Game Review: Hangar 8 (2024)

Hangar 8 is an indie psychological horror game where the player takes on the role of a lone crew member trying to escape a derelict space station beset by bewildering—and sometimes dangerous—anomalies. The rest of the crew has seemingly died horribly and it’s up to you to figure out a way past what they could not. Fortunately, they’ve left concise accounts of their findings and experiences with the anomalies on data pads around the ship, and you learn early on that your goal is to proceed to the titular Hangar 8, enter the command center, and escape the space platform via ship. The only catch is the eight decks between you and the escape ship are lousy with otherworldly distortions that can be subtle or overt, and if you try to pass a deck when these are present, bad things could happen.

Stop staring at me from the darkened corner and go clean something, CreepBot.

Deja vu?

The gameplay loop consists of memorizing the anomaly-free first level, Hangar 0, as well as you can, then trying to proceed through the subsequent eight levels and escape. You have to retreat to the previous level if you spot an anomaly, or you’ll lose progress. It’s a simple, but surprisingly satisfying (and occasionally scary) gaming experience once you get the hang of it.

No anomalies here, just SATAN SATAN SATAN

The anomalies that appear are varied, interesting, and sometimes subtle enough that you just have to guess if something was awry or not. Was there one android in hydroponics, or two? Was the taxidermied cat in the office black or grey? Was that brain-sucking space squid with a giant yellow eye always on the back of the Roomba?

I begged these posters to change. They never did.

While my feelings on the game are decidedly positive, it took a bit of time to wrap my head around the gameplay loop, as the go-forward-or-retreat mechanic feels a touch unnatural until you see that back sometimes yields progress. Sure, the mechanics are described in text note you should find early in the game, but if you catch one of the more subtle anomalies on your first outing as I did, it may be confusing exactly what to do. Regardless, I was able to figure it out pretty quickly, but I wonder if a quick tutorial where you encounter a very obvious anomaly and are explicitly told to retreat might help this game connect with more players.

The Abyss Winks Back

The game is really good at creating organic moments of fear or comedy for the player. Some of the anomalies are startlingly frightening while others are so absurd you can’t help but laugh. There are a total of fifty in the game right now, which means you’ll need several playthroughs to likely see them all. While you can complete a run in thirty minutes or so, it’s well-worth a few extra playthroughs just to see what the game has to offer.

This moment was pure triumph.

Some of the strongest moments are when the player isn’t quite sure if an anomaly is present or not. The looped level is just large enough to make most people second-guess themselves in the absence of something obvious, and this measure of uncertainty makes it all the sweeter when the correct decision is made. This is a rare example of a game offering a payoff when you come up short, and it’s much better design choice than having to make an explicit call.

Final Thoughts

Hangar 8 epitomizes the first-tilt, solo-dev offering that succeeds, offering a very solid, albeit brief experience in sci-fi psychological horror. While it draws clear inspiration from games like Exit 8 and the series I’m on Observation Duty, it finds its own space and creates a distinctly memorable experience that is well worth the $3.99 price tag. I’d encourage you to pick it up if the game sounds appealing, and I can’t wait to see what Twin Tail Digital does next.

Godspeed, CreepBot. Only one seat on this escape pod.

Score: 7.8

Strengths

• Can be both scary and comedic

• Highly replayable

• Good design instincts

Weaknesses

• Not all player will be interested in multiple playthroughs

• Subtle anomalies can chain together, leaving the player guessing

• Mechanics are missable if you don’t read carefully

Hangar 8 is available on Steam.

You may also like: I’m on Observation Duty, Dead Space