Greyhill Incident is a silly, spooky title that takes you on a fanciful journey through the paranormal. Though it frames itself as a horror walking sim, you'll likely be cackling at its campy little grey men and adorable B-movie charm. It may only have rudimentary puzzles and an exceedingly linear path for its 3-hour runtime. However, the hilarious delight of thwacking space aliens and embracing the tin foil hat conspiracy can offer you some genuine laughs if you give it a chance.
- Hilariously Enjoyable Combat
- Absorbing Environmental Design
- Slightly Open-ended Levels
- Shallow, disapointing narrative
- Unrewarding Ending
- A distinct lack of horror
I love space aliens. From getting accidentally bribed by the Engi in FTL: Faster than Light to building a giant mecha dog for priests in Space Warlord: Organ trading simulator, I always found the presence of otherworldly beings and little green men to uplift any medium.
Even so, I was unimpressed with the invading space aliens in Greyhill Incident. Essentially a walking sim disguised as a spacey horror, Greyhill Incident follows the whimsical misadventures of a tinfoil hat-wearing Dad and his quirky companions as little grey men in flying saucers invade their town.
Despite its impressively realized setting in rural American farmlands, Greyhill Incident’s jarring tone, unbelievable characters, and inclusion of weapons ruin much of the intended horror and intrigue the game aims for.
Even so, I still enjoyed the campy delivery and B-movie charm that bleed through every ounce of this hilarious horror game. Though we may be opposed to the game’s ultra-short length and superficial story, it offers some great hilarity that left me utterly reeling.
A Tin Foil Hat Hero
Greyhill Incident’s narrative is a baffling tale. Essentially a validation of every tin foil hat-wearing conspiracy theorist, the story follows a wacky Dad in a 90’s American farm town on his quest to save his son from aliens and give those invading little grey men a proper thwacking.
Unfortunately, saving our son takes a backseat to random and bizarre events that serve little purpose besides playing up the cliché setting.
While I appreciated the game’s mad preacher welcoming the rapture and a policeman confessing that the government’s evil, Greyhill Incident’s more concerned about playing up the alien invasion than telling a cohesive story.
All-in all, while I couldn’t recommend the game for its lackluster story, I adored the cheesy character interactions and their inappropriate jokes. I particularly relished eight-year-old Rachel roasting us for our failed marriage at the game’s climax.
Aged Nutty Dad vs. Little Grey Guys
Oddly charming and outright bad, I adored how the wacky mix of gunplay and melee turned this space horror into a wonderfully broken dumpster fire. While Greyhill Incident expects us to hide from aliens while scavenging for keys, the introduction of guns and bats means we can hilariously mow down our would-be assailants with comic impact.
Overall, though Greyhill Incident’s monotonous walking and confusing item placement lost me, I enjoyed demolishing our would-be monsters with excessive force.
Even if I can’t consider this game a horror in any right (as the enemies are shorter than us and we can mash “E” to escape), the game’s adorably absurd gameplay saved me from what would have been a miserable walking sim.
Faithful Foggy Farmland
Despite the subpar narrative and busted combat, I adored Greyhill Incident’s authentic 90s visuals. With crisply realistic homes and eerie streets, I was absorbed in the town’s empty atmosphere and enjoyed the commitment to realizing the quaintly haunted setting.
While the aliens’ models failed to meet this standard, I hilariously relished them trying to abduct me despite their short stature.
Overall, ignoring the tin foil hat-wearing characters’ unnatural model movements, I was thoroughly impressed by Greyhill Incident’s cutting realization of an ominously deserted town.
Meteorically Mollifying Music
Greyhill Incident is in dire need of an audio fix. With characters’ lines constantly overlapping, overbearing horror music, and improperly delivered voice lines, I’m astounded some of these takes escaped editing. While I was okay with the game’s passable music, alien sound effects, and the protagonist’s quality voice acting, these audio issues overly frustrated me, ruining the immersive setting.
Hyper-Perceptive Pests
Though the game ran smoothly, and I never encountered any bugs besides the aforementioned audio over-lapping, the aliens had monstrously annoying perception. The little grey men could spot me from far in the distance and would chase me across nearly half of the map in some sections.
While I could hide in containers or under the bed, the aliens would find me no matter where I hid if they were in pursuit. Though I eventually resorted to my pistol and trusty baseball bat, it was an annoying trend that never ceased throughout my paranoid dad’s journey.
An Agile Abduction
The Greyhill Incident has lightening fast pacing. Though I was occasionally frustrated trying to find a semiconductor to make a phone call or the crowbar to our shed, I eventually stumbled through most puzzles, easily beating the game in three hours.
However, while I enjoyed the game’s rapid pace, I was galled at the high price point attached to this increasingly short experience. Paying $25 for 3 hours of gameplay felt excessive, and though I would likely have disliked the game stretching out its current length, the price point needs to be adjusted to justify this brief experience.
A Spaced-Out Second Attempt
I grew more irritated with Greyhill Incident on a second playthrough. Though I appreciated its slightly open-ended exploration and funny interactions the first time, Greyhill Incident’s rigid linearity and uninteresting characters become more pronounced on another go around.
Worse yet, trying to rush through the game destroys the audio, sometimes having three or four characters speak at once, and is eminently frustrating given our character’s increasingly limited ability to sprint. Frankly, I don’t recommend giving Greyhill Incident another playthrough unless we’re determined to find the last achievement or two.
Alternative Little Grey Titles
To be frank, Greyhill Incident isn’t for most of us. The subpar narrative, weak gameplay, and variety of audio issues can be enough to drive most away from its cheesy experience.
Luckily, there are a variety of walking sims and horrors that offer a more extended, quality story with exciting mechanics to keep us invested. If Greyhill Incident doesn’t sound like your cup of tea; I recommend checking out the titles below:
- Dear Esther
- What Remains of Edith Finch
- Outlast
- The Stanly Parable
- The Long Dark
- Firewatch
- SOMA
Overall Pros and Cons
Pros
- Hilariously Enjoyable Combat
- Absorbing Environmental Design
- Fast Paced Playthrough
- Slightly Open-ended Levels
Cons
- Shallow, Disappointing Narrative
- Unrewarding Ending
- Only 3 Hours Long
- The Alien’s Aren’t Scary
FAQs
Question: Where does the Greyhill Incident Take Place?
Answer: Greyhill Incident takes place in a 90s rural American farm town during an alien invasion. With the inclusion of dated phones and old TVs, Greyhill Incident succeeds in realizing the nostalgic paranoia portrayed by the tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists.
Question: How Long is the Greyhill Incident?
Answer: Greyhill Incident takes approximately 3 hours to finish. However, if we’re struggling to find the necessary keys to progress, the game can take another half hour to beat.
Question: Is Greyhill Incident Scary?
Answer: No, Greyhill Incident’s unintimidating short aliens and the provision of weapons to mow them down ruin much of the horror the game intended. Though I jumped at the music, I tended to laugh at the short-statured monsters speedwalking after us.
Verdict: 5 Average
Overall, I enjoyed the unintended hilarity of the Greyhill Incident despite its shallow narrative and mediocre gameplay. Even if I grew bored of the story, the charming B-movie absurdity of bonking aliens with a baseball bat kept me chuckling through the game’s mediocre combat and tedious puzzles.
However, while I appreciate laughing at Greyhill Incident as a failed horror game, I can’t reconcile the game’s current high price point of $25 for a horror walking sim that only lasts three hours. Though I enjoyed the Greyhill Incident, it needs a more substantial narrative or engaging gameplay to justify its steep cost.
All-in-all, though Greyhill Incident was worth a good laugh, I can’t in good conscience recommend this mess of audio bugs, weak gameplay, and superficial storytelling in its current state. Still, If we’re willing to give it a chance, Greyhill Incident has some clever humor and wacky moments just silly enough to brighten our day!
The Greyhill Incident Review: Play Log
JT spent 3+ hours scouring the remains of a deserted farm town for his son to no avail. He demolished hordes of space aliens, saved an annoying eight old, and was abducted by little green men while covered head to toe in tinfoil.
After reading every alien conspiracy book and collecting every achievement, JT’s happy to remain aboard the mothership having tea with tentacled cosmic horrors from beyond the pale.
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