My Dear Sister is a paid puzzle game from Mechanized Games. This roguelike horror experience is a quick yet harrowing tale that focuses on the Fellows Family, especially the twin sisters Astrid and Alice. As the latter, you find yourself receiving a mysterious letter bringing you back to the family mansion. Explore the massive house, uncover your family’s secrets, and hope to get out of the mansion alive.

While a good premise, My Dear Sister still screams low production. Its strongest suit, however, is the use of puzzles that act like minigames, making it slightly better than Granny or Erie.

Save souls and survive

As mentioned earlier, My Dear Sister takes place in a large mansion. Apart from discovering the secrets of your family, you are tasked with saving souls trapped in various locations. It’s up to the player to determine which souls to save and which to run away from. The graphics are mostly of low-production value: polygonal models, flat lighting, and angular movements.

Apart from seeing them in person, you can use sound effects to sense them. This is accompanied by a visual indicator, adding a sense of inclusivity to the game. This makes the game scary in its own way, although experienced players would get used to it. If you’ve played similar games before, the game gets predictable and therefore too easy.

Lastly, the puzzles are worth mentioning because they add lightheartedness to the game. These are treated as isolated minigames that pause the game once you play them. From wood puzzles where you guide a ball into the hole, to number puzzles, these games vary in appeal and difficulty—and some of them can come across as frustrating. This is actually more fun than the overall mystery you’re trying to solve.

A fun horror experience

It fails as a horror game on account of the lacking quality and the predictable scares, but My Dear Sister unexpectedly becomes a fun game thanks to its puzzles. The low quality of its graphics, while a deal breaker in creating fright and suspense, can be neglected as you solve these fun minigames. Overall, it works as a quick gaming experience, although justifying the price can be quite a challenge.