We’ve been following the release of I Hate This Place, the new retro-inspired horror title from developer Rock Square Thunder, closely. The game is out on Steam, Epic, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X/S on January 29th, 2026, priced at $29.99 with a bonus 20% early bird discount. It’s also worth mentioning that a physical Switch and PS5 version will be released in April for those wanting to keep it retro, and that it’s based on a comic book series created by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin. For this review, we’ve been playing the Steam version.
The game centers on Elena, a young woman trying to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. It all takes place on a ranch where Elens grew up with her uncle and aunt, who own a home in the haunted surroundings. I Hate This Place consists of an overworld map that you explore and open up new levels to complete. You also need to craft lots of items, construct new sections of the ranch, and generally build up your map to unlock new areas.
Throughout I Hate This Place, you’ll need to keep an eye on your health, which is replenished by crafting bandages and health packs, your stamina, that replehishes by stopping running, and your hunger, which is satisfied by eating various food items. The other aspect that is ever-changing is the day-to-night cycle. Some of the puzzles and missions require you to explore certain areas at different times of the day to complete them. We found this an interesting gameplay trope and added another layer to working everything out.
Of course, as with all good horror games, your ammunition is finite in I Hate This Place, and you need to quickly get used to not wasting ammo. Luckily, you can craft more ammo at the crafting tables spread around, but there were times when we didn’t have enough gunpowder or other items, and it caused a sense of desperation. During these times, you have another weapon up your sleeve, the weapon of stealth. Most enemies can be ignored by crouching and timing your movements. The stealth has been very well implemented with visual cues to how noisy you’re being. Slowing everything down will usually cause the enemies not notice you’re in the room.
Once you’ve explored a new area of the overworld map and crafted the necessary items, a sub-level will open up. These levels are self-contained areas, mostly underground, that require a lot of puzzle solving and exploring, as well as monster killing, to complete. Once finished, new quests appear on the main map. We did notice that it is well worth stocking up on ammo, health packs, and other items before heading into one of the sub-levels, as they can be long and have limited supplies available.
The best part of I Hate This Place is the eerie atmosphere. The developers have put a lot of thought into bringing the world of the comic to life, especially with the use of color and speech bubbles that the characters have while talking. Another standout feature in I Hate This Place is the sound effects. We were lucky to play this on a PC that had surround sound set up, and hearing the creepy cries of zombies from behind, or the whistling of bullets across our ears, was excellent. The developers have put a lot of thought into making an atmospheric game that nails that retro horror feel.
With the atmosphere being really good, the same can be said for the rest of the presentation, which uses a retro aesthetic mixed with some modern ideas to create a genuinely unique-looking game. I Hate This Place also has a good variety of enemey types, with each needing a different strategy to beat. They also all look very distinct, and it’s refreshing to see monsters inspired by The Thing lined up next to zombies and possesed deers. Each area of the map also has its own theme, from swamp to farmland and several others in between. You never feel like you’re treading old ground, and it’s always exciting when heading into something new.
I Hate This Place isn’t perfect; we had a few niggles with the controls, but these will probably be solved in later patches. We also found the story a bit hard to follow at times as well. We weren’t sure if this was down to not reading the comic, but it also just felt a bit disjointed, especially at the start, where it wasn’t clear what to do after beating the first sub-level. These things are very minor gripes, however, in an otherwise excellent retro romp.
Overall, I Hate This Place is a well-made game that retro horror fans will enjoy. The atmosphere and overall presentation are worth the entry price alone, and there is a tough challenge here for those who wish to see the whole game. Horror fans will mostly appreciate the strategy needed in conserving ammo and positioning the character just right to take the enemy down. Gamers looking for fast-paced retro arcade action will probably not appreciate this one as much as horror purists. A great game that comes highly recommended.
