From Wales Interactive, the creators of The Bunker and Master Reboot, comes Don't Knock Twice; an indie horror title related to the 2017 film of the same name. Although it used to be VR exclusive, recent updates have freed this game up to be enjoyed by desktop players as well. It should also be noted that the game acts as more of a direct sequel to the movie, and therefore it's highly recommended to watch the film first; otherwise, you may struggle to follow the story.

In Don't Knock Twice you play as a mother named Jess, who gave up her daughter Chloe due to severe addiction issues. Now that Chloe is old enough, the estranged mother/daughter duo are attempting to reform their relationship. In a strange series of events, however, Chloe finds herself the center of a demonic entity's attention. It's up to Jess to find and save her, as she explores her vast, now-haunted mansion in order to do so. Despite the various notes and journal entries that can be read throughout the game, there is absolutely not a whole lot here in terms of plot. In all reality, if you play this title before watching the movie, you won't understand anything that's going on. Go ahead and spend the hour-and-a-half to watch the film and then come back here; it's actually pretty good.

Generally, these horror releases that were previously based on VR exclusivity have a hard time thriving outside of the headset environment. Thankfully, that's not the case for Don't Knock Twice. The game is still able to provide an ample amount of heart-pounding scares, though it's still nowhere near as ghastly as its VR counterpart. However, if you don't own an HMD, don't let that deter you from eventually picking up this release on sale; as the experience that it provides is an excellently terrifying one. The controls are relatively smooth, both with a mouse and keyboard setup, and also a controller; this is not a feat that can be said for a lot of games that were initially VR only.

However, if you do own either an HTC Vive or an Oculus Rift, you're in for one of the best horror game experiences of your life. I hope you wear the brown pants when you play this title, since the scares are absolutely pants-soilingly frightening in VR. For the record, this is the first game that I could not finish in VR mode, and after reaching the end I'm glad I didn't, I probably would've straight up died from a heart attack. Needless to say, it's amazing in every regard when playing in VR; the ambience is especially unnerving, as there are consistent taps, wails, thumps, creaks, and skittering in all directions, not to mention the sounds of the raging storm outside of the mansion. It also helps that there are three supported types of locomotion, (head-forward, hand-forward, teleportation) so that everyone can enjoy the gameplay.

Now for the bad stuff. There's not too many negative things that can be said about Don't Knock Twice, but the primary thing is its length. The game only clocks in at just over an hour, even if you take your time exploring and gathering collectibles. There are two endings, so two complete playthroughs are necessary if you're looking for a 100% run, but the endings are just a difference of one animation; sadly, that's it. This title can also be a tad glitchy at times when it comes to carrying items. If you accidentally release your axe or hairspray-flamethrower, they'll sometimes straight up disappear. It's usually not that big of a deal, though, as there are multiples of each item scattered around; it can just be a bit annoying.

Overall, Don't Knock Twice is a solid horror game, and one that's best experienced in VR; although desktop play is great as well, everything translates fantastically. The missing story is forgivable if you watch the film first, but if you don't then you should expect to be lost plot-wise. The price of $21.99 CAD is extremely steep for an hour of playtime, but grabbing it on sale for around $10 isn't too bad of an idea, especially if you plan to give the game two runs to experience both endings. The final verdict? You must own it if you have VR. Otherwise, grab it on sale and enjoy it on a rainy night.

VR Rating:
Desktop Rating:
The Horror Network Curator | Group Click for Gore
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The developer provided a free copy of this game for review, through The Horror Network's Curation page.

[h1]Played On: [b]HTC Vive[/b][/h1] From Wales Interactive, the creators of The Bunker and Master Reboot, comes Don't Knock Twice; an indie horror title related to the 2017 film of the same name. Although it used to be VR exclusive, recent updates have freed this game up to be enjoyed by desktop players as well. It should also be noted that the game acts as more of a direct sequel to the movie, and therefore it's highly recommended to watch the film first; otherwise, you may struggle to follow the story. In Don't Knock Twice you play as a mother named Jess, who gave up her daughter Chloe due to severe addiction issues. Now that Chloe is old enough, the estranged mother/daughter duo are attempting to reform their relationship. In a strange series of events, however, Chloe finds herself the center of a demonic entity's attention. It's up to Jess to find and save her, as she explores her vast, now-haunted mansion in order to do so. Despite the various notes and journal entries that can be read throughout the game, there is absolutely not a whole lot here in terms of plot. In all reality, if you play this title before watching the movie, you won't understand anything that's going on. Go ahead and spend the hour-and-a-half to watch the film and then come back here; it's actually pretty good. Generally, these horror releases that were previously based on VR exclusivity have a hard time thriving outside of the headset environment. Thankfully, that's not the case for Don't Knock Twice. The game is still able to provide an ample amount of heart-pounding scares, though it's still nowhere near as ghastly as its VR counterpart. However, if you don't own an HMD, don't let that deter you from eventually picking up this release on sale; as the experience that it provides is an excellently terrifying one. The controls are relatively smooth, both with a mouse and keyboard setup, and also a controller; this is not a feat that can be said for a lot of games that were initially VR only. However, if you do own either an HTC Vive or an Oculus Rift, you're in for one of the best horror game experiences of your life. I hope you wear the brown pants when you play this title, since the scares are absolutely pants-soilingly frightening in VR. For the record, this is the first game that I could not finish in VR mode, and after reaching the end I'm glad I didn't, I probably would've straight up died from a heart attack. Needless to say, it's amazing in every regard when playing in VR; the ambience is especially unnerving, as there are consistent taps, wails, thumps, creaks, and skittering in all directions, not to mention the sounds of the raging storm outside of the mansion. It also helps that there are three supported types of locomotion, (head-forward, hand-forward, teleportation) so that everyone can enjoy the gameplay. Now for the bad stuff. There's not too many negative things that can be said about Don't Knock Twice, but the primary thing is its length. The game only clocks in at just over an hour, even if you take your time exploring and gathering collectibles. There are two endings, so two complete playthroughs are necessary if you're looking for a 100% run, but the endings are just a difference of one animation; sadly, that's it. This title can also be a tad glitchy at times when it comes to carrying items. If you accidentally release your axe or hairspray-flamethrower, they'll sometimes straight up disappear. It's usually not that big of a deal, though, as there are multiples of each item scattered around; it can just be a bit annoying. Overall, Don't Knock Twice is a solid horror game, and one that's best experienced in VR; although desktop play is great as well, everything translates fantastically. The missing story is forgivable if you watch the film first, but if you don't then you should expect to be lost plot-wise. The price of $21.99 CAD is extremely steep for an hour of playtime, but grabbing it on sale for around $10 isn't too bad of an idea, especially if you plan to give the game two runs to experience both endings. The final verdict? You must own it if you have VR. Otherwise, grab it on sale and enjoy it on a rainy night. VR Rating: [h1]Rating: [b]5.0/5.0[/b] - An astonishing achievement, this game must be played.[/h1] Desktop Rating: [h1]Rating: [b]4.0/5.0[/b] - Excellent, highly worth playing.[/h1] The Horror Network [url=http://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/28221963/]Curator[/url] | [url=http://steamproxy.net/groups/thehorrornetwork]Group[/url] Click for Gore The VR Network [url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/33182845-The-VR-Network/]Curator[/url] | [url=https://steamproxy.net/groups/thevrnetwork]Group[/url] Click for More [b]The developer provided a free copy of this game for review, through The Horror Network's Curation page.[/b]