“Rehaunted”: scary haunted house, detective psycho-horror probes paranormal events with UV light, magnifier, camera [Play Report]

On September 15, 2026, *Rehaunted*, developed by Cauchemar, was released for PC (Steam).

This game is a realistic first-person psychological horror adventure. Players take on the role of Detective Connor Raines, investigating the scenes of gruesome murders to find clues and uncover the disturbing truth behind the events.

Using authentic investigative tools—such as a UV light, camera, magnifying glass, walkie-talkie, and evidence board—players uncover evidence and piece together the facts. The game is characterized by gameplay centered on deduction and investigation, going beyond simple horror.

That said, as you investigate the crime scenes, paranormal phenomena occur frequently, and an invisible “threat” attacks the player.

Combined with realistic and detailed graphics and sound, the game’s exceptional horror presentation is genuinely terrifying, striking the perfect balance between a mystery investigation and a horror game.

In this article, we present a playthrough report on *Rehaunted*.

◆ Controls, Supported Languages, Options, etc.

First, let’s look at the various options. This game supports both keyboard & mouse and controller inputs. I played through the entire game using a Steam controller and encountered no issues with gameplay itself.

That said, movement felt sluggish, which was somewhat frustrating. I also noticed lag in switching between actions and slow response times, and I found the overall design to be less than comfortable.

The game supports multiple languages, including Japanese. However, the quality of the translation is currently poor; there was a lack of consistency in how characters spoke, and some Japanese phrases didn’t make sense, which made it difficult to follow the story smoothly—a real shame. Since the game itself isn’t bad, I feel this is a huge waste.

In addition, you can fine-tune various settings, such as graphics and audio.

◆ Use your tools to investigate the crime scene. The frequent “anomalous phenomena” are terrifying.

The main game begins. First, you’re shown a view of the crime scene, where several police vehicles are parked, creating a tense atmosphere.

Your mission is to control the protagonist, Detective Connor Raines, and uncover the truth behind a woman’s murder. You’ll find evidence at the scene, piece it together, and follow every lead.

A variety of investigative tools are essential to solving this case. For example, the “flashlight” is a basic item that illuminates the darkness and reveals hidden evidence.

The flashlight can also be switched to “UV light (ultraviolet).” UV light is an extremely important feature that can reveal clues, evidence, traces, and secrets hidden in the surrounding environment.

For instance, when you casually shine the light on the floor, you discover traces of footprints. Following them leads you to…

...they led all the way to a room on the second floor with a large vanity mirror. When you examine this mirror, a sudden incident occurs—the glass shatters into pieces...! Although this is an unusual phenomenon, it also serves as a piece of evidence.

Next up is the “magnifying glass.” With this tool, you can zoom in on objects and phenomena invisible to the naked eye. It helps you analyze in detail the traces and hidden messages you discovered earlier with the UV light. However…

It doesn’t just reveal ordinary evidence—sometimes it also captures a terrifying “something” that’s clearly not human. So while this investigation tool seems useful at first glance, depending on the situation, it can bring unexpected terror to the player.

The most important item among the tools is this “SLR camera.” If you photograph the clues and hints you discover with the magnifying glass, they can become powerful physical evidence for solving the case.

The camera is also effective against paranormal phenomena. If you confirm the presence of a “monstrosity” through the lens and take a photo, it materializes, allowing you to temporarily drive it away by using the flash.

Finally, you can review the evidence you’ve collected on the “Investigation Board.” Examining specific pieces of evidence allows you to gain new insight into Connor’s thoughts and understand why they’re important.

By the way, you can instantly select each tool from the tag wheel using the LB button.

Now, let’s begin the investigation in earnest. The crime scene—a private residence—is a spacious two-story house. We’ll start by searching the first floor; thanks to the high-quality, realistic graphics, the first-person perspective offers a deep sense of immersion while maintaining an incredibly eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

On top of that, the ambient sounds—like the rattling of doors being knocked on here and there and the creaking of the hallway floorboards—sound like poltergeist activity and are incredibly terrifying. That only served to heighten the fear even further.

Upon entering a certain room, I discovered a piece of paper on a shelf with “583-3512” written on it. Something clicked, so I returned to the first floor and dialed the number—it connected me to the florist who had delivered flowers to the victim, Ashley.

According to the florist, the order wasn’t placed by Ashley herself, but by an unidentified man.

Also, a flyer found in the kitchen had a repair service’s number on it. When I called that number, a man named Jason—Ashley’s roommate—apparently asked them to seal “a small crack in the wall.”

In this way, we uncover facts one after another and begin to connect the dots.

The investigation seemed to be going smoothly, but just as we obtained the “affair photos” that would get to the heart of this case, something completely unexpected happened…

I heard a noise in the corner of the room, so I peered through a magnifying glass—and a monstrous figure that looked like a woman, but clearly wasn’t human, appeared…!!

With her abnormally long limbs and height, blood-soaked face, and unfocused eyes, the visceral revulsion was so intense that my gut instinct immediately told me, “This thing is dangerous.”

What’s more, this monster appears out of nowhere—popping up suddenly in the hallway or bursting out of rooms. You’re constantly anxious about where it might be, which gradually chips away at your SAN.

What terrified me the most was when I reached the second-floor hallway: just as I thought I saw a woman’s face “pop” out from behind a door, a monstrous creature with a neck as long as a yokai’s appeared. A shiver ran down my spine at that evil sight.

If you leave it alone, it will attack you, so as mentioned earlier, you use the camera’s flash to fend it off. The camera really is a versatile item.

However, there are instances where you’ll be instantly killed—if she catches you, you’ll become her prey. You might also be suddenly attacked from behind; the feeling is similar to that of “Lisa,” the ghost from *P.T.*

You’re guaranteed to be absolutely terrified when you see its face up close.

What is the true identity of this eerie ghost, and will the truth behind the incident ever be revealed? I hope you’ll play the game to find out for yourself.

With a playtime of about 2–3 hours, this game offers a relatively casual experience. It’s not just another run-of-the-mill walking simulator; it skillfully blends a detective segment where you investigate the circumstances of the incident with *P.T.*-style immersive first-person horror sequences, making it a solid horror game overall.

However, there are areas where the gameplay could use improvement—such as clunky controls, poor translation quality, and the “notepad” tool that didn’t function very well—but exploring the haunted house with its realistic graphics offers an incredibly immersive experience. Why not go meet “her” for yourself?

*Rehaunted* is currently available on PC (Steam) at a 10% discount—945 yen—until September 29.