Don't Knock Twice

About Don't Knock Twice

Don't Knock Twice was made and published by the Welsh studio Wales Interactive and released in September 2017, alongside the horror film of the same name starring Katee Sackhoff. It is on PC through Steam, where one purchase lets you play in VR or on a normal screen and switch between the two, on PS4 with PS VR support, on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and on Nintendo Switch.

You play Jess, a guilt-ridden mother who gave her daughter Chloe away when she was young and now hopes to reconnect with her. A local legend tells of a vengeful, demonic witch who wakes with one knock and rises from the dead with two, and to save Chloe you have to uncover the truth behind the tale.

You explore a grand manor house in first person, carrying a candle through dim parlours, a bathroom streaked with blood, a stone hall with a pentagram of candles, and a cellar. You look for possessed objects tied to the witch, read clues written on the backs of photographs, and get texts from Chloe that buzz the controller and point you onward. An axe breaks through damaged parts of the house, and a spray can and lighter make a short-range flamethrower.

The fear comes from darkness, silence broken by tapping and strange noises, and jump scares that reviewers found well placed rather than overused. Once you know the house, the tension fades, and the story is over in about an hour.

Critics scored it low, and Nintendo Life found the Switch version's small cursor and crowded buttons frustrating, while players on Steam and the PlayStation Store rate it more warmly. UploadVR called the VR version far better than the flat-screen mode, so it suits VR owners who want a short haunted-house story to explore with their own hands in one evening.

How to play Don't Knock Twice

1. Buy it on Steam, the PlayStation Store, Xbox or the Nintendo eShop; on PC choose VR or non-VR mode when you start.
2. Explore the manor in first person, carrying a candle for light.
3. Pick up and examine objects, and read the backs of photographs for clues about the witch and your daughter.
4. Follow the text messages Chloe sends you; they often hint at where to go next.
5. Use the axe and other items you find to break through or drive back what comes for you, and search deeper until you find your daughter.

Tips

• Play in VR if you can; reviewers found the flat-screen mode much weaker.
• If teleporting feels better than walking in VR, switch movement modes; both are offered on PC.
• Don't drop the axe carelessly: there is no inventory, and you may need it again later.
• If the rooms are too dark to read, you can turn the brightness up in the settings.
• In Oculus mode, turn on distance grabbing if reaching for objects is awkward.

Questions