Maid of Sker doesn’t have terribly complex gameplay, but it’s a tightly-made game that succeeds in more than enough areas to make it worth checking out. The Sker hotel is haunting, filled with detail and character that makes it a joy to explore. The choral soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, befitting both the game’s plot and atmosphere. Horror fans have been absolutely spoiled with high quality games over the last few years, and genre fans would do well to add Maid of Sker to their list of must-plays.

Maid of Sker had a few jump scares here and there, but it was the tension and curiosity of the unknown that kept me invested in moving forward. After the first hour or so of my playthrough, it stopped being quite as scary, and had me hooked into the narrative, struggling to piece together what was real. Like the beautifully haunting siren’s song that persists throughout Maid of Sker, I was lulled into a trance, needing to see Thomas’s journey through to the end. There are few games that have captured my attention as much as Maid of Sker, and I think for any fan of the horror genre, especially those that love to explore, it would be an absolute disservice not to give this game a try if not for the story alone.

Maid of Sker proves an enjoyable survival horror to play in one breath, paying particular attention to the care with which the story was developed. The presence of two different finals also highlights the intent to take it a step further, although it concerns only one choice during the final beats of the game. The fans of the genre will certainly appreciate it. Make sure you give it a chance.

Maid of Sker is a very beautiful and interesting adventure with horror elements, which suffers from unkillable opponents and several strange design solutions. The sound and graphics create an incredible atmosphere that should please all fans of the genre.

Maid of Sker has a feel all its own to it. It's not a mind-blowing game, but everything seemed to go together very well by the time it ended. The game is actually one of few games this year that I would replay to experience again. It sort of chugs along at the beginning but once things start to unravel, it's hard to put down. The game has many files that were actually interesting to read - it seems strange to commend a game for its files, but too many other survival horrors have files that don't contribute much to the main plot and feel useless to read. If you're a fan of survival horror, definitely give Maid of Sker a try. It's one of the better survival horrors that I have played this year so far.

The story is the most important part of Maid of Sker, and it’s good. It doesn’t follow the original narrative word-for-word, but stays faithful to it. A good game for a Lovecraft fan. [Issue#248, p.41]

Maid of Sker proves there's more to Wales Interactive than many might realise. Their tense horror shines a new light on Welsh folklore while also delivering fantastic audio design and a few effective scares, though it's not without a lobby full of flaws.

Maid of Sker, despite its faults revolving mainly around AI, is a survival horror to be saluted.

Maid of Sker comes with all the features of a good survival-horror game, such as a well-designed eerie location, a great atmosphere, an engaging story, fearsome enemies, well-implemented 3D audio and the right amount of scares, but it does not try to break from the mold of the Resident Evil formula in any significant way. The lack of any real innovation may put off some, but if expectations are kept in check, Maid of Sker can provide a few hours of enjoyable horror fun.

Maid of Sker is a great addition to the survival horror genre and offers a wonderfully intimate and local threat that takes its influences from Welsh folktales. Eschewing the combat and weaponry of many entries into the genre, its gameplay loop of sneaking and hiding proves compelling and successfully manages to keep you feeling in danger at all times. When you add in some excellent sound design and atmosphere you have a Victorian horror that deserves a rousing reception. There may not be a welcome in these valleys but this is one vacation that genre fans should have no reservations about taking.

A good horror movie for fans of the genre.

A walking simulation song of cosmic horror at first, Maid of Sker has a story that loves to mix EA Poe and HP Lovecraft styles, a place with its own persona, and a great first part where the darkness and sounds effects keeps you in tension. It is a shame that the stealth mechanic and checkpoint system ruins the potential of a game where the bad guys don’t look scary at all.

Maid of Sker ends up excelling in its atmosphere, as it absolutely nails the feeling of tension during the more competent stealth sections. While it doesn’t move the genre in any direction, this is a horror experience that will make for a fun evening for genre lovers, but it might lose you with its narrative.

Maid of Sker was at its best when I was navigating dark corridors unsure of what awaits me around the corner, while unsettling noises of the dreary hotel literally gave me goosebumps. Unfortunately, skillfully built atmosphere evaporated immediately whenever I met one of bland enemies and had to engage in a lame game of cat and mouse that quickly becomes a chore. [10/2020, p.72]

Maid of Sker is a competent horror adventure where the player explores a well-designed 19th-century hotel. But its clumsy stealth, forgettable puzzles, and lukewarm scares prevent it from hitting the high notes.

Ultimately, though, the derivative puzzling and repetitive grid of traversing Sker House at an absolutely snail's pace makes Maid of Sker more like a crawling simulation than a game that truly makes our skin crawl. [Issue#349, p.104]

Maid of Sker has very strong visuals and the hotel itself is well designed. But everything else, from its gameplay systems to its progression and foes, is so weak and ill-considered that I can't imagine most people enjoying what little it has to offer.