Greetings slayers!

Thanks for your continued support of the game! As a small token of our appreciation, we thought you might like to be among the first to know that we have a big update planned for later this summer, and we will be revealing all this Friday, the 1st of September.

We think you'll like it.

RIP

Greetings slayers!

Thanks for your continued support of the game! As a small token of our appreciation, we thought you might like to be among the first to know that we have a big update planned for later this summer, and we will be revealing all this Friday, the 1st of September.

We think you'll like it.

RIP

To those who have been foolish enough to enter the mansion, but resourceful enough to live to tell us about it, we salute you!

We've heard your feedback and we've been reworking the controller input and keybindings to allow for primary and secondary attacks with the mouse. Now you can point and shoot to your hearts content, just remember - always aim for the head!

Patch notes for v0.09:

• Added the ability to bind actions to the mouse buttons. (LMB to activate the leader's weapon, RMB to activate the leader's active ability, and MMB to interact by default)
  
  
• Added new keybinds to activate active abilities (1, 2, and 3 by default)
  
  
• Added new keybinds to toggle the leader character (Scroll wheel on mouse to scrub through or R and F to toggle to the next/previous character, respectively)

Players with existing keybinds will either have to manually rebind these keys, or restore their keybinds to the defaults via the main menu.

RIP

To those who have been foolish enough to enter the mansion, but resourceful enough to live to tell us about it, we salute you!

We've heard your feedback and we've been reworking the controller input and keybindings to allow for primary and secondary attacks with the mouse. Now you can point and shoot to your hearts content, just remember - always aim for the head!

Patch notes for v0.09:

• Added the ability to bind actions to the mouse buttons. (LMB to activate the leader's weapon, RMB to activate the leader's active ability, and MMB to interact by default)
  
  
• Added new keybinds to activate active abilities (1, 2, and 3 by default)
  
  
• Added new keybinds to toggle the leader character (Scroll wheel on mouse to scrub through or R and F to toggle to the next/previous character, respectively)

Players with existing keybinds will either have to manually rebind these keys, or restore their keybinds to the defaults via the main menu.

RIP

Greetings, slayers!

It might be difficult to believe, but Phantom Halls didn't actually spring into existence, immaculately birthed out of the darkness. Instead, a team of hardworking talented folks spent a rather long time turning realising our vision of a playful yet sinister reality. Today, we wanted to share with you a little snapshot of what that entailed: the craft of Phantom Halls, from concept to (not-quite-)completion!

Early Prototype

It began, of course, with an idea: a squad based game in which assorted quirky characters, each with their own attacks and controls, battle their way through a haunted house to escape the evil within. Originally we were thinking about a tactical turn-based RPG, but then we took a turn off the beaten path... what if all these characters could be controlled in real time? What if the teen-monster-hunting-squad moved as a group commanded by a single controller? Would that be fun?

We spun up a very quick Unity prototype to see...



It turned out it was! Or at least, we felt it a strong enough experience to work with. So, alongside working on the core game loop and mechanics, we began to think about the environment in which the game would take place, and the style in which it would be rendered.

The Mansion

We always had a pretty good sense of what we wanted the mansion itself to look like - an off kilter structure, leaning with subsidence, the floors buckled, the windows shuttered - the ultimate creepy old house on the hill!

The image below shows our initial concept art on the left, through wireframing and texturing to the right.



Characters and Enemies

We knew we wanted the game to have a unique look and feel. We also wanted to create something that was accessible to the widest number of players, and which we could continue to iterate on rapidly. Finding an art style to meet those requirements was a challenge.

Our initial character and enemy sketches were more organic and natural-looking.



But over time we began to develop a papercraft style, with stylised character concept art that would suit low-poly models, allowing the game to run smoothly across a range of machines while looking - we like to think - pretty darn cool.




Putting the World Together

Each time you play Phantom Halls, the world is constructed on the fly as it loads. You'll no doubt have noticed that no two playthroughs of the same quest are the same.

As well as getting the art style right, it was important to us that we could create the feel of a smoothly flowing experience, while ensuring large amounts of variety each and every time.



The wireframe model above shows a single room 'block'. As you can see, it's an independent area - walls, floors, static objects, stairs and a door at each end, but nothing else contained within it.

We have an increasingly large number of these independent blocks, which the game pieces together based on various rules, then populates procedurally with the enemies, items, traps and characters that you see in the game.



___

Remember, Phantom Halls is continually evolving, with new content being added regularly - new characters, enemies, traps, quests and environments. We'll be sure to bring you more updates in the future as to how things are shaping up.

Until next time, RIP folks!

Greetings, slayers!

It might be difficult to believe, but Phantom Halls didn't actually spring into existence, immaculately birthed out of the darkness. Instead, a team of hardworking talented folks spent a rather long time turning realising our vision of a playful yet sinister reality. Today, we wanted to share with you a little snapshot of what that entailed: the craft of Phantom Halls, from concept to (not-quite-)completion!

Early Prototype

It began, of course, with an idea: a squad based game in which assorted quirky characters, each with their own attacks and controls, battle their way through a haunted house to escape the evil within. Originally we were thinking about a tactical turn-based RPG, but then we took a turn off the beaten path... what if all these characters could be controlled in real time? What if the teen-monster-hunting-squad moved as a group commanded by a single controller? Would that be fun?

We spun up a very quick Unity prototype to see...



It turned out it was! Or at least, we felt it a strong enough experience to work with. So, alongside working on the core game loop and mechanics, we began to think about the environment in which the game would take place, and the style in which it would be rendered.

The Mansion

We always had a pretty good sense of what we wanted the mansion itself to look like - an off kilter structure, leaning with subsidence, the floors buckled, the windows shuttered - the ultimate creepy old house on the hill!

The image below shows our initial concept art on the left, through wireframing and texturing to the right.



Characters and Enemies

We knew we wanted the game to have a unique look and feel. We also wanted to create something that was accessible to the widest number of players, and which we could continue to iterate on rapidly. Finding an art style to meet those requirements was a challenge.

Our initial character and enemy sketches were more organic and natural-looking.



But over time we began to develop a papercraft style, with stylised character concept art that would suit low-poly models, allowing the game to run smoothly across a range of machines while looking - we like to think - pretty darn cool.




Putting the World Together

Each time you play Phantom Halls, the world is constructed on the fly as it loads. You'll no doubt have noticed that no two playthroughs of the same quest are the same.

As well as getting the art style right, it was important to us that we could create the feel of a smoothly flowing experience, while ensuring large amounts of variety each and every time.



The wireframe model above shows a single room 'block'. As you can see, it's an independent area - walls, floors, static objects, stairs and a door at each end, but nothing else contained within it.

We have an increasingly large number of these independent blocks, which the game pieces together based on various rules, then populates procedurally with the enemies, items, traps and characters that you see in the game.



___

Remember, Phantom Halls is continually evolving, with new content being added regularly - new characters, enemies, traps, quests and environments. We'll be sure to bring you more updates in the future as to how things are shaping up.

Until next time, RIP folks!

Time to bust some balls...

• Added a new playable character, the All-Star. He comes with two abilities
  -"Shot Caller" (a passive ability which increases accuracy with guns) -
  - "Fadeaway" (an active ability that allows the All-Star to lob a basketball that explodes, dealing massive damage).
  
• Added the new quest "Nothing To Fear."
  
• Added the new quest "A Different Ballgame."
  
• Renamed Neckbeard to LARPer, it just felt right!

RIP

Time to bust some balls...

• Added a new playable character, the All-Star. He comes with two abilities
  -"Shot Caller" (a passive ability which increases accuracy with guns) -
  - "Fadeaway" (an active ability that allows the All-Star to lob a basketball that explodes, dealing massive damage).
  
• Added the new quest "Nothing To Fear."
  
• Added the new quest "A Different Ballgame."
  
• Renamed Neckbeard to LARPer, it just felt right!

RIP

Greetings, slayers!

We’ve tried to make Phantom Halls a little deeper than first meets the eye. But have you been missing certain gameplay elements as a result?

Today we wanted to walk you through just a few of these less obvious components to the game, and how to better tackle the challenges found within the Phantom Halls!



Self-Defence

When using a melee weapon against one of the grotesque creatures of Phantom Halls, you can block their attacks with quick timing and spotting the quick visual cue that pops up when the enemy is about to strike.

As soon as you see the red exclamation point, quickly hit your character’s action button. If you time it just right, you’ll block the attack, leaving the enemy wide open for a nasty strike of your own. Just make sure you don’t miss!



Head Means Dead

When we first launched Phantom Halls into Early Access, a shot was a shot - it didn’t matter where it landed. But this didn’t quite seem right, so we’ve changed it. Now, shooting for the head does maximum damage - so make sure to hone your aim, and you’ll be rewarded with the nice crackle and pop of an enemy’s skull imploding.

There are few things better than exploding some zombie brains with a single pull of the trigger, don'tcha think?



Why Bring A Flashlight?

As we keep saying, it’s not a very bright idea to go into Phantom Halls without some light to guide you. But why is this exactly?

Giving a flashlight or a torch to one of your party members will not only allow you to see in the dark (which is a good starting point), but it also gives your party an accuracy and damage boost when using ranged weapons.

We have more plans for the flashlight in the months ahead, so watch this space!



Follow The Leader

Sometimes if someone isn’t getting the job done, you gotta do it yourself.

You can switch which character you’re using while in a mission by bringing up the inventory, then clicking on the crown of the character you’d like to switch to. Switching party leaders can allow you to lead with a melee weapon, save on health points, or protect your most important character!

We hope you’ve found these tips and tricks helpful. And remember, our V0.07 patch went live last week - take a look at what it includes!

Until next time, RIP folks!

Greetings, slayers!

We’ve tried to make Phantom Halls a little deeper than first meets the eye. But have you been missing certain gameplay elements as a result?

Today we wanted to walk you through just a few of these less obvious components to the game, and how to better tackle the challenges found within the Phantom Halls!



Self-Defence

When using a melee weapon against one of the grotesque creatures of Phantom Halls, you can block their attacks with quick timing and spotting the quick visual cue that pops up when the enemy is about to strike.

As soon as you see the red exclamation point, quickly hit your character’s action button. If you time it just right, you’ll block the attack, leaving the enemy wide open for a nasty strike of your own. Just make sure you don’t miss!



Head Means Dead

When we first launched Phantom Halls into Early Access, a shot was a shot - it didn’t matter where it landed. But this didn’t quite seem right, so we’ve changed it. Now, shooting for the head does maximum damage - so make sure to hone your aim, and you’ll be rewarded with the nice crackle and pop of an enemy’s skull imploding.

There are few things better than exploding some zombie brains with a single pull of the trigger, don'tcha think?



Why Bring A Flashlight?

As we keep saying, it’s not a very bright idea to go into Phantom Halls without some light to guide you. But why is this exactly?

Giving a flashlight or a torch to one of your party members will not only allow you to see in the dark (which is a good starting point), but it also gives your party an accuracy and damage boost when using ranged weapons.

We have more plans for the flashlight in the months ahead, so watch this space!



Follow The Leader

Sometimes if someone isn’t getting the job done, you gotta do it yourself.

You can switch which character you’re using while in a mission by bringing up the inventory, then clicking on the crown of the character you’d like to switch to. Switching party leaders can allow you to lead with a melee weapon, save on health points, or protect your most important character!

We hope you’ve found these tips and tricks helpful. And remember, our V0.07 patch went live last week - take a look at what it includes!

Until next time, RIP folks!