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When I first booted up Paper Cut Mansion, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I like a roguelite as much as the next gamer, but the art style was more interesting to me than anything else. Thankfully this game has much more to offer than just an excellent design!
Gameplay
In Paper Cut Mansion, you play a detective sent to investigate the mystery of the titular house. This Roguelite puzzle game presents a variety of challenges to the player. Firstly, if you die – it’s game over, and you must start from the beginning. As you explore the mansion, you’ll be able to search the furniture, which includes detailed inspection to turn items around, and open drawers to find clues or coins. If you’re unlucky, you’ll unleash a ghost and need to run away until it goes or, if you help the exorcist, hang out near him. In this primary dimension, you’ll have many puzzles to solve to progress to new areas or solve quests. This could be from finding the combination to a lock to backtracking to search for a power source. Along the way, you’ll be guided by a radar-like moth, but apart from some general sound cues, there’s really very little assistance in your quest.
This, so far, seems like a run-of-the-mill 2.5D puzzler with some horror themes. What elevates this title is the dimensional aspect and how they all interrelate to progress in the game. One minute, you’re in the puzzle dimension and then next, you need to go to the dimension which can cause environmental damage with a small torch beam to explore. Or maybe you’ll jump into the combat dimension. Whatever it is, the game relies heavily on this back-and-forth to drive the story and experience forward.
As you explore the maze-like mansion, the story unfolds, becoming so much more than a horror-themed puzzler. The story is interesting and worth the frustration of the occasional total restart and endless walking in circles to find a clue to open the next locked door.
The combat feels very ‘arcade’, but it’s a welcome break from exploring the maze and completing puzzle-based or item-based quests. The game also makes a point of explicitly taking you there, which ensures a variety of gameplay.
Audio and Visuals
When you think of papercraft games, you would be forgiven to immediately think about a certain plumber and a particular dinosaur, but Paper Cut Mansion uses it perfectly. It’s a joy to see how the mansion is put together and the papery monsters you must fight. The visuals don’t match the genre, so this feels strange as you explore, adding to the creepiness in some ways but taking away from any genuine scares in others. While the game makes some attempts at jump-scares and uses the soundtrack to create atmosphere, it is less terrifying and more eerie. I feel like more could have been done in that respect, although I will admit I do enjoy the art style in general.
Final thoughts on Paper Cut Mansion
Paper Cut Mansion pleasantly surprises with its horror take on the papercraft art style of more family-friendly platformers. If you’re a fan of puzzle games with a bit of combat thrown in, it’s one I recommend.
