METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
Game
Game2025Published by indie.io
Hauntsville
Developer Michael Janisch
You're a nameless traveler, stranded in a ghost town in the Cursed West. Use your wits, elbow grease, and the iron on your hip. Build a homestead, work the land, and survive against unspeakable monsters in this unique Western horror survival game - alone or with friends! From the Steam store page
174 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Sep 2, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
71
Fresh
117 positive · 47 negative
95% range 64–78%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 117 | 47 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
10 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mixed
136 of 220 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Mixed reception: praised for potential and atmosphere, but criticized as unfinished.
Many players enjoy the game's unique Wild West horror setting and find the atmosphere effective, with some noting the sound design is surprisingly creepy. The crafting and building systems are often praised as intuitive and fun, especially in co-op. [4][12][14][20]
However, a significant number of critics call the game extremely bare bones, buggy, and not ready for full release. Complaints include poor optimization, empty world, limited content, and janky enemy AI, with some calling it a scam or overpriced. [27][31][32][33][36]
Praised atmosphere · crafting system · co-op fun · unique setting
Criticised lack of polish · bugs · empty world · poor AI · optimization issues
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 7, 2026. Method
Reactions
60 of 174 · most liked firstThis game is unfinished and extremely buggy. Has potential and needs updating. Pathway issues, monsters walk towards you facing the wrong way. Audio balancing is bad. I shot a deer and it vanished instantly. When I fast travelled to my base it put me under the map twice. 2/10
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Where do I start....this game is like the bare bones and framework of a "Potential" game. Like the screenshots and videos show the only good thing about this game and that is the monster models. But in game they are so jank and just feel like "cut and paste stock enemies" who just chase you and swing their arms to attack you. They just seem to randomly spawn in middle of forests with a blue beam like they are being teleported from a spaceship (lol wtf even?). Pretty sure folklore and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beware this is more like a DEMO (2-3 hours of play). - No loot on enemies (only on big boss) - Few items (wood, iron, coal, nails, 3 ammos, 3 weapons) - Empty world (only few villages with same buildings and same loot, and 1 NPC who dies in tutorial) QoL pbs - No time (don't know when night arrive) - No reticle - Passing doors or jumping a bit clunky sometimes Will change review later if it gets better. Could be nice game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would not recommend this game until the Dev fixes the major issues with the game and demonstrates he is going to be updating and making the game playable. It has great potential but was released way too soon!!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't believe the positive reviews. Game is very bare bones and was not ready for a full release.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a mix of adventure, survival and open world horror game for 1-4 players. You can play alone or with friends (one player is the host, the rest join him). The game has a dark mystical atmosphere, great music and voice acting, variety of loot and weapons, creepy monsters and secrets, good optimization, but few interactive details. The character has an inventory, map, crafting menu and quest log. You need to explore the forest and abandoned settlements, kill monsters, get food and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Feels like a classic single-dev project, which it is, bringing back memories of the early days of 7 Days to Die. The potential is there, but it has a long way to go to reach a higher standard. Since it's not in Early Access, I worry it may never get there. That said, the sound design is surprisingly effective. Some audio levels are off, but it nails a creepy atmosphere, especially at night—you constantly feel like something is lurking behind you. If you enjoy rough-but-promising indie…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It’s that little town next door where the things that are shown on the news are always happening. Welcome to Hauntsville. You won't find a quiet life here, but on the contrary, trials for survival lovers. From the very beginning, challenges, tasks and dangers await us. And you'd better try hard to stay alive. The gameplay here is very dynamic and varied. We will need to farm resources, create buildings and defend ourselves from zombies. The looting part is reminiscent of Rust, but here…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hauntsville you say? More like SNOOZEVILLE! I don't understand how this game is considered not in early access still. *The map is dead and lifeless, no NPC's other than within the first 10 minutes of gameplay. *Crafting is very limited and there's barely any loot especially for a game that encourages base building. *Apparently the game is very short 2-3 hours? But the most egregious issue is the dev is charging $20 USD for this game. The game isn't bad, it just happens to feel like…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →**Would not recommend atm.** No looting animation, even crates and bins has no open animation Theres only 1 NPC in the entire town and it has horrible voice acting No option to turn off motion blur, felt really dizzy playing it Mobs spawn out of thin air, its annoying more than scary Overall is just lack of animation, content and replay value. Not optimized enough and def not worth the price.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do yourself a favor and wait to buy the game. I wonder if there will be any major updates for it at all. It feels like a little of every survival element has been integrated into the game to do justice to everyone. But none of it can be described as good in any way. The atmosphere didn't capture me. Empty but lit buildings and, in my opinion, extremely weak monsters with incredibly bad AI.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is literally a scam lmao, positive reviews r fake
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish so much that this game worked better, as western horror survival with a folklore monster twist is 100% up my alley. However, the performance was so poor and jittery I was getting sick from playing it. It was really difficult to use a gun steadily due to these issues. I will follow the game in hopes that there are optimization improvements, as I love the concept!!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great Wild West setting, though it’s a bit strange why there’s light in abandoned buildings. The sound design is fantastic, creating an atmosphere where you constantly find yourself looking over your shoulder, expecting a monster behind you. Crafting is intuitive and easy to grasp. Unfortunately, there are some downsides. The sounds of rain, gunshots, and the pickaxe are overly loud. Even after adjusting the equalizer, they still hit hard on the ears, especially if you’re wearing headphones.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →neat game, cool monster design, lots of QOL issues. - the crosshair is not in the center of the screen for gun, its like 1/3 of the way up from the botom - the antialiasing is TAA and cant be turned off, it add motions blur, ghosting, and looks mushy - fast travel just does not work i can not reccomend this for $19, maybe if it was $7 or 8
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lots of Unity Jank. Problems with hitboxes, collisions, etc that you'd expect with any early access unity game. This is not a full release ready game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Damn this is janky and bad. Controls, game-play, movement, hit boxes, building, enemies and everything else has such bad optimisation. I'm actually shocked how bad it is. Sadly I purchased it over two weeks ago so can't get a refund. I will NOT play this again and hope in time, that I'll completely forget that it exists.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disclaimer: This game is definitely still in early development. There are some issues, missing features, and a few options that other survival games typically include. That said, if you're curious about actual gameplay, I’ve got you covered! I’ve streamed the game three times, with around 10 hours of honest playtime. If you’re on the fence about buying, check out the footage before making a decision: 📺 Gameplay Streams: ▶ Stream 1 https://www.youtube.com/live/MuLWB3m4_gU?si=zQJ9yU0hfACRpL79…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hauntsville – A Frustratingly Unfinished Experience Hauntsville had the potential to be an interesting multiplayer survival game, but unfortunately, it feels more like an abandoned project than a fully realized experience. Technical Issues Everywhere One of the biggest problems with Hauntsville is its terrible optimization. Playing in multiplayer mode often results in massive frame drops, making the game nearly unplayable at times. Worse yet, it frequently freezes or crashes, forcing players…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hauntsville is too expensive, at the very least the price needs to be halved, it's not even in early access. The game is a mix of RUST and Hunt: SHowdown, but single player and very budget friendly. Gather resources, hunt monsters, build your lodge. The game has potential, but it is not developed, forgotten. I hope the developer will finish the game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game runs like hot garbage and it's barely even functional. The inventory and the building system kept bugging the hell out, and the server host crashed after less than an hour of gameplay.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good Morning Everyone! We are back tonight and playing Hauntsville! I have loved this game for a long time and I get to play it with my friends and teammates @gggrotesque.bsky.social and ramennchan! Stream starts at 8pm EST! Can't wait to see yall tonight! #twitchstreamer #vtuber
unlabelledView post →needs work fun if you have friends unlike me
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is not finished. There's no loot, no containers, the monsters are exceptionally basic (and why would alien disco balls with lasers exist in a 19th century western horror game?) Map is fixed, zero control over it. Might not seem like too much of an issue until you realize: A. It's deceptively tiny. There's almost nothing here. B. Your compass is reversed. Like... literally reversed. This needs a ton of work. There's simply no real content to speak of.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While still very rough, I like the game. Building and crafting is easy, could have some QOL items changed, but overall a good time. The enemies are fun, the weapons simple but effective and fast travel really really helps. Great start to the game, look forward to seeing what happens further down the rails.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →really hope the dev fixes the jank and can turn this into something great because i have always wanted a game like this
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game should have been released in pre-alpha. Extremely empty, extremely buggy in multiplayer. For a solo dev it's not terrible but it's also not good.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY !! i have the recommended specs for the game and it still ran badly, the world is mostly empty and IT USES AI id rather hear bad voice acting that ♥♥♥♥♥♥ A.i. at most this is a asset flip scam its rushed and not good this is closer to a rough proof of concept (which would be fine if they didnt try to sell it as a full game and mentioned that somewhere on the game page) if you want a fun indie game just go give it to the people that made REPO, GTFO, or tiny glade…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Needs lots of work. There isn't enough to justify the $15 price. It's a $4 game at best, currently. Got all the way to the "get gunpowder" part (definite audio/visual issues up to that point) and then decided not to sit around waiting for nightfall with nothing to do during the day to try to kill monsters that MIGHT drop gunpowder (the only way to get gunpowder as far as I could tell). The game needs more content to justify the large, open map. I can see the potential, but this was released WAY…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →haven't played alot of the game so far, got to the part where i have to build shelter. from what ive seen so far the game is kinda bare bones and lifeless, the enemies look cool, the game is so dark can't see the tip pop ups go by so fast i can't read them, they also pop up about stuff i don't have yet. the gun when aiming down sights sits at the bottom of the screen and i have to look up to aim it, like some have said the running seems like a faster walk, the looting i can live with, but the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have a little less than an hour in this game so far. It's right up my alley theme-wise. I love zombies, I love horror, I love survival builders. Think 7 days to die. That's my jam. This has the potential to be quite good but in its current form it's very clunky. The graphics are... ehhhhh. I mean, I can live with 7DTD graphics so if that was the only issue, it would be fine. But the functionality is really what makes it hard to recommend this game. Pros: - Cool theme if you dig zombie-like…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An interesting game in the genre of "survival" with a construction site, a farm and a cooperative. However, the cooperative does not work. I would like fixes from developers. After all, it would be more interesting to play this game together. There are also some bugs with chests. I would like to see better optimization.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game has got a cool concept, but it is so unpolished and jank. After playing for ~20 minutes my friend and I were sure this had to be in early access, but we were surprised to see that it isnt listed as early access. In its current state of polish it is not worth the price or the time imo. Save your money for a game that is actually done.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For a single developer, this game is pretty good. However, it is not an almost $20 purchase good. At the time of playing, the aiming felt clunky and the environment felt very amateur. The graphics are the usual Unreal Engine 5 "good looking" graphics, but nothing is truly "historically accurate" as the game claims. The layouts of the homes could be considered "historically accurate", but they feel empty and more like a set than an actual home that was once lived in. The enemies were promised to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do NOT and I repeat do NOT BUY THIS GAME! 1) first attempt to join my friends world - fell under the map 2) my corpse was INSTANTLY GONE 3) Items given per quest were given multiple times for me but not for my friends ??? Some of them didn't get even a single item .. Just don't.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The combination of Wild West and Survival Horror is something new. Gameplay is more on the shooter side and quite fun. It obviously isn't perfectly polished but the experience makes up for it. I also enjoyed playing coop with friends. It's reasonably priced in my opinion.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely buggy, poorly optimized, mess. By far the most half baked game I've ever had the opportunity to purchase on the market.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →pretty neat game. But a real REAL early state, but the base of the game is good and could be grow to something very cool.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While it lacks polish, and refinement, so far it's actually been pretty fun. Atmospherically spooky, visuals are good, but there are some issues. The UI is a bit basic. The enemy AI is almost non-existent. Exploring towns doesn't really feel very rewarding since each building may only hold one cloth, or one beer. Otherwise, it's a great start! Hopefully the dev keeps refining it and doesn't just abandon ship like so many other games of a similar vein. Time will tell, and please don't make…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game does look promising, but in it's current state, sadly I cannot recommend it. i really wanted to like it, since I love the idea, a game set in the old west with monsters that remind me of skinwalkers. The optimization seems pretty bad, I kept getting bad fps with high settings, which is funny, since I meet the "recommended specs" and can run other games with higher demand more stable. If the game will keep getting updates and new features added, I can see it being a really really good…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sorry to say but this game is just not ready yet. Will visit later.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The combination of the Wild West with horror is so cool! The gameplay is all about side-scrolling and it's really fun. It's clearly a well-done job. I also loved playing co-op with my friends. It was at a reasonable price, in my opinion.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hauntswille - a mix of hunt showdown,7 days to die and rust A good survival simulator in the western genre in "very early access" The concept is cool, but there are problems with the optimization and fullness of the game If the developers improve the game, it can become a top 1 survival game, it really has a future. It just occurred to me that the building looks like a building made of rust, it's very intuitive. Well, the strip of health, energy, hunger and thirst reminded me of 7 days to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ive been waiting for this game for a while and like people have mentioned it needs a bit of polish, however I think this game has lots of potential and for the price I think its very fair and for a game with a single dev. I think this a game that has yet to reach its full potential but has the makings of a great game! Pros: fun to play great weapon sounds good survival horror feel weather adds good immersion good range of enemies to encounter cons: world can feel a bit empty between POIs…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has potential. So far I enjoyed playing it. The atmosphere is great and there is a lot of action in gameplay. It could need some updates but it is enjoyable and can be played without problems. For fans of survival games it's definitely something new and exciting.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am normally not the kind of the kind of guy to write reviews on steam but this game amazed me. When I saw the price I was a bit skeptical at first because normally games that cheap aren't that great at all but Hauntsville offers so much for such a low price. The game world is so beautiful and big, the atmosphere is unbelievably fitting and the gameplay itself often gets really scary because you don't know what is going to happen next. The best selling point for me was the base buidling and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been playing games for 20 years ever since i was a little kid, and for the past few years ive been disappointed with the turnout of recent games. this game has been the refreshing kick that takes me back to my childhood years. it has the most fleshed out and intricate building system created ive seen in any game. it is a lot like 7 days to die, but instead of cubes you get immersive building and nails manually to shape the construction in creative ways. you can use the building to create…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It’s really bare bones and it badly needs optimization but it’s very fun. The gameplay loop is pretty casual and it’s the skeleton of something great. The game needs a lot of work but if you are here for an early access experience this is worth it. The vibe and visuals are great. The shooting feels really meaty. Hope to see more but I’m enjoying what’s here.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I"ve played a lot of game where there out too kill you. Bit this, this is beyond the pale. I have never played a game where a game tries so hard to kill a player because there beating the game. Never have I seen so much cheating by a game then this one. You bring in enemy after I guessed defeated "5" enemy so that you would defeat me. WTF!!!!! Not only I'm working with old weapons. not only it takes a looonnngggg time to reload said weapons, you enemy get to have free shots at me and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cool Game. better with friends. Pain in the ass to get into your own base without exterior stairs. Many deaths cause by this. So..be sure to figure that out first. Other than that...I havent found any real issues.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey Everyone! We are live now! Playing some Hauntsville! A amazing game with cowboys and aliens! We are joined by @hauntedinc.bsky.social team mates ramennchan and @gggrotesque.bsky.social !!! I can not wait to have fun on our 3rd day of the partner-thon! www.twitch.tv/kitsunesamur...
unlabelledView post →Good Morning Everyone! I hope your all having a fantastic time zone! We are back tonight playing Hauntsville with @gggrotesque.bsky.social & ramennchan ! I am super excited to be revesting the game! Then were going into the new ghost game The Other Side! What are your plans today?
unlabelledView post →I wish I could give this a neutral review but for the sole fact of it being a game made by a solo developer I'll give it a thumbs up because I'd consider it a pretty big accomplishment. Also, my first review of the game was based on the game near its initial release and since then the developer has made several bug fixes along with UI and visual improvements as well as adding much needed content (more would still be better) that has overall made the game a better experience. I do believe he'll…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An excellent survival game where you need to build a house, take care of yourself and defend yourself from enemies, just like in real life. Only ingenuity and the ability to survive are important here.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent survival game that will immerse us in the atmosphere of westerns of the wild west, the main characters of which will be cowboys. We will take on the role of a lonely wanderer who randomly finds himself in an abandoned town and will try to survive, solving mysteries and overcoming various obstacles. We will have to explore an open world full of adventures and dangers, as well as find food, build shelters and defend ourselves from enemies. Collecting and managing resources is an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →game keeps freezing right after i get off the wagon or when i can play you have to follow whats going on or it again freezes
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is a great game me and my friend played this and we had fun game needs some work but its fun :] 9/10 def play again
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A godsend for fans of westerns and horrors! Stuck in a ghost town, I immersed myself in the fascinating process of survival, construction and fighting monsters. The game is exciting from the very first minutes! I wish there were more extensive quests, but overall it's a great experience!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →All the structures had a cut and paste feel and nothing was really searchable. Doors open, but rooms are mostly empty. I would like to see something other than a random can of beans on a table for a reason to search any place. The fast travel function, while sometimes useful, worked intermittently, and sometimes left me in a random area of the map instead of my target. ****If you play in multiplayer, you have to individually save your progress. We assumed our progress was saved along with the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How the game Hauntsville appeared: 1) take construction from rust 2) buildings made of rdr2 3) But that's where the monsters came from, I haven't figured it out yet. 4) there is also a similarity with 7 days to die Then we do woosh And we get Hauntsville
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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