Haunted House Renovator News

[h2]Take part in the playtest of the Haunted House Renovator![/h2]



Attention Renovators! 🚨

You can now sign up for our third and final playtest of Haunted House Renovator! Get ready for unforgettable and terrifying adventures, as well as plenty of... renovations. 🔧


From now on, you can register for the experience, but the playtest will likely take place in late March 2025. But be sure to reserve your spot now!

New discoveries, hautings, and without a doubt - plenty of thrills await you! A lot of new additions are waiting to be explored and evaluated. We’re counting on your feedback, because only together we can make this game the greatest!

Everyone can take part – you don’t need any special qualifications! 😜 The game should teach you and if anything's unclear, you will be able to contact us. Verifying the clarity of our new tutorial is very important in this playtest!

Important Notes:

• This build precedes our main testing phase, so expect bugs—lots of them! Your feedback will help us squash them.
  
• Bug reports and other feedback should be submitted via Google Forms (accessible in-game and through external links).
  
• Everyone is welcome to participate, whether you're a Kickstarter backer or not.
  

Registration opens today! Here's how to sign up:

• Visit the Haunted House Renovator store page on Steam.
  
• Scroll down to find the "Join the Haunted House Renovator Playtest" box.
  
• Click the green "Request Access" button.
  
• You'll receive a confirmation of successful registration.
  
• In March, selected players will gain access to the playtest build.
  

Join the Haunted House Renovator Discord and share your thoughts about the game!



Let us know if you are planning to take part in the playtest! 👻

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1917850/Haunted_House_Renovator/

It's been a while since our last update, but we've been working extra hard because the game release date is coming really soon. In this devlog, we’d like to share with you a sneak peek at the newest location – the entomologist's house! Moreover, we’re listening to your suggestions, and we’re excited to introduce the upgrades panel!

Entomologist's House location concept art - this is how it started. Final result below

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Take a look at our biggest location: The Entomologist's House! 🦋[/h2]
A large mansion that was once home to a passionate butterfly enthusiast. It’s the biggest location in the game – be careful not to get lost! As you might expect, it’s filled with plenty of hauntings – especially flying ones.

Ingame screenshot from Entomologist's House location

Fun fact: the entomologist plays a big role in HHR lore — he was the one who discovered the mystical stone tablets that set off the chain of events in the game.

[hr][/hr]
Upgrades have arrived! 💡
Now, you can upgrade all your equipment with lots of cool additions!
Their main goal is to help players with the aspects of the game that cause them the most trouble.
For most upgrades, you can pay with ectoplasm, which you gain after getting rid of Wraiths and some other hauntings. Ectoplasm is a rare currency, so plan wisely before spending it!



Upgrades menu

- The flashlight can now be upgraded up to three times to help you see better, even when the electricity is out. 👀 After unlocking UV light, you can search for hidden symbols on each map to gain even more ectoplasm! 🔦
- You can also add scanners to your tools to analyze your surroundings, making it easier to spot dirty furniture, garbage, broken objects, or even hauntings! 🔍 Renovator Vision was one of the most frequently requested features in our questionnaires (yes, we do read them! 😃). We hope this will meet players' expectations!



Damaged object scanner upgrade

- One of the upgrades allows players to take a loan, so don’t worry too much about money problems! 😉
- And many more surprises await! 🎁

This new feature enhances gameplay and makes renovations easier and more fun! ✨

[hr][/hr]
As always, we love hearing from you! 💬
Many of your ideas have already made it into the game, and we carefully consider every suggestion.
Which upgrade are you most excited to unlock? 🔓

Feel free to join our Discord channel!

[hr][/hr]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1917850/Haunted_House_Renovator/
[hr][/hr]

As we embrace the holiday season, we're excited to unwrap a chilling new location: The Riding Red Hood House! But that’s not all—we’ve also introduced a new spirit-waking system that will change how you interact with hauntings. Ready to rouse some spirits and solve some eerie mysteries? Here’s a peek at what awaits you inside:

Ingame screenshot from RRH location

[hr][/hr]
[h2]🏠 A House Rich with Mystery and Style[/h2]
Step into this old-fashioned mansion, where every corner tells a story. Once belonging to Red Riding Hood's grandmother, the walls are adorned with Shiba inu-themed artwork and motifs — a nod to her passion for dog breeding. How did Red Riding Hood later move into this house? And did she care for the dogs or did she have a different, more sinister agenda? That's for you to find out!

👻 New Hauntings to Encounter
Prepare yourself for new hauntings:

- A mysterious dancer who glides eerily across the grand dancefloor. Will you discover his story, or will he remain a haunting enigma? 💃👻
- The Shiba Inu-gheist—a spectral twist on the classic Shiba Inu with a ghostly vibe. Is it friend, foe, or something in between? 🐕🔮
- And more...!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[hr][/hr]
🧩 Puzzles and Secrets Await
This house has intricate puzzles that will challenge your wits and bravery. Unlock the secrets hidden within its three floors and uncover the eerie truth lurking behind every locked door and cryptic clue. 🗝️

🔔 New Spirit-Waking System
Get ready to experience a new system for waking spirits! Discover unique ways to interact with ghosts, coaxing them out of hiding and revealing their chilling stories. Be careful, though—how you approach them could determine whether they’re a helpful or hostile renovator! 👻🔦

🎥 Stay tuned for a sneak peek video, and don’t forget to wishlist Haunted House Renovator on Steam if you haven’t yet! 🛠️👻

Shiba Inu-gheist concept arts

[hr][/hr]
🎄 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 🎅✨
From all of us at Image Power, we wish you a season full of joy, warmth, and just the right amount of chills! Thank you for your support and for joining us on this spooky journey. Here's to more hauntings in 2025! 🎉🔦

[hr][/hr]
🕵️‍♂️ What do you think of the Riding Red Hood House?
Which hauntings or puzzles would you like to see in our game? Let us know in the comments below! We love hearing from you. 👇👻But be aware - it's Christmas time, and our developers will have well-deserved holidays so we come back in 100% after the New Year 2025!

Feel free to join our Discord channel!

[hr][/hr]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1917850/Haunted_House_Renovator/
[hr][/hr]

We’re back with another exciting update for Haunted House Renovator! This time, we’re sharing details about a chilling new location—the Taxidermist’s house—and improvements to the game’s tutorial for a smoother, more immersive experience.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Step Inside the Taxidermist’s House! 🪓🐾[/h2]
This time we’re unveiling a chilling new location: the Taxidermist’s house—a lonely structure steeped in mystery and darkness. Let’s dive into what makes this haunted haven so unique. This house tells the story of its former owner through its eerie décor.
Expect to see:

- Wooden furniture crafted especially for the house owner - ready to unlock after the renovation.
- Tools and taxidermy equipment, scattered across the dimly lit interior.
- Stitched animals, silently watching your every move.

You’ll encounter a spectral light ghost, floating through shadowy rooms with a lantern in hand, casting light in his beloved dark corners. Be aware, that haunting doesn't like electricity! This presence adds a supernatural twist to your exploration and puzzles!



[hr][/hr]
Tutorial Reconstruction: Your Journey Made Easier 🌟
We’ve reimagined the game’s tutorial to be less focused on objectives and more open to player-driven discovery. Our goal is to make learning the game more intuitive by:

- Reducing the amount of reading required.
- Special feature for auto tool choice for each occasion.
- Encouraging players to explore and uncover mechanics on their own.

We hope this new approach feels more natural and fun while still giving you the tools you need to navigate the haunted houses.

Concept of Taxidermist Wraith.

[hr][/hr]
The Haunting Details: Bringing It to Life 🌑✨
Our team loved designing this unique location and assets, blending realism with supernatural elements. Each shadow and every carefully placed object tells part of the story, creating an immersive environment for players to uncover.

Concepts of Light Ghost

[hr][/hr]
What Do You Think? 💬
Are you excited to dive into the Taxidermist’s haunting story? What are your thoughts on our tutorial changes? Drop us a comment or question below—we’d love your feedback!

Thank you for being part of this haunting journey. We’ll have more updates for you soon!

Feel free to join our Discord channel!

[hr][/hr]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1917850/Haunted_House_Renovator/

We're excited to share some spooky details about Haunted House Renovator!

Let's start with production information!
We are listning and seeing what crowds desire. Everyone wants to get our game as soon as possible! Because of that, we decided to skip the release of the Prologue - which might delay production - and focus on the full game. Thanks to this news now we can say that the release is planned for the second quarter (Q2) of 2025!




Now, let's talk about the story, setting, and the creation process behind our cutscenes. So, grab a flashlight and follow along!

The premise: Uncovering the Mystery 📜
In Haunted House Renovator, players explore modern-day locations that date back to the early 20th century. Each place holds chilling secrets, with hints and mysteries left behind by those who once inhabited them. They can't leave those places now and have become Wraits - each unique and with their own story. But you’re not alone! A spectral ancestor joins you, cautiously guiding you as you unravel the cause of your unique (non)existence. With each renovation, your grandpa companion provides sparse, tantalizing clues. You'll encounter ghostly sightings, event threats, and other supernatural presences that enrich the mystery.




The cutscenes: Discovering the Story through Gameplay 🧩
As you explore, you’ll reveal more about the Wraiths through multiple gameplay elements. Set up cameras to capture hidden clues, solve eerie puzzles, and watch key cutscenes that reveal layers of the story, including who — or what — lingers in these spaces. Be sure to watch them before each area! Cutscenes introduce each location, answer player questions, and set the stage for each new haunting.




The process: Bringing the Story to Life 🎬
We start with an idea! Then create the broad storyline, move to a draft script, and built a storyboard to help us visualize each scene. It’s a process of refining and adjusting, and we spot new details with each pass. Once the boards are ready, we create assets, then record the dialogue and finish… although our voice actors aren’t cast just yet, so we’re currently voicing scenes ourselves! 🎙️😉

Early production stage storyboard sneakpeek - that's how it all starts!


And that’s the latest! Does our storytelling approach resonate with you? Have any questions about the plot? Drop them in the comments, and let’s chat!



By the way - happy Halloween and All Saint's!


[hr][/hr]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1917850/Haunted_House_Renovator/