Alright, so this game — “There Are No Ghosts at the Grand” — kinda had me hooked. Not sure why, just one of those things that stands out, you know? Anyway, it’s like, you’re thrown into the shoes of this guy, Chris David, who suddenly owns this rundown hotel. Like, what? How does one just “inherit” a hotel? But here we are.
By day, Chris is doing handy stuff with these power tools — but they’re not your regular Home Depot finds. They’re like, chatty. Yep, talking tools. Makes you wonder if the developers had a few screws loose (see what I did there?). You’re sprucing up the place with these gadgets — not perfectly, mind you, but good enough, because perfection is for folks with time. And time isn’t on Chris’s side. 30 days and 30 nights, to be exact.
Now at night—well, that’s when the real fun begins. He’s not just fixing leaky faucets or peeling wallpaper; he’s ghost-hunting. Or, um, hunting non-ghosts? Because the game title insists there aren’t any. But who knows? Maybe they’re playing hard to get.
Chris doesn’t do this alone. There’s Robert C. MacBrushy, his digital sidekick that’s sort of like if Scotty from Star Trek and your childhood nightmares had a baby. He’s cheeky and knows a thing or two about ghosts — or non-ghosts. You’ll need all the brain cells you can muster because there are puzzles too… because why not make a spooky renovation game more complicated?
So, here’s the deal: by day, it’s HGTV gone wild, and by night, it’s all Scooby-Doo vibes. And somewhere in there, your tools turn into supernatural butt-kickers. Like, seriously, using a vacuum to take on spirits? Didn’t see that coming.
And don’t even get me started on the cat. Mr. Bones, both ordinary and… less ordinary, with an Aussie accent no less. Who decided to give a cat an Australian accent? Genius, I say. Daytime, he’s purring and begging for snacks, but come nightfall, he’s spilling secrets in an accent that makes me want to take up Aussie slang. Mate, it’s wild.
Let’s not forget the musical twist. This game is part punk rock opera, part mysterious ballad of British ska. Characters belt out tunes to share their life stories, which is cool unless Chris needs to slam a door shut on a nosy specter.
Oh, and there’s Kingswood-on-Sea. This town has that “seaside horror film” charm. You can venture out, fix a minigolf course, or dredge for treasure — but better return before the shadows stretch. Nighttime checks tell of things that slither onto land, making you question your life choices, or at least your virtual ones.
In a nutshell, tossing mundane home reno and cryptic night-shenanigans into a blender with a sprinkle of quirky music and talking hardware gives you this bizarre, off-kilter experience. Who knew decorators could also save the world from…well, whatever the opposite of ghosts is?
Whether or not you like the sound of that, don’t trust the upholstery. Just a hunch.
