In much the same way that bullet heaven games – those chaotic, enemy-swarming roguelikes inspired by Vampire Survivors – have rapidly multiplied across digital storefronts, the horror genre has seen its own mini-boom: the rise of “anomaly finding” games.
These titles, often minimal in mechanics but heavy on atmosphere, ask players to scan mundane environments for subtle, often surreal changes – a misplaced object, a door slightly ajar, a shadow that wasn’t there before.
It’s a simple but effective formula, and like their roguelike counterparts, anomaly horrors are now released in such frequency that finding the true standouts can feel like sifting for gold in a stream of uncanny clutter.
Finnish Cottage 8 is one of those rare titles that shines through – not because it reinvents the genre in any way, shape or form… but because it, on the contrary, understands exactly what makes it work and focuses on that.
Developer: Savukivi Games
Publisher: Savukivi Games
Genre: Indie, First-Person, Anomaly Horror
Release Date: March 7th, 2025
Reviewed on: PC
Available on: PC
Copy was provided through PressEngine.
At its core, Finnish Cottage 8 is about isolation. Set in a secluded cottage deep in the Finnish wilderness, the game immerses the player in a world of creeping silence and looming dread. There’s a purposeful stillness to the environment that both soothes and unsettles – tall, unmoving pines hem the cottage in; the sky, perpetually overcast, presses down with an almost physical weight. Time seems suspended, the boundaries between the interior space of the cabin and the vast, empty forest outside slowly eroding.
I’d both love and hate to spend my time here. The serenity of being out in the woods and the luxury of my very own private sauna is contrasted by the (possibly somewhat irrational) fear of something being out there and the solitude and horrors that come with being alone in the woods.
I do believe that this kind of spatial ambiguity is the emotional backbone of the game. It’s what sets the tone and what does the heavy lifting for the atmosphere. Before you start on your anomaly investigation journey, the game is already plenty scary in its own right.
But then you have to memorise everything around the cottage. The flags, the sofa, the decor, the colour of things, the placement of objects, and even the layout. Finnish Cottage 8 doesn’t reinvent the “Exit 8” inspired sub-genre of horror, where you find anomalies. It is very much formulaic in its approach: Scan the environment and figure out if anything is different. If all is good, exit through the front door. If something is amiss, go through the back door near the sauna.
My first few runs went rather well. Thinking I’ve memorised the room well, I stroll confidently through the front door. I did pretty well until I got to exit 7, where I messed up in some way. The anomalies range from painfully obvious intrusions into your serene cottage life, like grotesque creatures walking around, noises coming from elsewhere or even unwelcome visitors… to mundane and borderline comedic changes like a flag being changed to the Swedish flag or Gollum appearing in the corner of the sauna or whatever. It’s easy to miss things, but rather than feeling frustrated, the game allows you to quickly restart.
The sense of overcoming an obstacle is a given here. The game does throw curve balls at yo,u but it doesn’t feel overly challenging. More than anything – and this is something that Finnish Cottage 8 has going for it in contrast to other titles in the genre – the game doesn’t overstay its welcome and is beatable in half an hour.
Rather than the challenge of surviving, this game, like others, becomes more of a collection game where you really wanna see all the different anomalies and experience it for yourself. There are also various parts for this other anomaly hunter named Timo that you can assemble if you want to. It becomes pretty fun in a way.
What impressed me the most was the atmosphere and how the game doesn’t overly rely on cheap jump scares, chasing monsters, or anything of the sort. Rather than that, it cradles you into a sense of security with the mundanity of the environment, and a certain hospitality, almost. The place is cosy. The interior looks old and lived in. The radio is playing Finnish ramblings at all times… and then you find a body part lying around somewhere, which creeps you out for obvious reasons.
However, this otherwise immersive experience is marred somewhat by technical issues. Performance hiccups, including frame rate drops and occasional stuttering, can break the tension at crucial moments. While not game-breaking, these problems are noticeable enough to detract from the game’s carefully constructed atmosphere. My specs are sort of beefy, and I didn’t notice a big increase in GPU usage, whatsoever, but still noticed the game struggling from time to time. Perhaps the frame rate could even give away whether or not there are anomalies at hand. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to play the game on a less beefy PC that only meets the minimum specs. One can’t help but feel that the minimalism of the design could have been paired with more stable performance under the hood.
Beyond that, though, I do think that it’s a good, albeit perhaps a tad short, experience that is worth recommending if you’re into anomaly-finding games. For the studio’s first game and for a game inspired by other titles, I like how the assets used don’t feel unoriginal and how much the atmosphere is built up without relying on cheap jump scares or the like.
While occasional performance issues break the immersion, Finnish Cottage 8 remains a standout for its grounded atmosphere, smart pacing, and refusal to rely on cheap horror tricks. It's a good albeit short entry into the anomaly hunting sub-genre of horror that doesn't overstay its welcome.
This post was originally written by Dan Dicere from Indiecator.
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