NEBULA NOVA GAMES, a new indie developer, reached out to me on Lurkit to stream three of their games:

• The Brothers Hotel Demo (Affiliate Link)
• SHADOW MANSION (Affiliate Link)
• MALEVOLENT MADNESS Demo

I accidentally accepted the Brothers Hotel Demo before realizing it was a demo. I didn’t want to play and review a demo, I’d prefer the whole game. However, the full game isn’t released. I declined MALEVOLENT MADNESS but I did accept SHADOW MANSION knowing it was the fully released game.

I’m writing all three of the reviews together. I did end up playing MALEVOLENT MADNESS Demo later just to see how it plays. The full game releases on March 4, 2025 at the time of this review.

The Brothers Hotel Demo

I started the demo with pretty low expectations. Demos are really just to showcase a piece of a full game with parts generally missing and incomplete. I’ve played plenty during Steam’s Next Fests so my expectations are always low.

NOTE: Video starts when I play Brothers Hotel Demo.

The overall demo was about 15 minutes long and had maybe two scares, which weren’t actually scary. It did showcase the hotel, which I assume is the centerpiece of the game given the title. I did find humor in the demo more than anything, which is probably a good sign. I also found a couple of bugs which didn’t surprise me.

This was probably the easiest task I’ve had on Lurkit. It seemed like such a low bar but I’m glad I got a feel for how the game would play even though the horror elements weren’t actually scary. I am considering purchasing it on release which is TBD at the time of this review.

SHADOW MANSION

I went into SHADOW MANSION with pretty low expectations knowing the developers are newer and the Steam reviews weren’t the best. The game leaves a lot to be desired but really focuses on the horror elements.

NOTE: Video starts when I play SHADOW MANSION.

Your character enters a mansion, which is bare bones in detail, but the moment you find the “scary” areas there is lots of atmosphere and discovery. The game banks on jump scares which work well and I generally disapprove of leveraging jump scares for horror games.

Again, there is voice acting which is nice. The character talks to himself after discovering notes and clues and helps you figure out puzzles and where to go. However, the puzzles really aren’t difficult and are more fetch oriented.

My one complaint for a gameplay perspective is the backtracking that occurs. I wish the developers took a different approach to finding out some of the clues and story to eliminate the need to backtrack. Additionally, not a fan of chase scenes and I was lowkey freaking out about the one in the game.

However, it was a fun game and overall I would have been happy with the price on Steam ($2.99) for about 1 hour of playtime. The game is simple but has a decent story and gameplay with jump scares. For a game from a newer, smaller studio, it’s well done and I do look forward to other games they release!

MALEVOLENT MADNESS Demo

Having previously just completed the Brothers Hotel demo and SHADOW MANSION, I figured why not try the MALEVOLENT MADNESS demo despite not getting any compensation on Lurkit.

NOTE: Video starts when I play MALEVOLENT MADNESS.

Ironically, I may have spent more time in this game than on the other two combined. Initially I had some issues with the controls but once I sorted it I jumped into the confusing labyrinth. I wish I could recap the story, but I had no idea where the game actually started. My character found his way into a lab which dealt with time travel. There is a “bad guy” you have to evade through running and hiding, which I’m definitely not a fan.

I did enjoy the puzzles I found and finding the story through eavesdropping on NPCs, who are voice acted, and finding papers to read and understand. The main character does talk to himself to help you understand and find clues and solutions.

I ended up not completing the demo just due to time but it does seem like a more in-depth game than SHADOW MANSION. It’s still a work in progress, as the loading screens were a shared asset from SHADOW MANSION. I felt silly since I should have accepted the request on Lurkit and gotten some compensation for my curiosity but alas, what’s done is done. I’m glad I got a feel for how the game would play. I’m excited to see the full release!

Final Thoughts

I will say I’m excited for this developer pushing out some indie horror games. I love horror games and I’m excited for new takes and perspectives on the gameplay and storylines. However, I am getting a sense the art used may be AI – but I have to double check and validate. I really hope developers don’t cut corners on art, assets, and talent when it comes to adding AI to video games.

Update: The developer replied to my Steam review and shared they did NOT use AI. Yay!