# 🏚️ Behind the Doors of *Houses: Hidden Spirits* – The Sanity Mechanic 😱

Source: Dev.to

Overview

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like if your own house didn’t feel safe anymore?
That’s exactly what I’m building in my game, Houses: Hidden Spirits — a psychological horror game for kids, where the creepiness comes from what you think you see.

🛏️ Sleeping is Safe… Sometimes

In the game:

• Sleeping restores your sanity

Sanity slowly drops when you:

• Stand in dark corners
• Stare too long at rooms
• Read the mysterious diary entries

Low sanity causes:

• Hallways stretching or shifting slightly
• Doors opening or closing by themselves
• Subtle whispers and quiet sounds

Even when nothing is moving, something feels… wrong.

👁️ The Main Spirit

• Appears only at the edge of your vision
• Has no eyes, just a wide, forced grin
• Never attacks, never chases
• Just watches

Sometimes you think it’s there… sometimes you think you’re imagining it. That’s the point.

📖 The Diary

• Early entries seem normal
• Later entries change or disappear
• It talks directly to the player, questioning what’s real

The diary is both your guide and your tormentor.

🎮 Why It’s Different

Houses: Hidden Spirits is:

• Kid‑friendly
• Creepy without gore
• Psychological — fear comes from suspense and uncertainty

The house is alive, but it’s not trying to hurt you… only to be noticed.

💡 Stay tuned for the next post — I’ll reveal a hidden event that happens when your sanity is very low.