Bad House : The Indie RPG Auto-Battler That Hides a Deep Game

Bad House : an adventure beneath a house that really hooked me

Hey guys, today I am introducing you to Bad House, a game scheduled for 2027, developed by a single person, as is becoming quite common nowadays : Andrew Morrish. So why am I talking to you about it ? Because I see tons of games going by right now, and about 90% of them really do not make me dream. And then, I stumbled upon this one, which promises an adventure beneath a house, Diablo 1 style, when we used to go down level after level under that good old church invaded by hell.

They tell us not to go down. So we go down.

The landlord's welcome

Here, we are welcomed by the landlord, who explains that the former tenant has... disappeared. And he advises us, obviously, not to go down under the house ! I am not teaching you anything, you know that inevitably, we will go down there.

While the game looks simple at first glance, it already offers, even though we are only at the demo stage, a fairly complete universe, a pretty cool bestiary and well-thought-out mechanics. And if it starts a bit like a Die and Retry, by adapting quickly, you will manage to progress relatively fast.

I might as well tell you my feelings directly : first of all, the graphics are retro, good old retro, cool as fuck, which will remind older players of certain games going back to the Amstrad. It is very readable and everything is well detailed, in a really well-crafted pixel art, as much for the environments as for the gear and the beasts to smash. So that is already a good point.

An Auto-Battler That Rewards Strategy

The mechanic that surprises... and convinces

Then, the mechanics themselves somewhat surprised me. You cannot really move your character by hand, whether with the mouse or the keyboard. You can only click on your items, doors and some interactive objects (chests, campfires, altars...). I must say that at first, it slightly confused me, but you get used to it very fast and it is not annoying at all for a simple reason : we are playing an auto-battler here. This style of game is gaining momentum right now : players have become quite relaxed and want to save their clicks.

Upon arriving in each room, you will be able to organize your actions (plant bombs, use magic scrolls, drink potions, change gear...), then you will trigger the fight, which will unfold right before your amazed eyes. On principle, it is a style I do not usually like much : being passive and waiting for luck to decide whether I win or lose. But... I will tell you why, this time, I appreciated it.

The Gameplay : choosing your path and finding the right combos

You must therefore, like in an RPG, find increasingly powerful items to dive deeper and deeper beneath this famous house. At first, while understanding how everything works and finding your limits, it might get a bit complicated : should I bet everything on a melee fighter ? Rather a mage ? Rather a Necromancer ? And this is exactly where I found my path.

In games like Diablo or Path of Exile among others, I ab-so-lute-ly love playing Necromancer, reanimating tons of corpses and sending them to fight ahead of me while I cast spells. Here, after taking one or two severe beatings, I decided to focus entirely on my Necro side. And right then, maybe with some luck on my side, I got my hands on a few items that allowed me to upgrade my summons and create more and more of them. By upgrading my special gear, I ended up with a crazy army, and my fights went incredibly well. All this to say : choose your playstyle carefully, analyze the items well and try to find the right combos.

From time to time, you will also have access to a shop. It will be up to you to make the right choices, sell what is useless and only buy the necessities. You will also have access, at each underground level, to a ladder that will allow you to store gear in your house for your next runs.

Another pretty cool aspect is, once again, a mechanic reminiscent of Diablo II : you will have a second room at home containing two altars. In one, you can destroy monster hearts (bosses) that you killed in the lower floors, thus obtaining a sort of currency (blood) that you can spend in special shops (buying creatures, etc.). In the other, you can store other hearts that will serve exactly like the charms you keep in your inventory in Diablo II. Once you have mastered all these little mechanics and make the right choices, you will see your progression become fluid, and you will clear rooms, and even entire levels, fast !

The Demo Completed : My Run Review

24 summons, and the rooms are no longer scary

Regarding the music, nothing transcendent, a nice little melody that keeps you in the game, but nothing truly memorable. Even if I took one or two slaps during my first tries, my last run ended with a beautiful victory : with a well-optimized gear and proper resource management (saving healing potions for the right moments, using scrolls, totems and bombs only when truly needed...), I managed to create a really substantial summon army : 24 units of all types wreaking havoc in every room. And I must say... I had an absolute blast !

To be noted : I had a single bug during my whole session. Some of my units would get stuck outside the levels, probably just because I had too many summons ! Nothing game-breaking, and actually quite funny in context.

This is how I was able to finish the demo entirely. You can find my full gameplay in 2 YouTube VODs : part 1, where I explain the game and get rekt, and if you want to skip straight to the run where I crush everything, it is in part 2/2 :

The demo currently offers 5 underground levels, with a 6th containing only the final boss. Like I mention in the video, for a cool little game like this, a relatively cool price would be $14.99. But that will depend on the amount of levels the developer plans to include.

The Verdict : a Solid 14, Which Could Climb

What the demo hints at

Bad House is the kind of project that deserves our trust. A solo dev, a clear vision, a demo that is already coherent and pleasant to play through. If Andrew Morrish keeps this trajectory until the 2027 release, we have something truly cool in the RPG auto-battler dungeon crawler category.

And you, what type of build attracts you the most in this kind of game ? The armored brute, the mage hiding behind spells, or an army of undead like yours truly ? Let me know in the comments !

FAQ

Is Bad House available right now ?

A free demo of Bad House is available on Steam right now. The full game, developed solo by Andrew Morrish and published by The Arcade Crew, is scheduled for 2027. The demo offers 5 underground levels plus a 6th featuring the final boss.

What type of game is Bad House ?

Bad House is an RPG auto-battler Dungeon Crawler. You prepare your actions and gear before each fight, then the battles unfold automatically. Progression relies on build crafting and resource management.

Do I need to like auto-battlers to enjoy Bad House ?

Not necessarily. The strategic depth brought by item combos and class choices (warrior, mage, necromancer...) makes the game much more engaging than the genre's average. The demo convinces even the most skeptical players.

How much will Bad House cost at release ?

The price has not been officially announced yet. A price tag around $14.99 would seem consistent with the offered content, but everything will depend on the amount of levels included in the final version.

Can the Bad House demo be finished ?

Yes, the demo concludes with a final boss on the 6th underground level. Once the mechanics are assimilated and a solid build is crafted, especially around summons, the demo is entirely clearable.