Day One Logged T+
Hands or controllers? Input in HAUNTED on day one
Axe, bat, mirror, bare hands: where controller haptics carry the scare in HAUNTED, and where hand tracking gets you closer.
Status: Logged Type: review Phase: Day one Read: 4 min
Verdict: HAUNTED: Are You Alone? gives you the choice between hands and touch controllers, according to the store. Both routes take you through the same story and the same arcade modes. For combat and high-score chasing, controllers are the stronger choice, thanks to haptics. For the moments when you really grab something, hand tracking gets you closer. Our day-one recommendation: start the story with controllers, try hand tracking later.
What the game asks of you
In HAUNTED, your body is the real controller. According to the studio, you turn, lean forward, crouch, crawl, swing and grab. The input devices are only part of it.
Items in the story, by chapter:
| Section | In hand |
|---|---|
| Prologue to Chapter II | Axe |
| Chapter III | Baseball bat |
| Chapter IV | Revolver (right) and torch (left) |
| Chapter V | Pistol |
| Chapter VI | A mirror that reflects laser beams back |
| Chapter VII | Nothing |
| Finale | A lighter and your bare hands |
This list shows the problem with any input choice: the game constantly switches between hitting, aiming, holding and grabbing.
Where controllers win
Haptics. According to the studio, there’s strong haptics with every scare, every grab and every hit. That vibration runs through the controllers. When you swing the axe at an arm coming out of the wall, or hit the doll, that’s tangible feedback. With bare hands, it’s missing.
Aiming. In Chapters IV and V you shoot with a revolver and a pistol. Grave Rush and Skull Hunt are about precision and combos up to ×8. A controller sits steadily in your hand here.
Reloading. Grave Rush includes a reloading tutorial on your first run: flick your wrist or yank the rifle down and slam in a fresh magazine. With a controller, that’s a clear gesture.
Light. Controllers are less dependent on lighting than hand tracking. In a game that likes to work with darkness, that’s a plus. Important: the darkness is in the game. Your real room should still be lit.
Where hands win
Grabbing. In the finale, according to the studio, you grab the wrists of a three-metre-tall figure with your real hands. With hand tracking, that’s meant literally. We’ll skip the details; the finale is spoiler territory.
The mirror. In Chapter VI you hold a mirror and angle it so a beam is reflected back. It’s a calm, precise movement. Whether it feels more natural with hands or a controller is a matter of feel.
The secret codes. You draw codes on the real floor, with the tip of the right controller or with your right index finger. Drawing on the floor with your finger fits the game’s idea particularly well. We won’t reveal what shapes they are here.
No device in hand. When you crawl, you support yourself on your hands. In Chapter VII you go through a tunnel on your hands and knees. Without a controller, that’s more comfortable.
What’s missing
- No official guidance on which input the studio recommends. Both are listed equally in the store.
- No haptics without a controller. That’s a hardware limit, not the game’s.
- No details on left-handed mapping. All that’s documented: in Skull Hunt the torch is on the left, the revolver on the right.
Practical tips
- Switching is done via the Quest system. Put the controllers down and the Quest usually switches to hand tracking, provided it’s enabled in the settings.
- Light for hands. Hand tracking needs good, even lighting.
- Use the wrist straps. With controllers you swing hard. Without a strap, something can easily fly across the room in a scare.
What to watch next
In the week-one check-in we’ll see which input holds up over repeated arcade runs. Whether later updates change anything about the controls is open. There’s no announcement on that.
Buy, wait or skip?
Buy, whether you prefer controllers or hands, both routes are supported. There’s nothing to wait for here. Skip if the PEGI 18 warning applies to you. Store page: HAUNTED: Are You Alone?
Launch Score
8.8 out of 10, as the editors’ opinion. Two full input routes, a game design that uses your whole body, and moments that feel especially direct with hand tracking. A small deduction because haptics are missing without a controller and there are no details on left-handed mapping.