Welcome to Kowloon Review

Delve Deeper, See Their Faces

Welcome to Kowloon is a self-professed walking simulator that says up front that it takes roughly an hour to complete. I admired their honesty, as many generously pad their game length and disguise a walking simulator as an “exploration puzzler.” And Welcome to Kowloon isn’t having it: it’s short and sweet and does exactly what it says on the box.

You play an unnamed protagonist who has rented an apartment in Kowloon, inspired by the famous walled city in Hong Kong that was demolished in the 90s, and you must navigate the empty, dark alleys to your building. Once inside, you realize your new landlady has trapped you in the building and now you must find a way to escape.

The plot is more of an afterthought that holds the exploration together: loose and unobtrusive to give center stage to the horror. The tight and twisting hallways are atmospheric and the ultrawide FOV helps sell it. Since the game, true to its inspiration, is mostly narrow passages, the wider field of view distorts the walls and ceiling to make them taller and narrower, as though closing in on you. There are some gruesome visuals here and there, and the finale is quite surreal.

That said, it is heavy on jump scares. They serve as welcome tension breaks to the overall sense of dread, but you have enjoy that to have a good time in Welcome to Kowloon.

My criticism is partly a compliment: it’s not enough. It’s good level design, but it feels like a slice of a larger game, rather than a complete experience. This could easily be expanded and polished into a longer campaign, but as it is, it’s enjoyably scary and costs as much as a couple of venti lattes.

Learn more about Welcome to Kowloon by visiting the official website.

DEVELOPED BY:

a1esska, Notex, N4bA, Admia

PUBLISHED BY:

a1esska, Notex, N4bA, Admia

*This review was originally published in Issue #1 of Fearzine Magazine which was distributed in June 2024.

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