$9.99Mad Father Horror in the family mansion
An eleven-year-old girl explores her father's dark experiments in a short horror adventure with puzzles and several endings.
Is Mad Father worth it?
Mad Father is worth it if…
- you want a horror story you can finish in an evening or two
- you like creepy pixel-art mansions more than constant jump scares
- you enjoy a plot that keeps twisting what you thought you knew
- you want your puzzles light so the story stays front and centre
- you are curious about the classics of Japanese horror adventure games
Screenshots
A night in the Drevis mansion
You play Aya, an eleven-year-old girl whose father runs maniacal experiments in his mansion night after night. One bizarre incident breaks the household open, and your job is to uncover what has really been going on behind those doors. That means exploring every inch of the place, and the game hands you the tools a polite visit would never require: chainsaws, knives, hammers, even bottles of eyeballs. The mansion is a proper gothic pile, rendered in detailed pixel art, and it drips atmosphere. You creep through it knowing exactly what kind of man lives here, and slowly learning you might know him better than you would like.
Puzzles, chases and a second run
Progress comes through exploration puzzles: find the item, work out where it belongs, open the next door. None of them will keep you stuck for long, so the story stays in motion. The pace spikes when it should, with sudden chase sequences that send you sprinting through the halls with your heart going. Finish the story and the game opens up: there are multiple endings to reach, and Blood Mode, a second playthrough that alters the story and shows you a side of the Drevis family the first run only hints at. The remake also adds brand new scenes and completely revamped graphics over the original classic.
What should you know before playing?
How long does Mad Father take to finish?
It is a short game. A first playthrough runs around five to eight hours, and the extra modes add a couple more if you want the full story. That brevity is part of the design: the tale is tight, and it does not overstay its welcome.
Is it actually scary?
It is unsettling more than it is terrifying. The horror works through dread, disturbing imagery and suggestion rather than a constant stream of jump scares, and the soundtrack does a lot of the heavy lifting. If you want an atmospheric, creepy story that will not leave you too rattled, this fits well.
Do you need to know the original game?
No. This is a remake of a classic horror exploration game, with revamped graphics and new scenes, but it stands entirely on its own. Knowing the original only adds a layer of appreciation; going in fresh works just as well, and the story is best experienced without knowing where it goes.
