Withering Rooms - sidescrolling horror action-RPG set in procedurally generated Victorian mansion

[Latelistener]

From Steam reviews:

TL;DR: It's not just "Clock Tower". I'd say it's maybe 30% unique/new, 50% Bloodborne, 10% Dark Souls, 4% Resident Evil 1, 3% Clock Tower 1/2, 2% Silent Hill 2, 1% Fatal Frame.

Caught me by surprise. It's hard to find it with so few reviews, but it's actually a very good game with a lot of content for an Early Access title and is quite polished.

 

[ghostdog]

Looks really cool. A Survival Horror game with Bloodborne/DS mechanics is something that could potentially be fantastic. My only concern is the procedurally generated mansion...

It's like it came from nowhere. It's a pity this game hasn't received more exposure.

 

[JarlFrank]

2D horror RPG inspired by Clock Tower and Dark Souls? Sound coo-

procedurally generated

OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE

 

[Latelistener]

The general layout of the mansion stays the same. It's the rooms that are shifting. So far it wasn't much of a deal, but maybe something will change later on.

There's a story explanation, but that would be a spoiler considering there are no mentions of it on the store page.

 

[Latelistener]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/2006140/announcements/detail/3791528713046413416

1.19 - Subterranean Grove
Enter a new area - the Subterranean Grove - where you can respec your character.

New Features

A new area - the Subterranean Grove - has been added to the bottom floor of the Labyrinth. This area includes a new NPC that can respec your character. This means you no longer have to wait until New Game + to respec - now you can do it as soon as Chapter 2.

Additionally, several new outfits were added:

* Medusa Head - found in Subterranean Grove
* Necromancer Helm - found in Labyrinth Jail Cells
* Top Hat - found randomly in Chapter 1/2, or for sale by Tomos in Chapter 3+

Polish

* Music mix has been improved
* Added a new haunting to the Valley Forest
* Reduced judder in Nightingale's run
* Some Japanese translation improvements courtesy of community members Ava Wade and Lapinyan
* The Bug Report and Input menus are now translated to Japanese

Bug Fixes

* Fix the upgrade ring screen closing immediately when using Japanese
* Fix some curses on random rings actually being blessings
* Fix a softlock that could occur when using the Item Shortcut Menu just as you enter a cutscene
* Fix the Recall Shrine not working when dying in the arena with a follower such as Nightingale's Creature in some circumstances
* Fix using the Pocket Mirror during Chapter 1 in New Game+ resulting in a black screen
* Fix allies like enchanted armor sometimes never unblocking doorways or getting "lost"
* Fix being able to move/interact when the game is returning to title
* Fix untranslated Gatehouse Residence room title in Chapter 2 appearing on map
* Fix several New Game + quests not completing when the item required was already in your inventory
* Fix Nightingale's Creature being affected by the use of Fashion Records
* Fix repeatedly editing the key bindings sometimes resulting in a corrupted keybind file
* Fix some instances of options reflecting the previous language when a new language is selected
* Fix Corpulent Zombie flashing/unflashing after death when the game is paused or the Item Shortcut Menu is active
* Fix Enchanted Candlestick projectile continuing to travel far off-screen
* Fix several places where changing the language wouldn't immediately affect text already on-screen
* Fix the New Game + boss leaving a bright light behind after death in some circumstances
* Fix the New Game + boss head not being able to be hit by certain projectiles such as jars
* Fix mirrors having a distorted reflection when viewed from odd angles, such as when using Fixed Camera Mode
* Fix the Foyer floor reflection looking odd when resolution scaling or blurring was in effect

 

[std::namespace]

cute

 

[Latelistener]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2006140/view/3906373844369929353

v1.20 - Bloody Man Update
3 new monsters, Prismatic Dress, build display mirror and more

Withering Rooms v1.20

New Monsters

Rogue Ghoul
- A sneaky undead that will attempt to steal your coins when you're not looking. Found in Subterranean Grove, Labyrinth Poison Pits, the Bog, and more rarely Blackett House and the Valley Cottages.

Lost Horse
- Where did Graverider get his horse? By finding one of these! Found in Subterranean Grove, the Bog and Cagewood.

Bloody Man
- This unlucky fellow has had his skin replaced with bandages. Found in Blackett House and Blood Tower.

Build Display Mirror

You can use a new clouded mirror in Nowhere to display all of your relevant items and stats in one screen for easy review or sharing your build with others by taking a screenshot.

Prismatic Dress


A dress that changes color over time, and gradually heals both health and cursedness. Available in the New Game + prize shop.

Control Changes


You no longer need to be running to roll. Simply hold left or right and press the dodge button. You can still dodge back by not holding left or right.

With this change, the default gamepad controls have been updated to be more comfortable and familiar to most gamers:

* Dodge has moved to Circle/B
* Run has moved to R1/RB
* Item Shortcut Menu to L1/LB

The default Item Shortcut Menu behavior is now to toggle, rather than requiring the button to be held.

If you preferred the old layout, you can rebind any input in the Input Options menu.

The Previous/Next Category buttons can now be used to change pages in the Item Shortcut Menu.

Combat Stance, given how rarely it is actually used by players during melee combat, has been renamed to Aim to better reflect its most common use(aiming projectiles) and is no longer taught in the initial combat tutorial.

New Game + Improvements

• Increased monster randomness and new spawns in New Game + and beyond
• New Game ++ and beyond now get random upgrade treasures throughout the map
• Additional Angels have been added to New Game + Chapter 3 & 4
• The Phantom Thread outfit is available for sale from the New Game + merchant

Balance Changes

• Bear traps can be activated by damage, such as throwing a Pottery Shard or hitting with a melee weapon that has a low strike
• You can now buy a maximum of 25 Hardened Flesh per New Game + cycle
• In Custom Arena Battles, each NG+ level yields a 10% instead of a 50% bonus
• Custom Arena Battles yield less gold
• Bloody Bell projectile has a larger hitbox
• Spirit Dust Bag and Curious Statue now reduce their spell toll with additional Weirdness and take into account equippables that reduce spell toll in their description display
• Edgar resurrects back in his home room upon death and leaving the room

Polish

• Added 'Ultra' graphics quality level - adds additional volumetric and bloom detail
• Improve the performance of certain scenes on Low and Medium quality settings
• Improve the appearance of Cursed Helmet
• The Cagewood has an additional room, and the Old Cemetery has improved in appearance
• Smoothed the transition from game to main menu
• Credits can be "fast forwarded" and are now accessible from the title screen
• Ending the game transitions directly into New Game +
• Continued Japanese translation improvements courtesy of community members Ava Wade and Lapinyan

Bug Fixes

• Fix Tomos not selling the Top Hat in Chapter 3/4
• Fix Nightingale occasionally emitting louder "run" footsteps when walking through doorways
• Fix Chapter 3 and beyond stats not showing in NG+ Chapter 1/2
• Fix Possessed Paintings sometimes clipping through furniture when coming alive
• Fix Resolution Scale reverting when changing rooms
• Fix Bog Behemoth exhibiting odd movement when poise is broken
• Fix the Curse Sentinel flickering after death when pausing the game
• Fix Nightingale reverting size when being hidden, such as when taking a picture, when using the Drink Me Potion/Eat Me Cake
• Fix receiving a very large number(thousands) of coins slowing the game down temporarily
• You can now carry a maximum of 99,999 of any item to prevent item display or overflow issues at very high NG+ levels
• Fix the Cat Ears looking strange when combined with a cloak
• Fix Felix spawning outside of his cage in Storage for some seeds
• Fix some Chapter 4 quests not being marked as complete when they are finished
• Fix Nightingale's Creature being able to suffer from Necrosis and Terror, which had odd results
• Fix the Occult Library Key quest lore not being translated if you switch languages after picking it up
• Fix duplicate dynamic puzzle lore items appearing upon re-reading after saving the game

 

[Latelistener]

I asked the dev why the game isn't discounted during Steam Winter sale, since it needs coverage badly:

hey there! great question(and suggestion) - it's because the game is now inching closer to full release on steam/consoles, so there likely won't be any more sales until after that. i've just recently signed with a publisher to give the game a big marketing boost and some proper localization. i'll have a lot more to announce next month after plans are finalized!

 

[ghostdog]

How much content does this game have at this point?

 

[Latelistener]

It's already completed feature-wise if that's what you're asking.

If how long, then it's about 15-30 hours, depending on your playstyle. Then NG+ with new content.

 

[Latelistener]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2006140/view/3984064573330614485

v1.21 - Secret Room, Polish and Bugfixes
We're entering the final stages of Early Access - the release date for the game on Steam and consoles will be announced soon. Thank you to everyone who has played, submitted bug reports or made suggestions! The game has changed dramatically for the better because of your feedback.

I am deep in polish and bug fixing for the full release at the moment, so bug reports are very valuable. You can submit a bug report(which includes a save game to help me reproduce the issue) in-game by pressing / (slash key) at any time, or using the Options menu.

There is still a surprise or two in store for the full release. Thank you for your support!

Japanese Translation Update

A professional Japanese translation has been contracted for the full release. Thank you to Ava Wade, Lapinyan, and Yukinofu for your contributions to the beta community translation and making it possible to play the game in Japanese during Early Access.

Withering Rooms v1.21

New Features

* A special room has been added to the Church of Burdens only accessible by those who have obtained the Drink Me potion

Balance Changes

* You can now mix one wax of each color to craft a Warding Candle
* Levelling up now fully heals all stats and status effects, including Necrosis
* The Flykeeper's flies no longer do curse damage, and do less physical damage
* Mounted machine guns no longer scale with projectile damage
* Additional Angels have been added to Chapter 3 & 4
* A comfy chair has been added to the Blackett House Foyer
* The Mad Witch has a longer cooldown on her teleports
* The Withered status effect no longer affects your Curse Tolerance
* You can now use the Puzzle Oracle to solve piano and organ puzzles
* The rising price of the Puzzle Oracle now resets each New Game +
* The final boss of the Blood Tower now gives you a choice as to whether you want to fight immediately
* Improved the speed and smoothness of various actions such as exiting and entering rooms
* Reduced the latency between inputs and actions
* In Narrative difficulty:
* Rather than suffering from the 75% health/curse penalty that other monsters do, allies of the player now have full health/curse but do 75% less damage. This brings the ally experience more in line with Standard difficulty, where allies live for longer but are not as deadly.
* Mounted machine gun damage is scaled down by 75% to bring the cemetery invasion sequence more in line with Standard difficulty.

Polish

* Epilogue D's credits scene has been improved
* Improved the appearance of the Night Mother Cottage
* Improved the resolution and appearance of various environment and UI elements
* Shadow Nightingale now keeps a more comfortable distance
* Auto saving now occurs only during room transitions unless it has been a long time since the last one and you are not currently in combat
* Changing the difficulty will now prompt if you're sure and then immediately reset the mansion rather than waiting for you to die or start a new night yourself
* The English (UK) or English (US) language option is automatically chosen based on your system's locale setting
* Additional Japanese community translation improvements
* Maps have been moved to their own category and are not lost upon starting New Game +
* If a creature has 100% resistance to a particular damage type, the associated stat value is not displayed in their Bestiary entry

Bug Fixes

* Fix the Remembrance Shrines page sometimes not displaying properly
* Fix Possessed Books not firing on their targets
* Fix Stats page displaying only total points, not current points for some stats after v1.20
* Fix Possessed Painting giving away its location by the camera moving towards it
* Fix some blocking furniture, such as the beds in the Upper Bedrooms, not blocking enchanted armor
* Fix Healing Barrier barrier not always facing the correct direction
* Fix some Charms showing an inaccurate effect, or not showing their effect at all
* Fix the king in Chapter 3 not accepting a Nurse Hat as being a nurse outfit
* Fix volumetrics culling too early when using a screen wider than 21:9
* Fix using a Warding Candle on a hex'd door not dispelling the hex on both sides
* Fix switching to Low graphics quality potentially leaving the depth of field on
* Fix Shadow Nightingale sometimes doubling when saving and loading
* Fix turning Fullscreen back on not restoring the system display resolution
* Fix being able to switch inventory categories while the quick item assignment or another modal dialog was up
* Fix a softlock that could occur if Nightingale is hiding when an arena battle ends
* Fix the second Bayonet swing sometimes not hitting the enemy
* Fix Nightingale sometimes playing the "switch item" animation multiple times when switching items
* Fix "storyboard" images during cinematics not having a full black background on arrow aspect resolutions i.e. the Steam Deck
* Fix the Fixed Seed entry screen causing a softlock if activated for the first time from the title screen
* Fix actions that reset stats, such as choosing to respec or completing an arena battle, potentially leaving the player with an unhealable Curse Rot status
* Fix several awarded items, such as the Nurse Outfit, not showing the new item UI after the dialog awarding them completes
* Fix character sidestep animations not playing
* Fix running while aiming not allowing Nightingale to strafe backwards
* Fix a crash that could occur under some circumstances when gold is stolen from the player
* Fix Narrative resetting to Standard difficulty upon starting New Game +
* Fix a New Game + only monster in the village being spawned with the wrong team and murdering the villagers before you arrive
* Fix Terror and other "running" conditions for the player sometimes not causing the player to run

 

[Modron]

Full release is out now.

 

[Rean]

FUCKING MASTERPIECE

 

[ghostdog]

Daum! more people should talk about this

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Talk people. Is it any gud?

Never mind. You play a girly girl. MANCHILD TRASH.

 

[Latelistener]

Full Release (Rival Witches)

Withering Rooms has left Early Access, and to celebrate v1.22 adds new content, new languages, and a ton of polish improvements and bug fixes. Thank you again to everyone who played and gave feedback during Early Access - you truly left your mark on the game.

New Features
Rival Witches

A new enemy archetype with two new bestiary entries has been added: the Rival Witches. They wear and use similar equipment to Nightingale, right down to eating Scones when low on health and placing Warding Candles when cursed. Defeating them yields First Angel Kindling, a new resource.

The Bloody Gatehouse & Church of the First Angel


Two new areas have been added to the game.

The Gatehouse is no longer boarded up in Chapter 3/4, although you may not like what's inside.

Defeat your first Rival Witch to gain access to the Church of the First Angel, where you can perform rituals to upgrade your equipment past +3 all the way to +5.

New Outfits


You can now obtain the Skin Mask, Flaming Hood, Punishment Cage, and Bloody Apron.

Enchantable Skeletons


A long requested feature during Early Access, you can now enchant the skeletons in the Byzantine Labyrinth to fight for you, including both the warrior and archer types.

Official Japanese & German Support


Full new professional translations to Japanese and German have been added to the game.

Polish

* The player and boss health bars now display a tick every 100 health points to make it easier to see how much is left
* Improve the resolution and appearance of some UI elements
* Artifacts with consistently draining or negative effects, such as the Lantern Familiar, turn off automatically upon starting a new night
* Significant CPU optimizations
* Because some keyboards do not have(or is labeled otherwise) a backquote(~) key, the default presented Toggle Minimap key is now m - note that backquote(~) is still a secondary binding by default so you can continue to use it
* Vibration on controllers is disabled when in menus

Balance Changes

* A Chapter 2 Nowhere NPC sells additional spell related items and rings
* The Vicar of St. Elli's now continues to appear in Chapter 2 in New Game +
* The Upper Parlor merchant sells additional items
* In order to make it easier to obtain a Sentinel Candle in Chapter 1, the Cursed Explorer ring is guaranteed to be on sale from a merchant
* Summoned minions can no longer hit each other with projectiles
* Curse Sentinels only spawn once per area, and never respawn. Additionally, they will spawn in a shorter and more consistent timespan once reaching the necessary Cursedness threshold if not already holding a Sentinel Candle.
* Corpse Hand now scales the movement distance of enemies along with their speed, making it much more effective at keeping them at a distance
* Enemies are more likely to target the Dummy Spell dummy
* The Comforting Bear heals much more cursedness per second
* The Whip does more physical damage
* The New Game + boss has more health
* Labyrinth & Blackett House NPCs now sell Photographic Dry Plates
* The effective range(i.e. for capturing spirits) of photographs has increased
* Additional Angels were added to the Byzantine Labyrinth in New Game +
* Holy Pentagram, Pentagram of Blood, Golden Pentagram, Cursed Flesh Ring, Gold Skull Ring, Skull Ring have been buffed
* All headwear with damage % effects and Vampire Locket now affect base damage

Bug Fixes

* Fix various melee weapons not producing any controller rumble on hit, and all melee weapons not producing rumble upon hitting a wall
* Fix aiming while exiting sideways out of a room not exiting the room
* Fix the "grabbed" animation not playing when being grabbed, i.e. by a charging enemy
* Fix the time to actually start "blocking" not taking into account Speed stat
* Fix being able to use a left hand item while switching which left hand item is equipped
* Fix the body bags summoned by the Chapter 2 Upper Banquet hall boss potentially having odd swinging physics
* Fix bear traps sometimes playing their snap effect multiple times
* Fix the Whip's animation not properly scaling with Speed
* Fix installing a Blackett House Electrical Generator creating a redundant quest if another is found
* Fix solving the Seance Room puzzle and immediately trying to interact with the painting causing a softlock
* Fix some doors locking but not visually closing when encountering a boss
* Fix unequipping the Evasion Codex while dodging leaving the Spirit Form visual effect on
* Fix visual artifacts around Nightingale's hands when using the Nurse Outfit
* Fix doors being able to become permanently blocked by allies or enemies exiting them
* Fix being able to stand up when just on the other side of crouch only doors, leading to odd behavior
* Fix the Cholera Clinic puzzle not resetting upon leaving and re-entering
* Fix some items, such as the Goat Fashion Record, being awarded again in New Game +
* Fix Cholera Clinic boss coming back to life when quitting and reloading in the same room
* Fix some enemies, such as the clowns in the Circus Show, not counting towards the night's kill count
* Fix the achievement for reaching level 40 not counting some sources of levelling up
* Fix photographs not counting many friendly NPCs in their total subject count, making achievements like Action Shot harder than intended
* Fix arena related quests not being marked as complete in the quest log
* Fix Epilogue B becoming soft locked under circumstances
* Fix an issue where the Pocket Nowhere Mirror could leave the screen black if Nightingale is poise broken just before teleporting
* Fix NPCs sometimes head tracking objects like the lantern familiar instead of the player
* Fix some monsters being counted as "guardians" for sealed treasure chests that shouldn't be, such as Possessed Paintings
* Fix monsters sometimes pathing, dodging or being knocked beyond open side doors, making them hard to fight
* Fix a softlock that could occur after the cemetery invasion battle
* Fix Warding Candles being able to be placed on top of one another
* Fix Curse Form not working while the Flight Codex is equipped
* Fix the Build Display UI showing Weirdness twice instead of Immunity

Small Update / Patch Notes

v1.23

Withering Rooms v1.23

Important Fixes

* Under some circumstances, reward items dropped by the Butcher Surgeon could disappear from the inventory. Upon loading a save in this situation on this patch, these reward items will be restored.
* Fix the Quest display in later game chapters appearing to be blank sometimes until reloading into the game.

Polish

* Additional German and Japanese localization improvements and bug fixes
* The NPC at the end of Chapter 3 now has a choice with a warning that continuing will end the chapter. Since all Chapter 3 content is accessible from Chapter 4, this warning was originally deemed not required but it (understandably) caused concern.
* When playing on resolutions below 1080p, i.e. Steam Deck:
* Notes now default to the standard typeface(usually you have to press the Typeface button or press X/Square)
* The font size and zoom level of the full map have been increased

Bug Fixes

* Fix the full map text not updating when changing languages
* Fix being able to press the "Toggle Legibility" keybind/controller button when you shouldn't be able to

 

[Rean]

Daum! more people should talk about this

Have you played it, bro? Guaranteed you'll love it. It's got the gift of that special atmosphere.

 

[luj1]

Looks like a clunky flash game from 2006. Zero style too.

 

[Jinn]

Have you played it, bro? Guaranteed you'll love it. It's got the gift of that special atmosphere.

How egregious is the procedural generation aspect? It's honestly the only reason I haven't tried it out yet.

 

[notpl]

Have you played it, bro? Guaranteed you'll love it. It's got the gift of that special atmosphere.

How egregious is the procedural generation aspect? It's honestly the only reason I haven't tried it out yet.

It doesn't matter in the slightest. The map itself is totally static, the only things that are randomized are enemy/item placements (with fixed boss rooms) and decorations.

 

[Odoryuk]

It's not a survival horror in the slightest (it has a horror atmosphere, though), I'd call this game a kind of roguelike/dungeon crawler hybrid. People here are scared of procedural generation and let me tell you - procgen makes this game alive. Try it, it is quite a masterpiece.

 

[Jinn]

It doesn't matter in the slightest. The map itself is totally static, the only things that are randomized are enemy/item placements (with fixed boss rooms) and decorations.

See, that's not terrible. I can work with that. I would rather none of it was randomized, but that's a minor offence the way they have implemented it.

People here are scared of procedural generation

lol people here aren't scared of procedural generation. Most of us just dislike it on principle as it tend to dilutes gameplay through its presence a great majority of the time. Handcrafted and handplaced is almost always superior and more fun to explore.

 

[Odoryuk]

Handcrafted and handplaced is almost always superior and more fun to explore.

Procedural generation rules are handcrafted, so is content used with it. When looking at this game, don't think "Clock Tower", think "Diablo".
I got through CT a couple of times to get major endings, I can't remember how many times I played Diablo fully.

 

[Rean]

How egregious is the procedural generation aspect? It's honestly the only reason I haven't tried it out yet.

General map layout stays the same, what changes is the item placement, as notpl said, and I think the order of the small side rooms. So, for example, in Chapter 1, if you die your respawn room may be on the left end of the same hallway, while next time it might be on the far right. As for the items, it actually really works in the game's favor and keeps things fresh between runs. I especially like finding new journals after getting my ass handed to me and respawning.