Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story

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Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story already has an eerie feeling, but the title is just the beginning of what you're about to explore. You play Danielle Hunt, a young woman who has started a journey to look for her missing husband, Sam. A dark event separates the two newlyweds, and Danielle realizes that she maybe doesn't know her husband as well as she thought. She's joined by a peculiar companion who happens to be an animated doll and has some ideas about how to continue the search. With Danielle's investigative skills and the doll's help, there's still a chance to save Sam.

About Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story

Dolls are creepy whether they look cute or like tiny humans, but that feeling has been harvested for games or true terror. This game may not be as scary as others, especially since the doll is your main ally during this adventure. There's always the feeling that something's wrong, and you never feel as if you've examined everything. There are prompts to help you out so that you don't linger about it, but it's never as satisfying as tearing through everything that looks slightly suspicious. This is an investigative adventure, though, requiring a bit more tact and thoughtfulness to yield results.

How to Play

Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story is a 2D investigation game in which players find clues and proceed along a path with the mouse. To interact with the gameplay elements, move the cursor over them and click the Left Mouse Button. Hold the Left Mouse Button over objects and move the cursor to drag objects and scenes for investigating and puzzle-solving. Loose objects will be transferred to your inventory, and critical areas or objects can be examined closer, showing a different scene. The goal is to find Sam by collecting clues and following his trail. The game ends when you solve the case or decide to abandon it.

The main menu sets the tone before you start the game. When you do, Danielle begins in a room where she has received a mysterious package. The package contains the doll, which offers to help her with the investigation. From there, you must examine the different areas of each scene to gather items and clues. Areas of interest will be highlighted with occasional sparkle animations. You'll either need to use items you've collected to interact with particular objects or look through cluttered areas to collect lists of objects. Whenever you get enough clues in the area, you can consult the map to go to new places in search of new information via investigation or talking to characters. The doll can give you clues should you get stuck to get you back on the right path.

Tips and Tricks

This investigative game uses hidden-object tactics to hide the clues and present puzzles. The sparkles are noticeable, but it helps to take a moment to lean back and examine the scene as a whole to see what pops out. Things like containers and doors are always worth clicking on to see what happens.