Haunted ROM: The Lost Cartridge
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About Haunted ROM: The Lost Cartridge
Haunted ROM: The Lost Cartridge is a meta-RPG that strings together 10 standalone horror games, each built in a different retro style. Crit42 Studio’s 2025 PC exclusive drops you into a decaying digital archive where each level feels like unearthing a cursed floppy disk. The genres shift wildly, think pixel-art survival horror one minute, 16-bit turn-based strategy the next. Play solo or with up to three friends to piece together a fractured story about a corrupted game file and the entity warping it. It’s less about a cohesive experience and more about the thrill of jumping between eras and mechanics.
Gameplay
Each of the 10 games here is its own mini-challenge, with mechanics that clash but somehow fit the overarching theme. Early levels might have you dodging ghosts in a side-scrolling platformer, while later ones force you into menu-based stat grinding like a classic RPG. Multiplayer adds chaos, one person might be tanking damage in an arena brawler while another solves a puzzle in a first-person exploration segment. Progression feels earned through trial and error, as you unlock story fragments and new tools to tackle increasingly bizarre mechanics. The constant shifts in control schemes and objectives keep the pace frenetic, but also disjointed.
What Players Think
Haunted ROM holds a 4.3/5 on Steam (based on 8,200 reviews) and 82 on Metacritic. Average playtime is 18 hours, with 67% of players completing all 10 games. Community moods skew eerie (45%), tense (38%), and nostalgic (19%). Fans praise its “genre-surfing creativity” (PC Gamer) and “haunting atmosphere,” but critics note “jarring pacing shifts” (GameSpot). Achievement completion sits at 27% average, with 120+ total, including hidden easter eggs for retro gaming trivia. The multiplayer mode, while fun, has a 14% drop-off rate for solo players who find it too reliant on group coordination.
PlayPile's Take
Haunted ROM is a love letter to retro gaming, best for players who thrive on variety and don’t mind rough edges. At $29.99, it’s a mid-tier buy, but the fragmented design might frustrate those seeking depth. The $200+ in achievements makes it a grind for completionists, though the 67% completion rate shows many don’t finish. It’s a chaotic but charming pick for horror fans with a soft spot for 80s/90s game aesthetics. Just don’t expect a polished narrative, this is about the ride, not the destination.
Game Modes
Single player, Multiplayer
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