Welcome to Kowloon Review

Welcome to Kowloon puts players in the virtual shoes of a nameless protagonist looking for cheap housing in Kowloon. What starts off as a simple visit of a new home turns into an unimaginable nightmare. Things are worst than expected and strange personalities will make you second guess your decision. The inhabitants look like ordinary people, but the more you dig, the real personalities come out. Can you make it out alive?

Welcome to Kowloon is a first person walking simulator where you’ll explore the apartment complex you’ve moved in in hopes of finding a way to escape. You’ll need to find keys and clues in order to solve puzzles to progress through the establishment.

As you explore the creepy environment, you’ll come across notes and clues pointing you in the right direction. You can “run” albeit, I’d use that term loosely as it’s not even jogging. Not much use for this unless you try to go fast.

Visually speaking, Welcome to Kowloon looks fine. Given the fact that it’s dark most of the time, the environments are decent albeit very limited given the most of the experience takes place in a single building. The setting is quite unnerving and tense. The audio is limited which adds a layer of tension.

The game’s main issue is its control. They feel wonky and semi-responsive. At first I thought my controller was experiencing stick drift, but when I tried other games, it worked fine. You can adjust the sensitivity in the menu, but still doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. I’ll also never understand why developers implement a “run” mechanic where you don’t even run. Not even jog.

Another little nuisance is the fact that the lighting in some areas seems to dim for no reason. While at first I thought it was part of the ambiance, it looks more like a game bug. Also only finding the flashlight half way through is annoying. Given you’re in the dark since the start, you’d figure you’d want a light source from the getgo.

Welcome to Kowloon is an enjoyable, albeit short, walking sim horror. The ambiance is tense and while limited, the scares are on point and legimitely cannot remember the last time I properly jumped while playing a horror game. If you can get around the wonky and somewhat disorienting controls, you’ll find an enjoyable horror experience.