Queen Anne's Lace
Pennywhistle Studios · 2026 · Psychological Horror, Horror, Puzzle, Surreal, Hidden Object
PC
Mostly Positive78% · 18
This game is free to play. Get it on Steam →
Screenshots
About Queen Anne's Lace
PLAYABLE TEASER
This game is a playable teaser for our upcoming title, Fourth Time Around. If you find this game's world and aesthetic interesting, please consider clicking here to wishlist it on Steam!What could be so important to say – and requiring such careful consideration, no less – that one would hole themselves up, typing madly like ticker tape for days on end, yes? I should very much like to read another letter for myself, one of these days. Speaking of, I might soon fetch the mail again, yes.Inspired by surreal horror classics like Twin Peaks and The Shining, Queen Anne's Lace is a free to play hotel-themed anomaly horror game (a la The Exit 8, The Cabin Factory, and other genre classics) with a twist: you hide the anomalies for your guests to find.As the Night Auditor at the Queen Anne's Lace hotel, your job is to curate an experience for your guests that will keep them from ever checking out. Your subject in this short experience is Bill — over the hill, full of regret, and recently checked in to room 402. Hide anomalies around the 4th floor, and watch from the Showroom as he tries to find them.The game is a light horror - more unnerving & unsettling than outright scary - though there are a few jumpscares throughout.
FEATURES
- Draft your favorite of 3 anomalies each round, pulled from a pool of 15 unique total anomalies, and hide them from Bill
- Each anomaly relates to Bill's story - piece it together bit by bit as you play (ask your chat for help!)
- Play against an intelligent AI agent that searches the hotel in a believable way
- Learn the best hiding spots for your anomalies as you revisit the hotel
- Enjoy a fully original soundtrack, including the looping original title track, faithfully written and recorded in a retro 1960s style
- Secrets, easter eggs, and lore throughout
- Short & sweet (~20-30 minutes)
- Watch out for other Patrons
- No generative AI is used anywhere in this title
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
This game delivers a slow errie experience that really nails its atmosphere. The sound design and visuals do most of the storytelling, creating tension without holding your hand or overexplaining things. It's short but every moment feels intentional-unsettling in a good way, with smart but fun puzzles and a mysterious story beneath the surface. If you enjoy mood, atmospheric games then definitely try this game and give it a go.2 found this helpful
ok little thing, hide object, see if the computer can find it. maybe more stuff happens in the full game, no clue, this one's ok1 found this helpful
i keep trying to think of a smarter way to say this but i'm not bright enough. i think its really funny how so many indie devs "take inspiration" from Twin peaks/Lynch and that amounts to maze like tile patterns on floor, long high curtains, smoky jazz, and no other things ever. i think its extra funny how this game also "takes inspiration" from the shining/kubrick, which is showing someone going down on someone else on a hotel bed, and no other thing. i feel like these devs should try harder, maybe? just a thought from a dummy.
I think I can tell what the game is going for, but it fumbles both the mechanical and aesthetic execution. The visual language alludes to substance without achieving it. I hope the final product manages to deliver on the premise because right now it's just sort of an unconvincing Twin Peaks reference. It is remarkably unclear both what and why you are doing what you're doing. I managed to find a reliable hiding spot for small anomalies early on and then the AI started "guessing" and turning what appeared to be successes into failures with zero feedback as to *why* this happened (was it random chance? was I being punished for reusing the same hiding spot? I'll never know because the game has no interest in telling you, trading cryptic-looking visuals for actual mechanical substance). There is no clear pattern or observable language to how the AI 'searches' and what its priorities are. Watching the AI search is just a fast-moving 3d model spinning around the space. Why not slow it down? To illustrate: I once hid an anomaly behind one of the wall paintings in a way that appeared totally concealed. When I returned to watch the AI search, it found the anomaly instantly, insinuating t…
It's ok. Honestly was a little confusing. I get the overall premise of the game, but it's not "scary". No jump scares or anything like that. Just place the items and leave? Then hope the guy doesn't find it? i don't know. It's not my thing, but I can see it being for others. 5/10 on the pear scale.
An interesting concept that I will probably look into once the game is released. I mostly memorized the room to finish this teaser though.
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