You Will Die Here Tonight Review

More than an Homage to Survival Horror’s Origins

There’s no two ways about it, Spiral Bound Interactive’s You Will Die Here Tonight is a very cool game. Taking obvious notes from classic Resident Evil, as well as the House of the Dead series, this team set out with one hell of an ambition, especially as it is the debut project from the studio. So how did it turn out? Is You Will Die Here Tonight any good?

Short answer, yes. The isometric sections are great fun - exploring the mansion, solving puzzles, interacting with the environment. The combat is brilliant, whether that’s against bog-standard zombies or against intimidating bosses, and the storytelling is stellar - I found myself sucked into the narrative very early on, and couldn’t stop playing as I needed to know what was going to happen. I wasn’t expecting the storytelling to be such a huge part of this game, and I wasn’t expecting it to be one of my favourite aspects, but here we are.

Kicking things off, you’re thrust into an office, taught the ropes - how to shoot, how to to defend yourself, so on and so forth. You’re also introduced to all of your teammates here, who you’ll play as for the majority of the game’s runtime once you get to the mansion the main campaign takes place in. That’s right, you effectively have six chances to solve the mystery of the mansion, as there are six members of the team - you’ll play as one until you die, whether that's to zombies or to death traps, then you’ll embody the next character. Once you learn the ropes, it becomes pretty hard to die in normal combat, but bosses will really test your mettle, and death traps will kill you unless you come into them equipped with an above-average IQ.

I had a great time, honestly. Every corner of the mansion brought new interesting activities or hidden items like a Magnum or weapon upgrades. I found myself scouring every area I could for more items, and the puzzles were solid, though not impossibly difficult. I had plenty of time with each of the characters to find a favourite, as they all behaved slightly differently, whether that’s carrying more health packs, faster movement speed, or just having a winning personality - so many of them stood out as individuals.

I did have some issues with You Will Die Here Tonight though, mostly to do with backtracking, as well as very unclear signposting. I ended up completing the main story multiple times as I had missed a very important interaction that softlocked the story. I had to resort to the community Discord for assistance here, only to realize what I needed to do was a ten minute job, and I’d effectively wasted a couple of hours on unnecessary repeat playthroughs. The signposting was really the only issue though, as the core game and story are so gripping and so good, I’ve fallen in love with this game and am now hoping that it does well enough to warrant a follow-up - You Will Die Here Tomorrow isn’t as catchy a title, but I know I’d love it.

When I finished the game, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be able to recommend it due to the hardships I mentioned above, but after a few days of reflection - and thinking about how it’ll be for most players - without the unnecessary repeated playthroughs, I think this is pretty close to a masterpiece. Despite playing the game multiple times, I really enjoyed it each time, I was happy playing it, I was thrilled to discover new things each time - and I don’t think that I will be leaving it alone for too long. I see another playthrough in my near-future.

If you’re into classic Resident Evil, or House of the Dead, then this is a no-brainer. It feels modern enough to not put off players perturbed by old-school presentation, yet it also feels traditional enough to make nostalgic players happy as well. It’s the perfect middle ground. I’m very excited to see what Spiral Bound does next, as if it is anywhere near as cool as this, we are all in for a treat.

Learn more about You Will Die Here Tonight by visiting the official website.

DEVELOPED BY:

Spiral Bound Interactive LLC

PUBLISHED BY:

Spiral Bound Interactive LLC

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

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