I Hate this Place

I like this place.

Inspired by Skybound’s Eisner Award-nominated comic book series that ran from 2022 to 2023, I Hate This Place tells a new story set in the confines of this richly detailed world. As Elena, you'll battle monstrosities and horrors as you attempt to find your missing friend, Lou, after a ritual goes horribly horribly wrong. To be fair, have rituals in horror stories ever gone right? Yeah, didn't think so.

Taking inspiration from the comic series, I Hate This Place has that comic book vibe without making it too overpowering and gimmicky. Its use of bright colors during the day and the darkness that swallows them up at night offers a nice dynamic as the day goes on. As you return home and outfit yourself with the tools needed to survive, crafting numerous workstations from acquired resources, Elena will discover much about not only her past, but the truth behind the death of her mother.

As the tale goes, a man with horns is worshipped by a cult, granting him unimaginable power and obedience over his flock. You'll encounter those who wish to see him resurrected, wearing masks to show their devotion. You'll witness rituals and look to understand why they worship him, and even visit an encampment under guard of these worshippers.

You'll also meet an armed priest, your aunt and uncle, and several other characters, all holding onto some truth behind what is going on. Combine that with a few ghost stories to understand certain characters better, and the extended cast are worth engaging with, as many of them will be part of the few side quests the game offers.

I Hate This Place is an isometric horror game built with some avenues of stealth, but a full arsenal of weapons for Elena to use. From human-sized spiders, mutated cult followers, to giant creatures that stalk the halls of abandoned military facilities, Elena will use pistols, rifles, shotguns, and grenades to stay alive. 

The world of I Hate This Place is filled with supernatural elements and threats, as you'll witness ghosts haunting the woods, tracking down strange sightings that lead you to more stories and letters that detail the lives of those who live in this neck of the woods. 

The story takes place around Elena’s Aunt’s ranch, as several military and science bunkers are full of mystery and secrets, and just so happen to be nearby. From an abandoned mine to crypts below a church, these few acres of land hold many threats, all connected to the mystery of the horned man. 

Elena herself is very focused on finding Lou, but also wants to understand what happened to her mom all those years ago. She’ll find those answers, eventually, but she’ll have to come to grips with the world around her, given that this area is filled with tons of cult followers and deadly creatures just lurking out her front door.

To aid Elena, you'll craft. A lot. The farm has a lot of room to craft various workstations that will grant you the ability to harvest vegetables for making food, rags to make bandages or backpacks, and wood and steel to produce additional facilities. You'll craft ammo once you have a station to make gunpowder, and even craft new weapons, all of which will require blueprints as you find them. As resources are plentiful, you will never be without what you need to take with you. 

While you can leave all your resources in the barn, instead of carrying them with you, it leaves your limited space for guns, ammo, and healing items, such as bags of chips, soup, and prepared meals you've made at camp. There is a lot here to sink into, should you need to chill from the spooky expeditions you'll undertake. 

My only gripe with the workstations is that some simply do the job of others. There are two stations that both produce water or planks, or other resources, and I'm not sure they are needed. It feels like a waste to have the pump when the water tower delivers on this significantly more. Still, this is a massively small issue and is more of an “it's me, not you” situation.

I do find some issues with the overall economy and how quickly you can go from underprepared to stocked to the gills. Workstations will require time to not only build, but to process your request for their output. However, going back into the farm to sleep cures this, and can make the requirement for waiting to feel largely pointless. I would go around, gather resources, and then sleeping for a day would produce enough ammo and healing supplies to last me for the rest of the game. 

Combat keeps up more and more as you procure more weapons, giving you better chances at killing the few creature types that appear here. I do wish aiming; however, would aim the reticle at your target and not just blindly in one direction. Sure, you'll likely hit where you are facing, but a bigger focus on where you are hitting would have been nice. 

Still, combat feels good, and the amount of enemies in any given situation is a solid mix of unique types. From small critters to melee, to shooting an explosive lodged in the back of a towering monster, one that stalks you via the noise you make, can often be engaging encounters. You'll also need to stay on guard for large deer who will attempt to ravage you, slamming their horns into you if you're not paying attention. 

The overall look for I Hate This Place is solid, and the game looks great during the day or night. The flashlight works wonderfully to cast out just enough light to keep it spooky, and the fact that it gets dark around 4 pm and stays that way until around 9 am, keeps the aesthetics squarely focused on being in the dark. 

While the voice acting didn't impress me off the bat, as the first ten minutes of the game felt like a series of one-take disasters, the rest of the cast, and Elena herself, start to improve dramatically. The overall audio and atmosphere works, and contributes to the tone and feel of the game. Scary, but also very camp and goofy when it needs it.

I quite enjoyed I Hate This Place and found the gameplay loop to be solid. While the story elements waver in their quality, the world built here is engaging and rich with detail. While Elena may not want to return to the ranch any time soon, I could easily see a sequel that really digs into some more of this wonderfully crafted world.

Developer - Rock Square Thunder. Publisher - Broken Mirror Games. Released - January 29th, 2026. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC. Rated - (M) Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X/S, PC. Review Access - A review code for the game was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.