Welcome to Kowloon ► https://store.steampowered.com/app/2515240/Welcome_to_Kowloon/
Welcome to Kowloon is a horror game supposedly about Kowloon the Walled City but really it’s more about walking up and down dark hallways until the unlocked door opens and allows you to progress. It’s got a killer flashlight, though…!
Twitch ► https://www.twitch.tv/johnwolfe
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37 Comments
Last 20 horror games that you played all look the same.
Wild how that one level from CoDBO is better than a modern dedicated game.
Been a fan for…I don't know how many years. I found you via your "Jeff the Killer Games" video review and stayed since, so quite a while. When you mention obscure games, even then something's stuck out to me so I can at least vaguely remember the playthrough. When you said "From the Darkness," I literally had to go look the game up on Steam to get vague memories of what it was even ABOUT, let alone that you played it.
I believe you said it yourself in another one of these snoozefests; the most insulting thing a game like this can do is just. Be boring. And From the Darkness and this are just two of those games. I'm not going to remember this at all if you mention it offhandedly in the future. And I agree with the take that the worst thing it can do is be boring; if it's going to be bad, it should at least be memorably bad like Beast Inside or "Conjuring House" (name changed).
That said, I had a long period of time in my life where I couldn't be around horror media without getting terrible nightmares. You've really helped me re-appreciate the nuance and passion that goes into horror, and although I can still openly admit to getting jumpscared (even if they're not great) or just being creeped out, I absolutely love horror media again, and I'm nightmare-free. I contribute that a lot in part to how you break things down per game, and your approach to constructive criticism/critical thinking has me thinking about the media I consume in a really refreshing new light. I love this approach of concrit while still being able to enjoy dumb things. And thank you for giving me back a love of horror.
So tl;dr, thanks for being a cool dude with cool content! No matter how it changes, I'll be here watching.
Kowloon is Hong Kong NOT China
Imagine purposefully setting your game in one of the most densely populated areas in the world…. but you don't bother to actually put people into that world. Such a waste of an interesting concept
they un-added people to save on memory and to try and make it more creepy probably.
I actually just watched this German documentary from 1988 about the Kowloon walled city. It's very interesting. Anyway, in the docu there is at least 1 dog shown and mentioned about. The dog guards the home breed penguins that are kept on the roof. That dog looks about the same. And yes, the devs did absolute get the city right. Even the cables surprisingly.
The only thing I can think right now is “You let the poor doggo there?! Bad game!”
30:00 I checked and your right John. the area is a reused asset on the Unity Asset Store front titled: KOWLOON WALLED CITY.
"horror" "game"
Why don't you design your own horror game? I'm not joking.
so no ones gonna mention how John left the doggy behind ? 🙁
The Kowloon Walled City was a densely populated and largely ungoverned enclave of China within the boundaries of Kowloon City, British Hong Kong.
Built as an Imperial Chinese military fort, the walled city became a de jure enclave after the New Territories were leased to the United Kingdom in 1898. Its population increased dramatically after the end of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II, attracting mostly refugees fleeing the renewed Chinese Civil War.
By the late 1980s, the walled city contained roughly 35,000 residents[1] within its territory of 2.6 hectares (6.4 acres; 26,000 m2). From the 1950s to the 1970s, it was controlled by local triads and had high rates of prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse.[2]
In January 1987, the Hong Kong government announced plans to demolish the walled city. After an arduous eviction process, and the transfer of de jure sovereignty of the enclave from China to Britain, demolition began in March 1993 and was completed in April 1994.[3]
Kowloon Walled City Park opened in December 1995 and occupies the area of the former walled city. Some historical artifacts from the walled city, including its yamen building and remnants of its southern gate, have been preserved there.
John moves through the apartments and what he discovers next is….downright….chilling.
This whole thing is obviously made by white (American) creators who did no research about the place. KWC wasn’t a “city in China”; it was a sector in the area of Kowloon within the city of Hong Kong, at the time a British colony. The interior decor was very western: the shelves, the doors, the windows, the fridge contents and the kitchens (have you SEEN Chinese kitchens?), the wall pictures (where are the Chinese calendars?!), even the toilets. And the random English books in someone else’s apartment? When barely anyone who lived there at the time knew a lick of English? And the car at the end; barely anyone owned cars in HK, especially if you’re poor enough to live there. And Hong Kong has driver’s seat on the right, because again, British colony (and still is on the right today). Good initial idea, poorly executed and unoriginal game. Enjoy your work, John!
I have watched your channel since granny the mobile game… i have never commented but I had something to say… the game overused jump scares and short buildup that led to poofing LITERALLY so anticlimactic i think games like these are for people who get scared easily and/or has never touched an indie horror game in their life BUT the flashlight was the best ill admit that
Babe, wake up! Diet Markiplier uploaded over 3 weeks ago!
I’m here for Snark Wolfe
People saying doggo is kinda cringe.
John, are you gonna play chilla's art newest horror game, Parasocial? Please do! I wanna watch you play it!🎉
man it's been a long time since i watched you. you changed ya name and all.. i think it was critical something? i forgot but man you're almost at 1m subs. wow my guy
ah yes.. louds noise spooopy very spooopy loud noise bad game
I'm here exactly because you're that stick in the mud lol. I hate youtubers who scream and overreact to jumpscares (nothing personal, the screaming just gets on my autistic nerves) but I love a calm and collected horror let's play, and your sense of humor about it is just great.
Been to Kowloon several times. Good times there. Plenty of something else there. It was really great before British gave it back. After it was still alright good old red lips bar.
This man just out here playing games and shitting on the developers all day like a dirt mound bully. 🙁
Anyone looking for a alternative horror YouTuber check out cjugames
But John, these devs don't HAVE to make a good game. As long as they give every horror game youtuber a free copy and they make a video, they will always make their money back just by advertising alone. Youtubers are so hungry for content to make that they will play anything, so there's no requirement for a dev to make a good game
One game where the concepts of the densely overpopulated city and desolation/anxiety of feeling trapped and alone in concrete slums come together super well without clashing: Observer. I'll never forget the whole section in the basement.
These devs get the aesthetics mostly right, even if I liked From The Darkness a bit more in that regard, but really don't seem to grasp what makes a location unique to a game. Kowloon has such an interesting history, at least the game made me want to find out more lol
The only good thing about this game is the flashlight thats it.
what a waste of a cool and tragic setting. :/
HOW does your hair grow so fast. Theres no way you grew that in two years. No fuggin way
Ima need you to divulge your secrets, sir.
I'm upset the dog was left behind 😅
Having done a little bit of research into the real life Kowloon, I feel like there was potential for a MUCH scarier game here. Oh well
You shouldnt piss on hospitality, John 🤨
i really appreciate that you always give your honest opinion on the games without being disrespectful towards the developers, and give advice on what was done good and what they could work on. thanks !
1. I love how the dog was his main goal at the beginning. I appreciate that a lot.
2. The loud sound around 14 minutes was awful, i had earbuds on and it felt like it broke my eardrums. All the other jumpscares were annoying af, physical pain. I was so angry.
3. I absolutely love the flashlight review. It's not often that you please John with a good flashlight.
4. I really wanted to stop watching cuz the game was bad, but I stayed for John. I'm here to watch and listen to him mostly hehe.
What's funny is ShadowRun: HongKong made Kowloon feel oppressively spooky and dreadful. It wasn't even a horror game.