Hope Harrison is a survival horror game where hovering UAPs are intimidating enough before something starts crawling after you.
QUICK SNAPSHOT
Developer: Skydavis Games
Genre: Survival Horror / Sci-Fi Horror
Platform: PC
Length: Early section played
Available: Full game is free-to-play
Wishlist: Available on Steam
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Randomized supplies make restarting after death less predictable.
- Resource management matters once you enter the darker underground areas.
- Hiding can be more effective than trying to outrun whatever finds you.
- The UAPs and underground structures give the game a strong sci-fi horror game setup.
- Exploration constantly raises questions about who built this place and who is watching.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Booting up Hope Harrison, I quickly realized it starts with little explanation.
I woke outside surrounded by rocky cliff walls and started following the canyon path. It wasn’t long before I noticed something hovering above me.
A massive disk-shaped black UAP with red lights underneath it. It was pretty intimidating.
The farther I traveled through the canyon, the more obvious it became. Eventually, I reached a clearing with a dilapidated wooden structure. Inside were a television, lamp, dresser, storage trunk, lantern, and supplies.
Static led me toward a radio in another room. After extending its antenna, I heard someone giving me instructions on where to go and, more importantly, telling me not to stay in the area.
Then the rain started. Looking into the sky revealed two more UAPs.
At that point, leaving sounded like a very good idea.
THE GAMEPLAY LOOP
The basic loop of this survival horror game became clear quickly:
Explore to Scavenge to Manage Resources to Solve Puzzles to Hide or Run to Progress
So, I suggest starting with Introduction to get your understanding of the gameplay.
After grabbing lockpicks and a camera, I followed the radio man’s directions toward a locked door. Beyond it was a tiled path leading directly into the canyon walls, which caught my attention.
Who built this?
I continued through another locked door, ducked underneath a fence, climbed over a blockade, and eventually slid down a stairwell. Another staircase suddenly ended, dropping me farther underground.
My light was out, so after moving through the darkness, I found a hallway with a bed and grabbed a battery underneath it.
Suddenly, I turned around and saw a slender, oily-black alien entity coming toward me.
I tried hiding underneath the bed, but it was too late.
I ran, got hit again, and died.
THE ATMOSPHERE
The alien horror game side of Hope Harrison works because the game establishes something strange long before introducing something openly hostile.
The UAPs silently hovering above the canyon immediately make the outside world uncomfortable. Going underground changes the atmosphere entirely.
Now I’m walking through tiled corridors, abandoned rooms, locked gates, generators, and strange facilities built into the canyon itself.
There’s also the question of surveillance.
While working on the generator, I noticed a camera watching the area.
The alien creatures are dangerous, but that camera made me wonder if something else knew exactly where I was.
It’s a simple environmental detail that added another mystery to this indie horror game.
SOUND DESIGN
Sound matters considerably once you’re underground.
The creature’s rapid footsteps were my first warning during the initial encounter, but I didn’t understand what they meant until it was already coming toward me.
My second attempt was different.
The supplies had changed. I didn’t find the camera this time, but I had enough oil to keep my lantern running.
More importantly, I knew what those footsteps meant.
The radios also add some personality to the environment. One played what sounded like an old Twilight Zone-style sci-fi radio program.
Then there was the phone that occasionally rang. Yet, I couldn’t answer it.
Apparently, creepy underground facilities don’t believe in voicemail.
WHEN IT CLICKS
My first death is when Hope Harrison clicked for me.
The first time I reached the bed, I reacted too late. On my second attempt, I remembered what happened.
I got underneath the bed before the creature entered the room.
It rushed toward me, stopped near the bed for a moment, and eventually left. When I crawled back out, the previously locked door was open.
That encounter taught me something important about the game’s survival horror mechanics – running isn’t always the answer.
From there, I explored rooms filled with gas canisters, found a note containing 110011, and reached a generator behind another locked gate.
The radio man told me I needed to get it running.
After fueling it, I eventually figured out that 110011 corresponded with the nearby switches. The two middle switches needed to be down while the two switches on either side needed to be up.
That opened my path forward.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK
The switch puzzle wasn’t immediately clear.
I understood that 110011 was probably the solution, but translating that clue into what the switches physically needed to do required some experimentation.
The ringing phone also made me think I was missing an interaction because I couldn’t answer it.
My larger concern is repetition.
Randomized items helped my second run feel different from the first. Yet, how much that affects the experience will depend on how much the randomized resources, encounters, puzzles, and other systems change across longer runs.
So far, though, the differences were noticeable enough to keep my second attempt interesting.
Part 1 VERDICT
My first experience with Hope Harrison left me curious about what exactly is happening underneath this canyon.
After solving the generator puzzle, I found a piano room, recovered a valve for another locked door, and eventually picked up what the radio man identified as a wildlife detector.
That’s when things became urgent. He told me I needed to get out and opened the gate.
Then he said: “Go.”
I ran toward the next structure.
Naturally, I got curious and looked behind me.
Something thin, black, and unnatural was crawling after me.
I stopped looking.
Hope Harrison has made a solid first impression as a sci-fi horror game that mixes exploration, randomized survival mechanics, puzzles, and alien encounters without immediately explaining what is happening.
If you like an indie horror game that makes you scavenge for supplies, pay attention to environmental clues, and learn from dying, this is one worth checking out.
WATCH THE FULL PLAYTHROUGH
Watch my Hope Harrison playthrough to see my first encounter with the creature, the generator puzzle, and the moment I made the intelligent decision to look behind me while something was chasing me.
Steam: Hope Harrison by Skydavis Games
If alien encounters, abandoned underground facilities, and survival horror are your thing, add Hope Harrison to your Steam library and check it out for yourself.
Other sci-fi horror you can check out is Tormentutm II that combines alien and technological aspects with surreal horror, or you can explore a more down to earth sci-fi with Public Fears: George’s Farm Demo.
If you enjoy indie horror breakdowns like this, follow Gravenox Horror Gaming, and trust me to explore horror so you don’t have to.
Nero is a writer and lore researcher known for reviewing games on Steam. With years of experience playing horror games, uncovering hidden narrative patterns across indie and AAA titles, and publishing museum catalogs on ancient objects, he blends commentary with psychological horror theory. When he’s not unraveling storylines, he’s enjoying rock music, drawing, working in analytics or obviously playing video games. Check out his latest post to explore the furtive patterns hidden in game lore.
