HIGH Dark, gloomy atmosphere and captivating narrative.
LOW Looking for that one missing piece.
WTF Are some of these character motivations?
If one particular genre broke onto my gaming menu in 2025, it was mystery titles.
Like most things, it started off simple. The buzz around Disco Elysium became too alluring and the incredible writing quickly turned it into a personal favorite.
Shortly after, a friend recommended a little-known indie game called Outer Wilds and I joined the cult of players who now seek to vicariously relive their space venture through others.
Since then I’ve been making my way through some recent classics like Paradise Killer, The Case of the Golden Idol, Return of The Obra Dinn, and also some great releases from the current year such as The Roottrees Are Dead and Blue Prince. Needless to say, the bar has been set pretty high, and on my partner’s recommendation I booted up The Séance of Blake Manor as a potential new addition to the list.
Set in a rural Irish manor on the Halloween of 1897, the player takes on the role of Declan Ward, an investigator hired to look into the disappearance of Ms Evelyn Deane, a guest who had until recently been in residence.
At the same time, the Manor happens to be playing host to a colorful cast of characters attending a grand séance, touted as the first time that humans will manage to pierce the veil and truly talk to the deceased in the afterlife.
The initial task is to find out the truth behind what happened to Ms. Deane, but things quickly spiral into an interconnected web of intrigue and lore as the player learns more about the motives of each guest in an effort to find the culprit.
Initially, I was greeted with a small tutorial section that introduces Blake Manor’s mechanics and sets the scene for Ms. Deane’s disappearance. The player will investigate objects around the manor in order to obtain evidence, and may need to further discuss that evidence with guests in order to learn enough information to construct a hypothesis and finally confront the guilty individual.
In a move that I suspect may alienate some players, there is also an overarching time limit at play — investigating objects and talking to the manor’s patrons will burn through the limited time the player has available before the séance takes place. This also plays into the schedules of each character, who may be unavailable to speak to or located in different places depending on the time. While this adds an element of urgency, I did manage to resolve all the mysteries despite spending quite a few hours on inefficiencies. Thankfully, Blake Manor does offer hints as to what actions will progress each mystery, and does not punish the player for rechecking existing information — this adds a slightly forgiving feel, and was much appreciated!
For the first few hours I was absolutely overwhelmed with information as I rooted through the manor grounds and developed a rather unhealthy desire to break into everyone’s bedrooms, and any confusion was greatly reduced by Blake Manor nicely cataloguing all the information I found into a series of separate conspiracy boards to help track each mystery. While it might feel a bit “handholdy” compared to others in the genre, I found it to be vital thanks to the number of stories and motives simultaneously happening around the manor.
To further assist the player, Blake Manor also limits who they can quiz about certain pieces of evidence to keep each puzzle a bit more contained. Again, this felt like a wise decision to keep the player focused on the overarching narrative, rather than asking them to test every piece of information against a guest… which I did once or twice anyway. For spoiler reasons I won’t touch on the story beyond what’s been mentioned, but rest assured I believe it to be absolutely worth playing through, and there are some great twists in store.
The dark themes of the story are complimented by Blake Manor’s muted comic book aesthetic, which gave the manor a foreboding presence. It looks fantastic, and the important story beats are often accompanied by a comic book panel-style scene depicting the events, which adds to the feeling of discovery. Honestly, I have no real criticism about Blake Manor’s presentation and especially want to praise the character designs, voice acting and one-off sequences.
So far this has been a whole lot of praise — and it’s well earned — but I would be remiss not to mention some minor complaints.
For a start, the player will be spending a lot of their time exploring the manor and re-treading old ground. Due to how the manor and grounds are segmented, this also means spending a lot of (real) time going between zones. Each zone transition necessitates a loading screen, and it can begin to feel rather tedious if the player is lacking a clear goal or direction. It’s not a dealbreaker, but I imagine the problem will be compounded for players using a HDD or weaker PCs.
Secondly, the player is not allowed to solve a mystery until they have found all the pieces of evidence. For a number of cases, I understood the character’s motives and had solved the mystery in my head, but couldn’t solve it in the game itself because I hadn’t found the last piece of information to arbitrarily allow me to suggest a hypothesis. While I understand the need for this from a gameplay perspective, I would have liked the option to make an ‘educated guess’ when I had the majority of clues.
It’s also worth stating clearly this is a narrative-focused title first and foremost, and that the puzzles the the player is asked to solve are fairly simple, with only one or two exceptions that break previous puzzle logic. Minimal mental legwork is needed to crack the mysteries associated with each character.
These are all relatively minor complaints in the grand scheme of things. For lovers of supernatural mysteries, Irish folklore or even just a good old comic book, I am happy to give The Séance of Blake Manor an enthusiastic recommendation. I greatly enjoyed getting to know the characters and revealing their dark secrets, and ultimately unearthing the mystery of Ms. Deane’s disappearance. If this mystery looks even remotely appealing, my guess is that the experience will be enjoyed.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
— Adam Sharman
Buy The Séance of Blake Manor — PC
Disclosures: This game is developed by Spooky Doorway and published by Raw Fury. It is currently only available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via paid download and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 15 hours of play were devoted to the game and it was completed. There is currently no multiplayer option.
Parents: The game is currently unrated by the ESRB. There are no jumpscares or graphic imagery, but there are a number of spirits who may be upsetting to younger players. Various changes also happen as the player explores the manor to give it a haunted feel. Blake Manor also deals with mature themes such as suicide and murder, and also features a sequence based around hallucinogenic drugs.
Colorblind Modes: There is no colorblind mode.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: Key dialogue is voiced, but all dialogue is also communicated via text. (See examples above.) There are audio queues for certain events, however they do not impact gameplay. The text and cursor each have a “larger” option for additional accessibility.
Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls on keyboard and controller.
- Security Camera Installation – indoor/outdoor IP CCTV systems & video analytics
- Access Control Installation – key card, fob, biometric & cloud‑based door entry
- Business Security Systems – integrated alarms, surveillance & access control
- Structured Cabling Services – voice, data & fiber infrastructure for new or existing builds
- Video Monitoring Services – 24/7 remote surveillance and analytics monitoring
Author: 360 Technology Group
