The House on Limbo Lane
A downloadable game for Windows and macOS
A mansion stands before you.
It beckons you in.
The House on Limbo Lane is a spooky, reactive visual novel created as part of the 5th Annual Spooktober VN jam.
SYNOPSIS
You find yourself at the foot of a mansion atop a hill, unsure of what brought you here, who you are, and why you reek so horrifically. Taking shelter in the manor acquaints you with six ghosts—all of whom remain in the land of the living due to their sense of unrest.
Within your decrepit, decaying, nameless body, you begin resolving the unfinished business of each of the ghosts and solving the mansion’s many mysteries: the screams from beneath the floorboards, the oft-reported disappearances, and the origin of that ominous voice in your head. The choices you make will have a profound impact on the characters you meet, the fate of the mansion itself...and perhaps even your own destiny.
FEATURES
- 6 core quests for 6 spectral stowaways interwoven into one grander narrative
- Highly reactive to player choice
- A wildly dynamic ending sequence
- Partially and fully voiced scenes
- 11-track OST
- 3-5 hours of playtime
CONTENT WARNINGS
Most sensitive content in The House on Limbo Lane is only referenced verbally/in writing, with the exception of some visual body horror elements.
References to sensitive topics include:
- Body horror (body decay, reanimation, human experimentation)
- Eldritch and metaphysical horror (including brief cult themes)
- Profanity and verbal abuse
- Emotional abuse/gaslighting
- Discussions of mental illness
- Use of alcohol
- Implication of assault (character backstory element; deliberately very oblique)
CREDITS
CAST
Arabella Kingsley: Lauren Kong
Herman Rory Grover: Marlon Dance-Hooi
Marianne Dixon: Kat Peterson
Elizabeth: Hannah Beard
Lysander Thompson: Xander Grant
Aures Bellis: Jett Barker
Minoru: Lily Yasuda
Dr. Antoine Presper: Max Herzfeld
Abbé Maurice Lachaise: Dakota Jaymes
The Amalgam: Jett Barker, Dagon Grey,
Kat Peterson, Michael Smith
Voice Direction: Rita Amparita (Arabella, Elizabeth), Jett Barker (Lysander), Dagon Grey (Herman)
LEADS
Team Lead: Michael Smith
Producer & Audio Lead: Kylie Siaw
Art Lead: Elina Heino
Voice Lead and Voice Director: Rita Amparita
Programming Lead: Mint Wynnter
Social Media Lead: Pod
WRITERS
Jett Barker (Lysander)
Eris (Elizabeth)
Dagon Grey (Herman)
Marie Minuet (Arabella)
Michael Smith (Marianne, Dr. Presper, Abbé Maurice Lachaise)
Mint Wynnter (Aures)
EDITORS
ARTISTS
Art Lead: Elina Heino
(Herman, The Lounge, The Mansion Map)
Animation and BGs: Candycornskull
(The Garden, The Bedroom, all animations)
Sprites and Icons: Eufasy
(Elizabeth)
Sprites and BGs: Olivia Jones
(Dr. Presper, The Living Room)
Sprites, BGs, and Icons: Millasai
(Aures, Minoru, Amalgam, The Foyer)
BGs: Kat Peterson
(The Ballroom, Outside the Mansion, The Lab)
Sprites, Icons, and Chibis: Pod
(Arabella, all chibi icons)
UI Art and Design: Ruminio
Sprites, Icons, and CGs: Thoe
(Lysander, Marianne)
AUDIO
Audio Lead: Kylie Siaw
Audio Editor: Leon Artmann
Audio Editor: Ho San "Ambrose" Cheng
Audio Editor: Xander Grant
Audio Editor: Maya Zimmerman
PROGRAMMERS
Lead Programmer: Mint Wynnter
Scripter: Michael Smith, Maya Zimmerman
COMPOSERS
SOCIAL MEDIA
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Comments
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I'm impressed with the level of detail in the backstories of all the characters and in the overarching narrative. The partial to full voice acting was a nice touch. Arabella's story felt the most fleshed-out to me. I enjoyed piecing together all the details of her past. However, my favorite characters were probably Marianne, whose personality and secrets and voice were the most intriguing to me, and Lysander, whose character design was just god-tier. He was one of the last characters I met, and I was picturing him as an abrasive old uncle, perhaps a bit similar to the enigmatic Rory. So I was taken aback by how handsome Lysander looked. I just love his hair, outfit, eye color, and even the visible veins on the side of his face.
I was taken off guard by the direction the story took after I met a certain doctor. From that point on, the tone of the overarching narrative seemed to skew a bit darker. Before that part of the plot, I naively thought I'd just be shambling about in my admittedly worn-out state and assisting the eccentric cast of ghosts without being in too much danger myself.
The backgrounds were all gorgeous. I loved the little animations, especially of the bottle that kept tipping itself. The animation in the entrance hall, which was incredibly subtle, perhaps should have tipped me off to the fact that certain charaters were not as they initially seemed.
My favorite musical tracks were probably the ones that played in the lounge and in the bedroom.
Overall, this was an engaging experience. Congrats to everyone in the team for putting out such a solid project!
(Note: Copy-pasting this comment from the Spooktober VN Jam 2023 page.)
Oh, this was so much fun to play! I adored the animated backgrounds, the variety of personalities among the ghosts, and even the stomach-turning, detailed descriptions of the player character's slow decay. The voice acting is quite, quite good, and the character designs are absolutely stunning--excellent work all around, and doubly impressive for having been made within the constraints of the jam! ✨
Very impressive work. The atmosphere of the mysterious haunted mansion is absolutely amazing.
I liked how unique each character's personality and storyline was. Great character designs, soundtrack and voice acting.
I wish there were more than two CGs, but the ones featured in the current version of the visual novel are really beautiful.
I enjoyed discovering the ghosts' backstories and helping them to move on.
Thanks so much for the kind words! Also, I love the art of Aures!
I really liked this, but I think I either messed up or it bugged out on me. I hadn't finished the storylines for everyone (had solved about four ghosts) and then suddenly the game repeated a scene when I swapped rooms and then began acting as if I had gone to endgame and did a final sequence, which was very confusing.
I love the characters and the concept! Definitely some wild storytelling and lovely art and atmosphere.
Thank you for the feedback and for the bug report! I am trying to resolve this bug now, do you happen to know what scene replayed?
It was when talking to Marion (I think that was her name, the 1920s one), I had just sort of "solved" her issue and was having the conversation with the Voice about the aftermath. I left to go to a different room, then went back to her room once on the map because I realized I hadn't checked if any new dialogue options had popped up, and then the same scene of "solving" played out except this time it segued directly into what seemed to be endgame. I wasn't sure if i had somehow run out of a time limit or something, but I had not yet resolved everyone (hadn't helped the one person realize he was dead and I think I had more to do with someone else, I couldn't remember). The ghosts were definitely all acting like I had finished their storylines in the endgame.
Got it! Bug fixed, just a typo on my end. Thank you so much for your help! Will upload the new build later this evening.