89 on Metacritic and a Clock That Ticks With Every Clue: The Séance of Blake Manor Launches on PS5 and Xbox Game Pass
Exactly one year after its acclaimed debut on PC, The Séance of Blake Manor is officially opening its doors to console players. Developed by Galway-based independent studio Spooky Doorway (best known for the cult pixel-art mystery series The Darkside Detective) and published by Raw Fury, this first-person supernatural detective adventure launches today, October 27, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Both the official Xbox and PlayStation channels released the console launch trailer simultaneously to mark its arrival just four days before Halloween.
Connemara, October 29, 1897: Forty-Eight Hours Before the Grand Séance
Set in the rugged wilderness of Connemara in western Ireland on October 29, 1897, The Séance of Blake Manor casts players as private investigator Declan Ward. Summoned to a remote country hotel to investigate the sudden disappearance of a young woman named Evelyn Deane, Ward arrives to find the manor's proprietor and staff carrying on as though nothing is amiss, even though every clue in her quarters confirms she never left the grounds.
Ward soon uncovers what brought the hotel's eccentric clientele together: the Grand Séance, an international gathering of mediums, occultists, and spiritualists timed to coincide with Samhain. Rooted in Irish folklore and Victorian spiritualism, the ceremony aims to pierce the veil between the living and the dead on the one night of the year when that barrier is at its thinnest.
A Ticking-Clock Investigation Where Every Action Costs Time
Trading their familiar 2D pixel art for a first-person perspective rendered in striking comic-book linework and backed by a 32-track orchestral score, the team at Spooky Doorway built the investigation around real-time scheduling and deduction:
- Every action advances the clock: questioning a guest about a specific piece of evidence, searching a locked desk, or solving an environmental puzzle pushes the manor's clock forward minute by minute.
- Suspects follow independent schedules: every mystic and staff member moves through the estate on a strict timetable. Being in the right hallway at the right hour lets you overhear hushed conversations or slip into an unguarded bedroom.
- Declan Ward's deduction journal: clues, motives, and alibis are logged directly in Ward's notebook, allowing you to confront suspects with hard contradictions before the ritual begins.
Day-One Console Launch on Xbox Game Pass and PS5 Pricing
Arriving on consoles with an 89 Metacritic score and more than 3,860 positive user reviews on Steam, The Séance of Blake Manor is immediately accessible to subscribers. As highlighted in the Xbox Game Pass October 2026 Wave 2 lineup, the game is available today via Xbox Game Pass on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC.
Its launch rounds out a strong late-October horror and mystery slate for Microsoft's subscription service, landing just two days ahead of Mouthwashing joining Xbox Game Pass on October 29. For players purchasing it outright on the PS5 PlayStation Store or the Xbox Store, the standard edition is priced at $19.99, while the Steam version is currently celebrating its first anniversary with a 30% discount down to $13.99.
My Perspective
There is no better week on the calendar to lock yourself inside a rain-lashed Irish manor than the final days of October. Having loved the sharp wit of The Darkside Detective, I was eager to see how a full first-person gothic mystery would feel with a controller in hand from the couch. Most detective games let you leisurely ransack every drawer in the building without consequence, so having the pocket watch tick forward with every single question adds a delicious layer of tension. Deciding whether to press a shifty spiritualist in the parlor right now or sneak upstairs to search their luggage while they are at dinner makes every hour feel precious, and its graphic-novel art style makes it an effortless Halloween recommendation on Game Pass.
Based on the outskirts of New York City, Chaya 'Chayane' spent five years studying software engineering in Montreal before returning to her home state. A Full-Stack developer and Deep Learning AI architecture researcher, she explores neural networks and algorithmic optimization while engineering data pipelines for Retrocharting and Gamescharting alongside Grimtag. A gamer for over 20 years and an avid collector of Nintendo history and The Legend of Zelda, she explored World of Warcraft's Azeroth before bringing her deep technical background to video game analysis.
