The 18th Attic

The thought of an endless time loop is a frightening one — especially when that loop takes place somewhere deeply unpleasant. I often think of Groundhog Day, arguably the greatest time-loop story ever told, and how Phil wishes one perfect day were on repeat, not the one where he’s forced to learn a lesson.

That idea — reliving the same events until something finally clicks — translates incredibly well into video games for several reasons. Add a horror setting into the mix, and you’ve struck pure gold. Many games have explored this concept, but the subject of today’s review, The 18th Attic, manages to twist the formula in some clever and genuinely unsettling ways.

The Horrors in the Attic

With its full title — The 18th Attic: Paranormal Anomaly Hunting Game — the game quickly establishes its premise. You play as a trapped soul, caught in an endless loop of horrors and mystery, forced to explore the same attic in your home over and over again.

Each loop brings new revelations about the protagonist’s past, subtle and twisted environmental changes that must be spotted and documented using a Polaroid camera, and increasingly disturbing horrors that aim to unravel both mind and soul.

Thankfully, you’re not entirely alone. You have your trusty camera to expose what lurks in the shadows — and a wonderful cat companion you can pet for some much-needed mental reassurance. Awww.

The core objective is simple: enter the attic, memorise everything, and keep track of what changes. When something feels off, you take a photo, banish the anomaly, and gradually uncover truths about your past, fate, and future through multiple layers of nightmare fuel.

Much like other titles in the expanding time-loop horror sub-genre — such as Exit 8 and The Cabin Factory — players repeatedly traverse a single environment, deducing whether the current loop is safe or haunted, and doing so until escape is finally possible.

It’s a familiar setup… but The 18th Attic introduces some clever twists that help it stand apart.


Pet the cat to stay alive

Firstly, you get a cat! Yay! And you can pet the cat! Double yay! And this provides a bit of tension relief and manages your sanity... Did I mention there is a sanity meter?

So yeah, the biggest standout feature is the inclusion of health and sanity meters. This is a genuinely significant addition, and one that works remarkably well.

Other looping horror games often feature fail states, but failure usually just resets the round. The scare hits, the loop ends, and the tension evaporates almost instantly. You’re back on your feet with little consequence.

The 18th Attic doesn’t let you off so easily.

Here, failure lingers. Miss an anomaly, make a mistake, or hesitate too long, and the game begins chipping away at you. The first time this happened, I was genuinely terrified. The idea that something is actively stalking or punishing you adds an incredible amount of tension, making hauntings feel dynamic and dangerous rather than disposable.

And this was on easy mode.

There are two main modes: a more relaxed experience, and a far more intense mode where an active evil presence hunts you as you investigate. I love this design choice. While I enjoyed games like Exit 8, there was rarely a sense of pressure forcing me to act decisively. Here, danger is persistent.

Honestly, not since P.T. have I felt this level of rising dread in a looping horror game. Having real stakes — and a threat that doesn’t simply reset — makes all the difference.

Adding to this, your camera uses limited film. Photographing a genuine anomaly doesn’t consume Polaroids, but making a mistake does. It’s another excellent layer of tension that reinforces careful observation and heightens the investigative gameplay.

Let’s Do the Time Loop Again

I mentioned earlier that this game delivered some of the biggest jump scares of my life — and that wasn’t hyperbole. The 18th Attic is genuinely frightening, maintaining an unnerving atmosphere throughout. The hauntings are unsettling yet fascinating, especially when you stop to study them.

That said, most scares appear to be fixed rather than randomised. On my second playthrough, I encountered the same hauntings at the same points. There are a lot of them, and the structure allows for strong narrative pacing, which I appreciated. The story and lore are surprisingly gripping, and I personally prefer this more guided approach — much like P.T. handled its storytelling.

My first playthrough was far longer than expected. When I realised how many loops were required, I laughed and thought, “Well, this will take a while.” And it absolutely did.

I actually welcomed this — a horror game that commits to a longer, uphill battle feels refreshing. The mystery unfolds gradually, and the payoff feels substantial. However, on repeat runs, the lack of randomisation does remove some of the fear factor compared to other looping horror titles.

There’s also occasional frustration when anomalies become extremely subtle, especially toward the end. Much like The Cabin Factory, some hauntings are so minor they verge on tedious — small changes that are easy to miss. This is far less of an issue in relaxed mode, but in chase-focused mode, it can be irritating when the punishment is severe for something incredibly obscure.

That said, these are minor flaws in an otherwise compelling experience. The investigative focus, sense of consequence, and ever-present tension make The 18th Attic an engrossing and memorable horror game.

Overall?

The 18th Attic could've taken the easy route, and still presented a fun, thrilling, randomised time loop game that delivers on its promise. But the solo developer behind this project managed to add in a few new tricks and treats, and while there are a couple of bumps, at its core, there is a fantastic and thoughtful horror venture.

If you're a fan of anything akin to P.T or The 8th Exit, then this is a no-brainer, as The 18th Attic offers a highly engaging and rewarding deduction gameplay, with intense horror elements, and of course, a cat you can customise and pet! Yay!