After clocking in for a day of work, I make my way out into the open space before me. A conveyor belt and an ominous-looking terminal are the only two things I see, with a set of watching eyes peering over my every move from a safe room above. I cautiously walked inside of this prop cabin, unsure of what was waiting. And I don’t think I could have ever been prepared for the horrors within. The Cabin Factory was a pleasant surprise, and I believe it deserves a spot in the library of any horror fan.
Don’t Let the Fire in the Furnace Trick You, ‘The Cabin Factory’ Is Not Friendly
The Cabin Factory seeks to replicate the same type of psychological terror I experienced during my time with The Exit 8. A repeated location with just a few things moved around. I need to partake in a terrifying game of spot-the-difference if I hope to wrap up my work day and move on to bigger and better things.
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To be fair, the first few times I stepped into the Cabin, I was a little confused. After reading the brief tutorial on the terminal, I was told that any movement meant it was haunted. I went in, noticed something amiss, and pressed the [DANGER] button. Only to be wrong? I thought to myself, “What was I doing wrong? Things were moving around.” But, I quickly discovered what The Cabin Factory meant by movement.
I walked into the familiar Cabin once again, just to notice the legs of the small child upstairs slightly rocking back and forth. With the winds whipping outside of this humble abode, the creep factor shot up. I finally and fully understood “movement.”
As I scurried down the stairs, more bizarre happenings occurred. Since The Cabin Factory uses Unreal Engine 5 and Lumen Technology, it’s especially terrifying playing around in the dark. The opening scene can be chunky and resource-heavy, but it started to smooth out as I made my way into the actual facility.
‘the cabin factory’ is Like ‘Groundhog Day’, but Scarier
Before jumping in, I thought The Cabin Factory would have me exploring the interiors of several different cabins. It turns out, however, that they seemingly specialize in one particular cabin. One that I would explore over and over again during my playtime. Honestly? That was the best way to do it.
Having to examine the interior of this one particular cabin over and over again, trying to spot the small and subtle differences while the sound design played tricks on my mind was eerie. And with the number of different haunts available, I never knew what to expect. My favorite, without going into much detail about it, had to be one that involved plush friends joining the cabin. But, even then? Even after seeing them multiple times before, they found a way to surprise me and make me physically recoil.
The Cabin Factory also doesn’t rely on the cheapness of jumpscares to make this a terrifying experience. I mean, there is an optional button to turn them on, but I would suggest only doing that once. The environmental terror and psychological tricks this cabin played on me were more terrifying than a jumpscare could ever be.
I half expected the repeated cabin to get old after a while. However, I always found new things to experience. No step into the house was ever the same, and even if the surroundings looked similar, there was likely something just out of eyesight that was ready to frighten me.
Wait, What Exactly Did I Miss?
Much like The Exit 8, The Cabin Factory requires an extremely close eye for detail. There were times when I thought I examined every square foot of the cabin, only to lose out on a six-guess streak because of something I must have missed. While disappointing, I couldn’t help but be eager to go back in and see what would happen next.
There’s also a chance I would experience a bizarre twist that would completely flip the story around. Doors that were previously closed were suddenly opened, followed by a small child running at me at full speed. There are plenty of moments of horror that made me question what was happening behind the scenes at The Cabin Factory, and who would sign off on a job like this.
That being said, it was frustrating at times when I couldn’t figure out exactly what was wrong with my answer. At first, I thought it was the motion of some of the objects in the environment. Something like moving curtains couldn’t be the solution, could it? That was until I noticed they were always moving, and there was something else I was missing.
It was thrilling to jump back into the cabin, even if I couldn’t perfectly nail that streak of eight wins in a row. It was always exciting to see what other terrifying changes I’d encounter. 9 times out of 10, I wasn’t as ready for certain unspeakable horrors as I thought.
A Short, Spooky Romp That Begs for you to return to it
The Cabin Factory is a very short horror game. My first run came to a close after around 30 minutes of gameplay, and I was initially disappointed. However, there were more mysteries to solve, and I quickly dove back in.
The nature of The Cabin Factory is interesting, and the idea that powers it is unique enough to warrant your attention. I wasn’t sure what to expect after completing the game, but I would strongly suggest seeing this one through to the end. Plus, there are still 18 left. I won’t elaborate on that; you’ll need to discover that mystery on your own.
This is the type of horror title that screams “streamer bait.” But, I was glad to see it goes beyond that. It offers a genuinely exciting spot-the-difference experience that made me flex my mind more than I originally anticipated. It caught me off guard and made sure I wouldn’t forget the simple rule The Cabin Factory instills. “If there is any movement, it’s haunted.” Run and get out while you can.
Verdict: Strongly Recommended
The Cabin Factory will be available on December 13, 2024, on PC. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.