The Horror Of Salazar House

About The Horror Of Salazar House

The Horror Of Salazar House is the debut game of the Chilean developer Ignacio Maldonado (Maldo19), published in 2020 by Torture Star Video, the Puppet Combo label. It runs on Windows and Linux and can be played in English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.

Elisa, a young reporter, is sent to investigate the abandoned mansion of renowned author Jaime Salazar, who disappeared along with his entire family in 1986. She sets out to find what happened in that house, and gets more than she bargained for when she realises it may not be totally abandoned.

You play in first-person scenes framed on a retro screen, with a map and item list beside them. You click through rooms, pick up things like matches, perfume and a cup with blood, read notes, and use what you find on doors and objects. The look borrows the Virtual Boy's two-colour pixel art, and you can choose a palette to imitate other old terminals and consoles. Rotoscoped cut-scenes tell parts of the story.

The store warns of a hanged body, a face without skin and drug use with overdose. There are multiple endings. It suits players who like slow, eerie point-and-click horror and Italian gothic films more than chases.

How to play The Horror Of Salazar House

1. Use the arrow pad beside the scene to move between rooms of the mansion.
2. Check the map panel to see where you are.
3. Click on objects to examine them and pick up items.
4. Use items from your list on doors, furniture and other objects.
5. Uncover what happened to the Salazar family and find a way out, toward one of several endings.

Tips

• Read every note; they hint at what the house wants and where to go.
• Try items on anything that looks strange, such as the symbol-covered door.
• Pick a colour palette you find easy to read in the options.
• Play again for the other endings.

Questions