brick corridor with bloodied hands

Erich Sann store art: the old man stalking through a dark stone cellar with draped furniture and an easel, under a red banner reading hidden dangers

Erich Sann screenshot: two pale faceless creatures crawling down a foggy stone corridor toward a hiding player, captioned Hide to survive

Erich Sann screenshot: a clown with purple hair and a bloodstained ruffled costume walking along a checkered hallway toward you

Erich Sann screenshot: the academy library, candlelit bookshelves under a stone arch with a glowing globe in the middle

Erich Sann screenshot: the academy's music room with stools and music stands on a parquet floor and a chalkboard, captioned each music sheet, new mission

Erich Sann screenshot: the academy courtyard at night, statues on a green-lit fountain in front of the building

Tips

Try Ghost Mode first to learn the layout and where the items are without being chased.
Move slowly near doors and objects that can fall; noise draws him to you.
Note where each hiding place is before you pick up something important.
For the boiler in the basement, the developer's own steps are to find the spray first, open the boiler with it, then put in three pieces of wood and one of coal.

Questions

Is Erich Sann free?

Yes. It is free on Android and iPhone, with ads and optional in-app purchases, and it can be played offline.

Is Erich Sann: epic horror games the same as Erich Sann: Horror Academy?

Yes. The App Store lists it as Erich Sann: epic horror games and Google Play as Erich Sann: Horror Academy; both are IndieFist's game about stealing the violin from the academy.

What is Ghost Mode in Erich Sann?

A mode where you can explore the academy without being detected, to learn the building and its puzzles before playing for real.

Is Erich Sann scary?

It relies on being hunted in dark corridors and sudden encounters. Google Play rates it Teen for violence and blood, and the App Store 13+.

How many lives do you get in Erich Sann?

The developer has said you have five lives. Each time Erich finds you and hits you, you lose one.