Home Safety Hotline Spiel

by Rian

There is a saying, I was told, in horror community, nobody cares if it’s a mystery, a thriller, a supernatural — they are all scary, therefore horror. I am reminded of it once again, as I found the Home Safety Hotline was labeled a horror and puzzle game; latter of which is certainly true. Home Safety Hotline is as much a horror as legends and mythologies can be, including the German varieties.

As a puzzle game, the premise behind Home Safety Hotline is simple. You are working as an emergency call responder who must find out the cause behind the household hazards of callers. Do not mistake it for dispatcher; your job includes identifying the cause, not simply sending out professionals. Nor is your job simply answering the calls based on what your callers tell you; because your callers, despite their efforts, will sound like customers yelling at IT about their “cup holders” being broken, and it will be on you to make sense out of it.

Truly, the writing of these callers are on the dot. Some of the callers gave me flashbacks trying to troubleshoot computer problems over the phone. The part horror also occurs during your discovery phase of possible household hazards; your answers, no matter how right it is, may not save the caller’s day. Some of these hazards could end up in the most harrowing results. There is also the sense of profound sense of disconnect, possibly based on real life experiences of emergency responders, that you will not hear back from the callers if you chose the right answer — “right” in this context does not necessarily mean positive outcome.

If I were to nitpick a con for this horror puzzler, I would say the plot development is rather underwhelming. There are lore pieces and side arcs thrown in, as the main arc, protagonist’s employment in HSH company, is taking place. The game is simply not long enough to explore any possible avenues. The silver lining behind the lack of narrative would be the game’s unique atmosphere does compensate most of it.

Conclusions: Only If It Is Up Your Alley

Horror is a genre I always have trouble recommending, as too many games are often labeled horror for myriad of reasons. Home Safety Hotline is certainly a spooky game in a traditional sense, but it is definitely not following the modern recipe for horror. It is also a puzzle game by definition, but some may would prefer to call it a visual novel or a job simulator. While the game successfully creates a fantasy-filled call responder experience, it may not be everyone’s take of what horror, puzzle, or even call responder, should be. It is up your valley, it is certainly worth a try.