The Séance of Blake Manor

The Séance of Blake Manor is a first-person puzzle game developed by the Spooky Doorway and published by Raw Fury. It was released for Linux and Windows on October 27, 2025. Ports for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are set to release on the first anniversary of the game on October 27, 2026.

Plot

Set in a remote part of Connacht, Ireland in 1897, private investigator Declan Ward is hired by an anonymous client to investigate the disappearance of Evelyn Deane at Blake Manor. Ward has only two days to solve the mystery, as a séance—scheduled to take place at the manor—threatens to cause further disappearances.

Gameplay

The player controls Ward from a first-person perspective. The primary objective is to solve the mystery by exploring the manor and interrogating its guests. A key gameplay element involves time management, as each action consumes a specific amount of in-game time. Furthermore, certain events occur in predetermined locations at fixed times and characters follow individual schedules that determine their whereabouts throughout the day. The art style follows a comic book aesthetic, while the setting draws inspiration from Irish mythology and the spiritualist movements of the Victorian era.

Development

The game was developed by Irish independent studio Spooky Doorway and published by Raw Fury.

During development, it was referred to as Eldritch House on their official discord server where they shared art progress for the game. Following the official announcement, the name of this channel was renamed to reflect the game's current title. A promotional trailer released under the original name has since been removed from YouTube.

Reception

The Séance of Blake Manor received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic. Aggregator OpenCritic determined that 95% of critics recommended the game.

Critics drew favorable comparisons to Blue Prince and praised several aspects of the gameplay, particularly the time-management mechanic. Writing for GamesRadar+, Oscar Taylor-Kent stated that "it really makes the investigation feel tangible".

The game's writing also received widespread acclaim. Giovanni Colantonio of Polygon described it as "exceptional writing that really makes the mystery work", while Kerry Brunskill of PC Gamer commended the diverse cast of the characters.