Stealth horror Survival horror Horror escape Horror puzzle 2D horror Anime horror

Clea

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Lead your little brother out of a mansion where the monsters hear everything.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam, itch.io
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (97% of 372 reviews); 4.58 of 5 from 43 ratings on the US PlayStation Store; 4.5 of 5 from 11 ratings on itch.io; Metascore 62 on Switch (5 critics)
Length: about 4.5 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard or a controller (full controller support on Steam)
Made by: InvertMouse
Released: 2019

No. 22 of the horror games about human experiments · No. 12 of the maze horror games · No. 8 of the lantern horror games

Get it on Steam itch.io Nintendo eShop (Switch)PlayStation Store (PS4)Xbox Official site

What frightens Clea's parents have been experimenting on Chaos Servants, and now the monsters are loose in the Whitlock Mansion. They roam the halls in real time and react to every noise, so you listen for their footsteps and peek under doors while leading your little brother out; there are no scripted jump scares.
Content: death, suicide, blood, violence.

Clea is a 2D survival horror game by InvertMouse. Clea and her little brother must escape the Whitlock Mansion after their parents' experiments let the Chaos Servants loose, sneaking past monsters that react to every sound. It has no jump scares and is built as a test of skill.

About Clea

Clea was made by InvertMouse and released on Steam on 10 July 2019 for Windows, Mac and Linux, with an itch.io release that September. Sekai Games brought it to Xbox One and Switch in October 2020 and to PlayStation 4 in September 2022. Its sequel, Clea 2, followed in September 2021.

Mum and Dad have been experimenting on Chaos Servants, and now the monsters have been let loose. Clea, with her brother Edmond in tow, has to escape the Whitlock Mansion, and the family has locked it from the outside world. The store's warning sets the tone: watch your back, because those closest to you may be the real terror.

You move through hand-drawn, side-on rooms by lantern light: brick corridors, candlelit halls, a room built around a huge clock and a hedge maze at night. The Chaos Servants are not scripted; they roam the halls in real time and react to every noise you make, so you listen for footsteps, peek under doors to see what is on the other side and keep your distance. Between them you hunt down key items, which you can combine in a small inventory alongside healing potions, and solve the puzzles that keep the mansion shut. Memory orbs open bonus chapters about the Whitlock bloodline, and Steam leaderboards keep scores for each area.

It is a challenging game that rewards learning its systems, with no prescripted scares. Critics were split: Pure Nintendo found it effectively creepy and a test of patience when you would rather run, while GameGrin liked the puzzles but found the monsters too easy to fool at times. It suits players who like slow, tense hiding games such as Clock Tower or The Coma, told in an anime style.

How to play Clea

Lead Clea, with her brother following, through the rooms of the Whitlock Mansion.
Listen for footsteps and peek under doors before you open them.
Keep away from the Chaos Servants and move when they are elsewhere.
Find key items, combine them in your inventory where needed and solve the puzzles that lock the mansion.
Collect memory orbs to open bonus chapters about the family's past.

Screenshots

Clea screenshot: Clea with a lantern and her brother with his teddy bear flee down a candlelit brick corridor from a skull-faced figure in a red hood

Clea screenshot: Clea with a lantern tiptoes past a one-eyed red long-necked monster and a masked hooded figure in a stone corridor

Clea screenshot: a maid urges Clea to make a wish at a birthday cake while her brother holds his teddy bear across the table

Clea screenshot: Clea with a lantern and her brother with his teddy bear walk past a giant glowing clock face in a dark room

Clea screenshot: Clea with a lantern faces a grinning double in a dark dress who lunges at her in a hedge maze at night

Clea screenshot: four maids stand in a row in a dim candlelit mansion hallway hung with framed paintings

Clea screenshot: the inventory with keys and a red potion described as healing scars, over a dark corridor

Tips

Play with headphones; footsteps tell you where the Chaos Servants are.
Always peek under a door before going through.
Keep a healing potion in your inventory; they heal the scars the monsters leave.
Be patient; the game is built to reward careful play over rushing.

Questions

Does Clea have jump scares?

No. The maker promises no prescripted scares; the danger comes from monsters that react to your noise.

How long is Clea?

HowLongToBeat puts the main story at about four and a half hours, and about five with the extras.

What platforms is Clea on?

Windows, Mac and Linux on Steam and itch.io, plus Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Is Clea voiced?

Yes, in English, with Xanthe Huynh as Clea. The text can be switched to Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Russian, Korean and Italian.

Is there a sequel?

Yes. Clea 2, released in September 2021, follows the former maid Florine four years after the Whitlock Mansion tragedy.