[Nightmare Files] Clap Clap

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House-sit a dark 1980s home where the lights only come on when you clap.

Platforms: PC
Price: Free
Rated: Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam (96% of 5,370 reviews)
Players: 1
Made by: Raycastly
Released: 2024

What frightens You answer a newspaper ad to house-sit a home with 1980s clap-activated lights: two claps turn a room's lights on or off. The house is dark, the porch is stained with blood, and as you go room by room clapping the lights on, it becomes clear you are not alone in there. Players mention several jump scares.
Content: jumpscares, blood, ai-generated voiceovers (stated by the makers).

[Nightmare Files] Clap Clap is a free, short first-person horror game by Raycastly. Short on money, you take a house-sitting job in a home whose lights you switch on and off by clapping twice, and something in the dark house takes advantage of it.

About [Nightmare Files] Clap Clap

[Nightmare Files] Clap Clap is the first game in Raycastly's Nightmare Files series, released free on Steam in June 2024. You see a newspaper ad for a house-sitting job and, being short on money, you sign up. The house you are sent to has the latest home automation of the 1980s: clap twice in any room and the lights toggle on or off.

The game is played in first person in a PS1-style look. On-screen objectives walk you through the night, starting with finding the house, reading the note left on the fridge and checking each room, and you can pick up, turn and throw objects in the way the makers compare to Amnesia. The store page warns you not to go snooping around too much.

The scares come from the house itself. Rooms stay black until you clap, which means making a noise every time you want to see, and the moment the lights come on is where the game likes to surprise you. Players describe a tense atmosphere with a handful of jump scares that feel earned rather than cheap, and some found it hard to get their bearings in the dark.

It is short, under an hour for most players and sometimes much less, and free, so it suits a quick scare on a weeknight. Players who enjoy compact home-alone nights such as the Fears to Fathom episodes will find the same kind of setup here, with a simpler story and more focus on the jump. The makers note that the voiceovers were made with AI.

How to play [Nightmare Files] Clap Clap

Download [Nightmare Files] Clap Clap free from Steam; it runs on Windows.
Follow the on-screen objective to find the house you are sitting and let yourself in.
Read the note on the fridge to learn what is expected of you.
Clap twice in a room to turn its lights on or off as you check each room.
Pick up and examine objects to find out what is going on, and follow each new objective until the night ends.

Screenshots

Clap Clap: a bloodstain on the front porch at night, with a glowing television visible through the open door

Clap Clap: arriving at the dark suburban house past a warning sign, with the objective Find Maksim's house

Clap Clap: a dim living room with two sofas and a television showing the news

Clap Clap: a black doorway in a red-lit hallway, objective Figure out what is going on

Tips

Play with headphones; the makers built it around volumetric audio and much of the tension is in the sound.
Keep an eye on the objective in the top right corner; in the dark it is easy to lose track of where to go next.
Light each room before walking through it if you want to see what is waiting, and leave it dark if you would rather not.
Set aside under an hour; it is meant to be played in one go.