Have you ever gone somewhere to relax and just felt like something was off? At first glance, things might seem normal, but the feeling persists of something being not quite right. Something you just can’t quite put your finger on, but still leaves the hairs standing up on the back of your neck? Maybe it’s the one missing rug from under a table. Maybe it’s the dead-eyed stare you get from the server. Or maybe it’s the pools of blood that slowly start forming all around you. Perhaps you’ll never know, but in The Ten Bells from Hilltop Games and Acrylic Pixel, it’s important that you try to figure it out.

Oh blurry woman, I hardly knew ye…. I think.

Set in an old English pub, the titular The Ten Bells, you play as an unnamed protagonist who has arrived for the funeral of a mysterious woman. The only thing you have to go on is a note beneath a blurred portrait, stating that you are free to explore the pub and if everything is in order, you can continue to the Private room. However, if you happen to spot any anomalies, you should turn back. That’s the only instruction the game gives you, so you’re plunged into the experience right from the get-go. I’ll admit that I didn’t find it very clear as to what I was supposed to do in the beginning (which led to some frustration), but after I understood what to do, the game became a lot of fun.

The Ten Bells is a walking sim in every sense. You explore the pub, but that’s about it. You can’t interact with objects or either of the two bartenders. All you can do is thoroughly check The Ten Bells for anything that’s different. In some loops you won’t find anything, in which case you’ll proceed to the Private room. However, if you do happen to find an anomaly, you’ll need to turn around and run in the opposite direction. Some of the variances are subtle, some are obvious, and some will give you quite the jumpscare. That said, The Ten Bells is not a game that over-relies on jumpscares, thankfully. Yes, there are still plenty of unexpected surprises and scares, but they are spread out throughout the game and mostly feel earned when you get them.

Ring for service.

There are a lot of oddities to be found within The Ten Bells, and that’s not only referring to the anomalies you can find within each playthrough. Aside from not being given much instruction on how the game works, there are also two different endings you can get. Now I know that doesn’t sound like anything out of the ordinary, but there seems to be very little rhyme or reason as to how you unlock them.

For example, I was so confused in the beginning that I did countless loops without ever seeming to progress. Once I figured out the core gameplay loop, I finally began to advance, but could still never make it past the fourth bell before some paranormal entity would take me out. Not one to be deterred by a challenge I knew was more simple than I was making it, I pressed on. Then out of nowhere, I got what I learned later to be the “good” ending while only on the third bell of my current run. I had no idea what was going on or who any of the people were.

I found my light at the end of the tunnel.

I kept playing The Ten Bells because my curiosity was fully piqued, but I still didn’t know much about the mystery that was ever so slowly unraveling around me. Who were these bartenders? Whose funeral was supposedly taking place there? Why were all of these spooky things happening and how could I make them stop? Could I even make them stop? Then, not too long after obtaining the “good” ending, I finally reached the “normal” ending on my fourth bell. Things were beginning to become clearer, but I still couldn’t see the full picture.

I realized then that key items were presented on bookshelves near the starting point after each successful “bell” run, but as I had yet to make it past the fifth bell at that point, I didn’t have all the pieces yet. After several more attempts, I finally reached the tenth bell and unlocked all the story-related items. The narrative became clear, for which I was grateful, but I was still utterly confused as to how things played out the way they did. How was I able to essentially get the final ending first? How was I able to get any “ending” at all without having reached the full successful ten-bell loop? Don’t get me wrong, I loved the mystery, but I felt like I experienced the whole game backward.

Peekaboo, I see you!

Visually, The Ten Bells is a bit of a mixed bag. While the pub itself is beautiful, this is mostly due to its dramatic lighting and use of Unity assets for all of the highly detailed objects. This makes finding certain anomalies much easier. The character models and animations are less impressive by comparison. The bartenders don’t blink and have very stiff movements, especially the man who walks around like he’s just thrown out his back. It’s almost laughable at first until you unexpectedly find him chasing after you, in which case his walk seems much more menacing.

The sound design is fantastic. There’s no voice acting, but the sound effects are superb, especially the ringing of bells and the sounds of footsteps pacing across the bar. The musical score adds a lot to The Ten Bells, with its tense, foreboding music that sets up the creepy atmosphere perfectly.

This intense stare is doing little to make me want to wet my whistle in this establishment.

Despite some confusion and frustration in the beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Ten Bells. If you’re a fan of anomaly games, then you definitely shouldn’t pass up this one. There are some truly excellent scares and a hauntingly creepy story to be uncovered. With Halloween around around the corner, now is the perfect time to sip on a pint of beer and unravel the mystery of The Ten Bells.

The Ten Bells is available now on PC.

Reviewed on PC.

A copy of Ten Bells was provided by the publisher.