Horror escape Haunted house Horror puzzle Horror RPG Maker horror 2D horror Anime horror Short horror

The Witch's House MV

Rate it

Find the way out of a witch's house where almost every room can kill you.

Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (95% of 4,204 reviews); 4.81 of 5 on the PlayStation Store (313 ratings)
Length: about 1.5 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard or gamepad; the developer recommends a gamepad.
Made by: Fummy
Released: 2018

No. 11 of the doll horror games · No. 8 of the witch horror games · No. 21 of the forest horror games · No. 15 of the mansion horror games · No. 3 of the horror games with traps · No. 16 of the horror games about children · No. 11 of the horror games with cats

Visit the game's site Steam GOG PlayStation Store Xbox Nintendo eShop

What frightens Viola walks into a house in the forest and the door disappears behind her. Almost every room hides a trap: walls close in, objects lash out and things chase her down the corridors, and one careless touch means a sudden, gory death in a quiet pixel world that lulls you between scares.
Content: gore, blood, violence, jumpscares, sudden deaths, loud sounds.

The Witch's House MV is the remake of Fummy's 2012 Japanese pixel horror game. As Viola, a girl trapped in a witch's house in the forest, you solve puzzles from clues found in its rooms while traps and sudden deaths wait at almost every step.

About The Witch's House MV

The Witch's House began on 3 October 2012 as a free Windows game by the Japanese developer Fummy, made in RPG Maker VX. Along with Ao Oni, Yume Nikki and Ib, it is credited with making RPG Maker horror popular. The Witch's House MV is Fummy's remake in RPG Maker MV, published by DANGEN Entertainment on 30 October 2018 for Windows and Mac, and on 13 October 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. All the graphics were made again from scratch, and two new difficulty settings were added.

Viola, a 13-year-old girl, wakes in a forest. A wall of thorns blocks the way out, so as night falls she goes into an old house among the trees, and the entrance vanishes behind her. To leave, she has to cross the house room by room, reading notes, finding items and working out the puzzles they point to, helped now and then by a talking black cat who is also where you save.

The house is built to kill you. A room that looks calm can close in, a picture can change, and something can come after you down a corridor with no warning. Deaths are sudden and often gory, which teaches you to stop and think before you touch anything. The quiet between them, with soft music and pretty pixel art, makes each one land harder.

The remake adds an easier setting that lets you retry at once after a death, and a harder one that opens after you reach the true ending, with new events and dialogue. A first run of the main story takes about an hour and a half by HowLongToBeat's count, and there are several endings that depend on what you do. It suits players who enjoy puzzle-led horror, don't mind dying often, and like Japanese indie horror such as Ib and Mad Father.

How to play The Witch's House MV

Walk Viola through the house and examine objects, notes and doors to find clues and items.
Use items deliberately to solve each room's puzzle and open the way forward.
Save with the black cat whenever you find him, because death can come at any step.
Run when something chases you, and stop to think before touching anything that looks wrong.

Screenshots

The Witch's House MV screenshot: Viola at the door of a grey stone house in the forest, with a black cat sitting among the flowers by the path

The Witch's House MV screenshot: Viola meets the black cat on a forest path; the cat says "Humans shouldn't be out here. Too dangerous."

The Witch's House MV screenshot: Viola at a long dining table set with tea cups, candles and a skull

The Witch's House MV screenshot: Viola in a purple room before a double door, with dolls on coloured pedestals on each side

The Witch's House MV screenshot: Viola in a dim brick room with red carpet, roses in vases and candles on the wall

The Witch's House MV screenshot: Viola beside a square pool with a frog in a dark stone room

The Witch's House MV screenshot: Viola before a gilded mirror between bookcases in a dark crimson library

Tips

Read every note; most puzzles are solved by a clue written somewhere in the house.
If you die often, the easier difficulty lets you retry right away.
Play with headphones, as the developer recommends; sound gives warnings.
A gamepad is supported, and the developer recommends playing with one.

Questions

Is The Witch's House MV different from the free original?

It is a full remake by the same developer, with redrawn graphics and two new difficulty modes, one of them with new events after the true ending.

What platforms is The Witch's House MV on?

Windows and Mac on Steam and GOG since October 2018, and Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One since 13 October 2022.

How long is The Witch's House MV?

About an hour and a half for the main story, by HowLongToBeat's count shown on GOG. Seeing the other endings and the harder mode takes longer.

Is The Witch's House gory?

Yes. The Steam page warns of violence and gore, the console stores carry an ESRB Teen rating for blood and gore and violence, and many deaths are shown suddenly.