Paper Cut Mansion Review (PS5)

Paper Cut Mansion is a procedurally generated rogue-lite horror, set within a mansion made entirely of cardboard. You take on the role of police detective Toby, in search of clues to explain the strange goings on and how he came to be in this paper-craft property. You will explore the mansion floor by floor, with the aim being to unlock the trapdoor down to the next level and ultimately unravel this great mystery by collecting clues along the way.

What makes Paper Cut Mansion stand out from other rogue-lites is its various dimensions (Neo Cortex dimension, puzzle based; Reptilian dimension, combat based; Limbic System dimension, survival based) which you can jump between using portals throughout your adventure. The entire game revolves around juggling your time between these different dimensions, jumping in and out of each realm to collect items, inspect furniture, kill enemies, and decipher puzzle solutions. Your survival in these dimensions is tied to three separate bars. When damage is taken in a realm the bar will increase, and should one of these reach the max you will die and must restart from the very first floor with nothing but a few permanent unlocks to aid you.

We played several runs and found that the puzzles, rooms, and enemies were getting very repetitive very quickly. For example, the same number-and-shape decipher puzzle appeared in every run we played. There just isn’t enough variety to warrant the game being procedurally generated. What also lets the game down is the slow progression for unlocks. Although new perks, weapons, and armour can be found by inspecting furniture and completing side quests, the rates at which they appear are so low.

Paper Cut Mansion offers some interesting dimension-hopping gameplay, enjoyable puzzles, and unique cardboard visuals that make it standout from similar titles in the genre. However, it’s ultimately let down by its slow pacing and repetition of content.