The Happyhills Homicide

About The Happyhills Homicide

The Happyhills Homicide is a free game by the developer Copperbolt, released on Steam in November 2024 as an expanded version of the original. Instead of running from the killer, you are him: a masked slasher in the style of 1980s horror films, working his way through the small town of Happyhills.

Each of the 20 levels is a puzzle with a victim at the end. Early on it can be as simple as creeping up behind a sleeping man in his armchair. Later targets fight back, from a farmer with a shotgun to a gang of bikers in a bar, and you have to find the right tool, route or trap, such as a bear trap from a shelf, to get to them. The store page promises a different approach and different murder weapons in every level.

Between the killings, you play crime-solving sub-levels as a detective on the slasher's trail, and a story slowly reveals what drives the killer. The game is full of dark humour and references to horror films, with a motel called the Bates Motel among them.

It is drawn in small, detailed pixel art and is gory but cartoonish. It suits players who like slasher films and puzzle games, and who want a short, free horror game that turns the usual roles around.

How to play The Happyhills Homicide

1. Move the masked killer through each side-on level and study the victim and the room.
2. Pick up items and tools, such as bear traps or weapons, with the action key.
3. Stay out of sight and find the right moment and method for each kill.
4. Solve the level's puzzle to reach victims who are armed or in groups.
5. Play the detective's sub-levels between killings to follow the investigation.

Tips

• Look around the whole level before acting; the tool you need is often in another room.
• Victims who fight back usually need a trap or a distraction, not a direct attack.
• Expect to fail and retry; working out the method is the game.

Questions