Mental Hospital: Child of Evil is a paid adventure game from Igor Migun and AGaming+. This mystery horror-survival experience puts you in the shoes of an investigative journalist tasked with uncovering the truth from a psychiatric hospital. It’s a scoop of a lifetime, but you only get to report it if you make it out alive.

Mental Hospital: Child of Evil belongs to the hardcore tier of indie horror games, with its attempt to scare the player at every turn, from jump scares to the set designs. It shares a lot of elements with Outlast and some from Subject 65.

Hospital horror game on overdrive

Regular fans of the horror genre shouldn’t dismiss Mental Hospital: Child of Evil as just another entry. What it lacks in visual quality or in an original story, it makes up for with the sheer amount of fright it offers. Right from the prologue, it starts with the standard foggy woods. The game takes the opportunity to provide background to the player—keeping this steady pacing in horror and story throughout.

Its limited visibility helps mask the game's restrictions, such as low-quality textures and inconsistencies in the game collision, all while keeping the player in suspense for most of the game. It has some smart gameplay mechanics, such as minor investigation-type objectives guiding you as you progress. Also, the flashlight that helps you see through the darkness also gives away your position, creating a two-edged sword scenario.

In terms of the story, it is straightforward and linear, although it does offer multiple endings. Aside from the issues mentioned above, the game can also focus on increasing the difficulty of the game. Even the so-called difficult tasks are simple and predictable. Also, some of its bugs and glitches are not that detrimental to the experience; some of them even come across as funny.

A commendable indie horror game

Given that it won’t compare with AAA titles, Mental Hospital: Child of Evil still holds its own among modern horror games. It doesn’t try so hard to deviate from the tried-and-tested hospital horror theme but makes up for it with the sheer amount of scares. Even its technical restrictions are masked to an extent by pulling off a Silent Hill stunt. Simple and scary, recommended.