Staged: Open House (Demo)

Content Warning: Contains strong language and horror themes.

**Version 1.3.3 is now available**

Click here to view latest patch notes

v1.3.3

• Added an objective screen for when you press [TAB].
• Lowered car engine volume on intro cutscene.
• Lowered radio music volume after initial state.
• Added a fuse placing animation.
• Added more ghost interactions.
• Fixed water valve graphical glitch.
• Fixed up red room lighting.
• Improved sink valve placement.
• Slight re-positioning of certain objects.
• Altered timing of events slightly.
• Adjusted level streaming of outdoor area.
• Adjusted subtitles.

Click here to view previous patch notes

v1.3.2

• Improved lighting.
• Adjusted some LOD's.
• Made valve item bigger so it's easier to pick up.
• Small fixes.

v1.3.1

• Fixed up some subtitles.
• Added links to Steam page.
• Added controls instructions.
• Added stain wiping animations.
• Added valve placing animations.
• General improvements and bug fixes.
• Fixed a game breaking glitch where the game got stuck in the intro cutscene!

v1.3.0

• Added a big intro cutscene!
• Voice acting added for Frank!
• Voice acting added for Maggie!
• Adjusted timing of some events and fixed some small glitches.
• Made some small tweaks and polished some more.

v1.2.14

• For a while there has been a problem with a blue flickering light that appears when you run around corners really quickly. This has been fixed but might need adjusting in the future.
• Optimisations.
• Small tweaks.

v1.2.13

• Fixed some gaps in walls.
• Added another room but you cant fully explore it yet, not until the full game.
• Secrets.

v1.2.12

• Performance improvements on main menu.
• Default FPS is 30, player can optionally change in settings.
• Added another small scare.
• Added a small cutscene.
• Small tweaks and optimisations.

v1.2.11

• Big improvement to performance during the beginning cutscene. Reduced draw calls from 800 to 100 so it shouldn't stutter now.
• Added some more LOD's for better performance.
• Removed some more shadows on small objects to improve performance.
• Small fixes.

v1.2.10

• Adjusted collision on crucifix.
• Improved cutscenes.
• Added dialogue and some SFX.
• The flashlight is no longer missable.

v1.2.9

• Performance improvements.
• Went through every mesh and created new, more efficient material instances where needed.
• Added some more LOD's.

v1.2.8

• Big performance improvement.
• Completely removed lumen and the option to enable it.
• Removed options for reflections.
• Adjusted lighting, still working on it though.

v1.2.7

• Went through every single mesh and added LOD's.
• Adjusted collisions.
• Added some events.

v1.2.6

• Added a green glowing material on light switches that are off to make it easier to find switches in the dark.
• More performance optimisations.
• New scares and sounds.
• Added some props.
• Small tweaks to timing events.
• Fixed up some walls.
• Improved some scares.
• Adjusted lighting.
• Re-positioned some things.
• Increased player height.

v1.2.5

• Performance optimisations.
• Fixed an issue where the outside light caused a jarring flash of blue when loading/unloading rooms.

v1.2.4

• Have spent the last couple of months working on (and learning about) cutscenes. I will not be including this yet but will save it for a future update.
• There is now an outdoor area but I'll keep the front door locked for this demo. You can see it through the windows.
• I lowered the quality of graphics settings by default to allow weaker computers to still play. Global illumination and reflections are now turned off by default. If your computer is mid to high tier, you can turn these on and also increase the quality of the graphics in the video settings. I suggest keeping foliage low as it only exists outside, you can't leave the house. If it still doesn't run well, you can lower the settings even further.
• Big changes to lighting.
• Adjusted particle systems.
• Re-positioned some objects that were slightly misaligned.
• Added dark planes under floorboards so you can't see underneath them.
• Various optimisations.
• Added another scare.
• Very slight adjustments to timing of events.
• Increased key size to make them easier to see.
• Fixed some problems with audio being heard through walls.
• Altered cutscenes.

v1.2.3

• Modified kitchen a little.
• Added some new jump scares.
• Slight adjustments to other scares.
• Added a few more events.

v1.2.2

• Better packaging, smaller file size.
• Small changes and improvements to cutscenes.

v1.2.1

• You can now skip cutscenes if you want by holding down any key.
• Main bathroom cutscene fades in smoothly now.
• Fixed up some more materials.
• Fixed up the cutscenes.

v1.2.0

• Migrated to Unreal 5.7. Had some issues but managed to fix them.
• Created 2 new cutscenes.
• Improved the final cutscene.
• On ending cutscene, if player has flashlight equipped, I unequip it before cutscene.
• Created a new, versatile, master material that I will now use for many different meshes.
• Created more material instances and also Improved some materials.
• Added a green translucent material to guide player in the main bathroom scene.
• On more powerful devices, flickering lights flicker too fast as it is based on frames, I have temporarily fixed this by reducing flicker speed.
• Added a rug by the stairs.
• Deleted some unused things.
• Slight re-positioning of some triggers.
• Minor performance improvements.

v1.1.10

• Completely re-created the ending.
• On very rare occasions there was a very bad bug where sub levels were not loading while passing through their triggers. You would walk into a room and it would be empty. I think collision was sometimes not being registered with FPS stutters. I think I have fixed this problem. If anyone encounters this please let me know.

v1.1.9

• Added a simple cutscene and improved intro.
• Slight adjustments to some collision.

v1.1.8

• Adjusted basement and garage loading/unloading triggers.
• Added decals and small details around the house.

v1.1.7

• Many more performance optimisations. The game should run even better now.
• Fixed a small issue with the mesh on some doors.
• Removed a line of dialogue that was not really needed.
• Re-positioned one of the photo frames that was clipping through the wall.
• Re-positioned some triggers.

v1.1.6

• Adjusted physics blocking volumes around the house so physics items like the trash bags don't snag onto corners as easily.
• Blocked player from taking physics items into the laundry and garage.
• Adjusted some power points and added wiring for kitchen radio.
• Modified master bedroom loading/unloading triggers.
• Numerous performance optimisations.

v1.1.5

• Built the laundry.
• Built the garage.
• Added cables and plugs connected to power points throughout the house.
• Tidied up collision on multiple objects throughout the house.
• Changed the timing of one of the scares for better pacing.
• Re-adjusted level streaming triggers to load/unload parts of the house more efficiently.
• The light downstairs and to the left now starts turned on.
• The downstairs curtains are now only loaded when needed and then completely unloaded when not visible.
• Increased head bob slightly.

v1.1.4

• Spent a while filling out the basement. It's much more complete now, although I may change things a bit more.
• Started working on the laundry and garage. I have locked the doors so you can't enter until I work on it a bit more.
• Added some new lights.
• Fixed a glitch where a certain dialogue sequence could be played before intended.
• One of the light switches was clipping through a wall. Fixed this.
• Fixed up some of the level streaming triggers.
• Modified collision for various objects.
• Resized and re-positioned some objects.

v1.1.3

• When inspecting an item, the safety light around the player disables and re-enables when finished.
• Fixed the lighting when inspecting an object so it doesn't appear blindingly bright.
• Added custom sticky notes providing hints.

v1.1.2

• The toys would jitter and collide with each other constantly when bunched up together in the toy box. I have fixed this issue.
• Fixed an issue where if the last toy in the box was the truck, sometimes it would jump out of the box.
• The toy puzzle is a bit more performant now.
• Slight adjustment to timing some of the events.
• Adjusted inspectable items.

v1.1.1

• Made huuuuuuuuge performance optimisations throughout the whole house, it should run even better now.
• Added basic gamepad controls. Not really meant to be played with gamepad but still playable.
• Fixed a glitch where the master bathroom light switch was not working.
• Fixed a problem with game load.
• Made adjustments to the final scare.
• Slight adjustment to lighting in bathrooms.
• Added a default pickup item sound.

v1.1.0

• Fixed an error caused by completing one of the puzzles too quickly.
• Added 4 new scares.
• New animations.
• Completely fixed up the final scene.
• Fixed a glitch where removing 1 plank from the door allowed the player to open it. You now must remove all 3.
• Slightly tweaked timing of certain events.
• Re-positioned certain meshes slightly.
• Rotated grime on main bathroom floor so it displays properly.
• Slight adjustment to certain sounds.
• Various performance optimisations.

v1.0.3

• Added cloth sim to the girl in the white dress. Her hair and dress are now animated.
• Fixed an issue where the timing of level streaming in one of the floor tiles wasn't right causing it to pop in.
• Repositioned one of the toy blocks ever so slightly to avoid clipping.
• Fixed up timing of jump scare animations.
• Fixed up some decals.
• Removed collision for placed trash bags.

v1.0.2

• Added a green, translucent placeholder object to guide players as to where to place trash bags
• Trash bags are more performant
• Added another scare to the game
• Adjusted some timing related events
• Slight adjustments to some objects

v1.0.1

• Added some hints to item's whereabouts by adding letters.
• Slight adjustments to some objects. Fixed some problems.
• Very minor improvements around the home.

🚨 THE DEMO IS MOVING TO STEAM!

The polished, final version of Staged: Open House demo launches March 27th!

👉 WISHLIST ON STEAM NOW

Visit the Steam page for the latest polished version, featuring:

• New interaction mechanics (Yes, you can pet the cat! 🐈)
• Balanced Audio & Visuals (No more deafening car engines!)
• Updated UI & Objective Tracking
• And more

Staged: Open House

You are Frank Doyle, a professional home stager hired to prepare a vacant house for sale. The Ward family vanished months ago, leaving everything behind. At first, your job seems easy, but the house isn't as empty as it seems.

Objective

As Frank, your goal is to complete a few basic staging tasks in the rooms around the house, such as tidying up, arranging items and cleaning surfaces. But as you work, you'll experience supernatural events that escalate with every task completed.

Dev Note

This demo offers a short, 30 to 45 minute horror experience of what I'm currently building.

The full game will include:

• A much larger environment, expanding beyond the house into new locations tied to the Ward family's past.
• A persistent enemy that hunts you throughout the game.
• More complex puzzles and mechanics that reveal what really happened inside the Ward residence.
• Many more scares and psychological horror moments.

I'm constantly updating and improving this project based on player feedback. If you have suggestions or feedback please let me know.

If you like this game, consider wishlisting on Steam.

Content creators are more than welcome to record or share their playthroughs. I’d love to see them!

Keyboard/Mouse Controls

Move: WASD
Look: Mouse
Lean Left: Q
Lean Right: E
Crouch: Ctrl
Run: Shift
Flashlight: F
Use: LMB
Alt Use: RMB
Zoom in/out: Scroll Wheel
Menu: Esc
Objectives: Tab

Development

Created by Daniel Lee

Developed with UE5.7.

Resources

All third-party assets credited in-game. See the Credits screen for full attributions.

Check out my metroidvania game.