History VideoGame / HomeSafetyHotline

** We're never told or shown what happens when Whistling Fungi begin "singing" in unison, other than the fact that the occupant must abandon the house ''immediately''. If you fail to provide Carla the right information for her Whistling Fungus infestation, all you'll hear from her callback the next day is [[SoundOnlyDeath indiscernible screaming along with ominous whistling sounds]].

--> ''"The person trying to reach you cannot connect to this earthly plane. Please try again later."''

** On the demo, your third call of the first day, Gary screams that there's something that's in his bedroom, and that something kills him as the call ends. This foreshadows exactly what kind of creatures you will get entries on during your second day.
** A lot of the entries have [[BlueAndOrangeMorality very odd]] attitudes towards the hazards, like dismissing the mind-destroying memory wisps as harmless or putting the death of animals and children on the same level. A majority of the more fae-like entities also have entries that don't give solutions that would destroy or drive away the offending entity, usually leaning to pacify them or let them be. [[spoiler:Almost like whoever's writing it isn't human.]]
** The first day deals with mundane pests and hazards, but even here there's a few hints of something strange, like the all-caps demand to ''never'' kill a mole [[spoiler:(which fits in with fairy rules)]] and the odd reference to mice as "worthless" [[spoiler:,because that's what failed employees are turned into]].

** The Home Safety Hotline's [[spoiler: corporate logo is a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_knot Celtic knot]] ]].

** The game ends on the second day with Carol saying your trial has ended.

* PoliceAreUseless: Several callers with far more serious issues note that they have tried talking to the Police to investigate, only for them to give them the number for the Hotline instead without doing any investigation whatsoever. Even when [[spoiler: a child is snatched up by a Flase Rose Bush]] the most that happens is an automated message is sent out and no mention of the police doing anything is made evident. [[spoiler: It's implied HSH is working with them on some level so they can deal with the more supernatural reports, in turn, they seem to conveniently ignore the likely missing persons reports and "Smart Mice."]]

** False Rose Bushes are goofy mimic plants with a pair of little wooden feet in place of where their stem would be. They make a whimsical chirping and squeaking noise when passive and get around by running on their skinny legs, which would be silly if not for the fact that they’re ambush predators. These things will stand still near a home and wait for any children or pets passing by, and once they know they have an opening they’ll promptly bolt from their spot in pursuit of their prey and eat them alive before escaping the area. One such specimen is a implied to be the culprit behind a missing child alert sent out across multiple counties, where the only eyewitness report could describe it as a person wearing a bush who 'abducted' a little boy, which goes to show how fast and relentless they can be with even someone around to witness them catching a kid right in full view of presumably their parent.

** Hobbs are household goblins that help keep the places they inhabit clean and organized, expecting to be compensated with food. They do so regardless of whether the owner wants them in or not. Failure to placate them leads to their monstrous transformation.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Being touched by a vengeful Spriggan manifests a tree sapling inside the victim that will gradually yet surely sprout into a full fledged tree over the course of a day, and judging from what Patrice describes in her shed when calling about her missing son, leaves nothing but a bloodied and cloth tattered mess of a tree in their victims place instead of any identifying remains. Going by Howards return call, if you fail to advise him on how to avoid Spriggans, the process is also ''incredibly'' painful, with him describing feeling something moving inside of him and dying mid-scream as the tree sprouts and tears his head apart.

** The fate of those who find and eat a False Beet, a parasitic creature that will latch onto the innards of its victim to leech their nutrients until they're dead. The data entry confirms there's absolutely no way to remove the creature without killing the host. [[spoiler:Ash will call in for advice over an incredibly painful stomach bug he's been having that's making him sick, with all symptoms and past history confirming he now has one. Sending him the correct information will do basically nothing but improve your work accuracy score, while sending the incorrect information lets you listen to his panicked realization that he'll be eating for two for the rest of his life]].
** Those touched by a [[GaiasVengeance Spriggan]], a creature of punishment who targets those who seemingly disrespect nature, will have a Sprig Tree rapidly sprout from their bodies and kill them once it reaches a certain size. HSH's listed "Solution" is to quarantine the tree and arrange funeral services for the afflicted. [[spoiler:Patrice calls without realizing that the tree in her shed is most likely her son. As she intends to take matters into her own hands, it's implied she has become the Spriggan's next target. Howard, if you didn't give him the right advice, calls back to let you know the Spriggan stalking him has touched him before exploding into a tree over the call]].

* DontLookAtMe: Boggarts do not enjoy being seen, and while these 7-foot tall and very hairy humanoids are excellent at hiding most of the time, actually managing to find one will cause them to aggressively lash out. Gary, if given the wrong advice, will make this mistake and will be cornered and starred down in his bedroom until the thing finally reaches out to brutalize him.

* DoWellButNotPerfect: You will miss a lot of content in this horror game if you get all the answers totally correct, as callers will only respond if you give incorrect identifications. To get the most entertaining route therefore requires intentionally failing a few answers (you won't be penalized unless you get too many answers wrong); that is, if you're okay with some of the callers suffering a gruesome fate.

** The False Artifacts will eat their prey wholly, trapping them inside their electronic body for many, many years for slow digestion and a solitary death, although for better or worse it's been said that victims typically die of starvation first. Their size means that they can only prey on small animals and children, and case in point its data entry image depicts a vintage television that's powered on with no power source and child-sized hands pressed against the screen from within.
** False Rose Bushes, somehow, will swallow their prey whole once they're within reach, seizing them in a flash and bolting from their ambush spot once they've had their meal. Given their size, they pose minimal risk to adults and large animals, but children and pets can easily be swept away by these bushes, never to be seen again.

** The Portal is implied to lead somewhere that's definitely not of this world, and should you let Patty fall for her urge to go inside it unimpeded, the next time she tries to call you over the phone will fail to connect. Why she would feel the need to try and call you again can only be left to imagination.

* EstablishingSeriesMoment: On day 1, among a bunch of regular pest and treatable disease problems is a call with Hank, who has a simple mole problem in his yard that you can diagnose over the phone. Even if you provide the correct care package, you’ll likely have noticed the rather odd fact about moles provided to you about their relations with 'the ones beneath the soil' and a stern warning about killing moles that sounds less like general advice and more like a grave warning. Should you ''fail'' to tell Hank the correct instructions, he’ll angrily call back the next day about your bad advice and rather ominously begin to calm down then hang up after claiming all the moles outside are staring and beckoning him to enter their tunnels as punishment for his insolence, showing you that this job will have consequences much more dire than annoyed clients and simple vermin if you keep messing up.

* FaceStealer: Mirror Nymphs steal the likenesses of homeowners and passersby by beckoning them to look into their mirrors, the victims of which become unable to recognize their own faces. Victims can fortunately restore their faces by using an [[ColdIron iron tool]] to break the Mirror Nymph's mirror. [[spoiler:One caller who fell victim to a Mirror Nymph has their face heavily blurred out]].

** The first day deals with mundane pests and hazards, but even here there's a few hints of something strange, like the all-caps demand to ''never'' kill a mole [[spoiler: which fits in with fairy rules]] and the odd reference to mice as "worthless" [[spoiler: because that's what failed employees are turned into]].
** Getting 100% accuracy on Wednesday will give a daily coupon for a Silver Medallion that comes free with an iron chain, purported to give you safety when worn. [[spoiler:SilverHasMysticPowers and ColdIron is one of the weaknesses of TheFairFolk]].

* GlamourFailure: [[spoiler: In her final call to you before the riddles, carol has glowing and inhuman eyes.]]

* HouseFey: The Hobbs are this, mostly just cleaning the house at night, but not for free. They expect food from the homeowners in return for their work. Unlike many examples, if you disrespect them, they won't leave - they'll metamorphose...

** Starting on Wednesday, the hazard information database will go offline during some calls, requiring the player to rely on their memorization of the database entries to assist callers. This only happens for a few set callers in each day, and the database will come back online when the next call comes in.

** Ironically, various Hobbs will metamorphosis if the homeowner ignores the helpful activity and thus become a Boggart, a giant, malicious being that sulks in the shadows of basements causing all manner of detrimental effects such as flooding, power outages and nighttime stalking against the homeowner. Actually seeking one out and succeeding means enraging the thing and dying a violent death, but leaving the house and ''never'' speaking of it or acknowledging its presence means the owner can evade the Boggart and live somewhere, otherwise they'll be able to track you down all over again.
** False Flowers are skinny humanoid flower-mimics that will move into a home and disguise themselves as regular flowers, singing at night and creeping the heck out of the homeowners. In spite of how obviously wrong they may be compared to actual plants, the advised method to deal with them is to simply pretend they don't exist and just keeping watering and tending to them while purposefully ignoring any suspicious signs or noises coming from them. Otherwise, they'll become agitated and spray a blinding and burning poison all over the offenders face.
** Wood Secretions manifest from mistreated wood and furniture inside a home, with said secretions capable of paralyzing anything that consumes it into petrified, immobile and wooden husks as payback for the torment furniture suffered. The advised method of dealing with this phenomenon is to simply replace the vengeful wood and take care not to bang on or insult the furniture in your home.
** Kobolds are entities that will nest inside a home, generally avoiding contact with the homeowner but occasionally trying to bait them into their nest inside a closet by poking its dog-like head out and whimpering to draw compassionate or confused people in. It goes without saying that one should not fall for this, remain calm and simply call the HSH to remove the creature.

** Later, if you failed to provide correct answers to both, a return call from an elderly woman named Felicia obviously suffering from sleep deprivation due to a Night Gnome (a somewhat creepy yet passive creature that amuses itself by watching you sleep and nothing else) she's trying to avoid while spitefully calling it a 'little creep' and another return call soon after treating you to the loud and grief struck cries of May as she finds out what the [[EatenAlive False]] [[AndIMustScream Artifact]] did to her only son over the phone.

* MultipleEndings: There are two endings in the game: [[spoiler: you become part of nature if you pass the riddles or turned into a mouse if you get a lot of the answers wrong (even if you get as far as the riddles and get those wrong as well).]]

** A large part of the game's horror derives from how stingy it is with information about the threats you're dealing with. For example, while the Home Safety Hotline's database ''does'' warn customers to never kill moles for fear of provoking 'the Ones Below', it does not see fit to tell you what the Ones Below are, or what will happen if they're provoked. Failing to provide accurate information will treat you to a SoundOnlyDeath where it's often unclear what exactly is happening to the caller.
** We're never told or shown what happens when Whistling Fungi begin "singing" in unison, other than the fact that the occupant must abandon the house immediately. If you fail to provide Carla the right information for her Whistling Fungus infestation, all you'll hear from her callback the next day is [[SoundOnlyDeath indiscernible screaming along with ominous whistling sounds]].
* OnlySaneMan: Out of all the customers that don't outright complain at you regardless if it's your first call or got the answer wrong, Grace, Wanda, Kyle and Edward aren't mad at you.

--->"Well, I got good news and bad news. Bad news is, the info you sent wasn't any help at all, so uh... Thanks for that. Good news is I found Goblin! [[spoiler:She freakin' came crawling out of that hole with [[{{Unicorn}} a big bump on her head]] [[PuppeteerParasite or something]] so I'm taking her to the vet now. But uh, yeah. Thanks for trying I guess."]]

* SaltSolution: The entry on the Stair Slug says that you can get rid of one by applying a layer of salt on the stairway. But you should never directly throw it on the slug. Exactly why this is the case [[NothingIsScarier is not elaborated on at all]].

** Gary calls you on the first day that something is attacking him [[spoiler: which is the Boggart]].

** Leprechauns are willing to tear out braces and crowns from them to sate their hunger for metal. [[spoiler:Charles unknowingly complains about one and is initially dismissive of his child's cries, and after you've given him the wrong answer, he only realizes the true issue when his kid has caught sight of it and is already ''bleeding'' from their mouth]].

* AdaptationalJerkass: Some of the fairies are nastier than they are in their original folklore. For example; leprechauns in mythology generally mind their own business and can even be helpful. Leprechauns here are aggressive beasts that steal metal, even from a child’s braces.

* False Flowers are skinny humanoid flower-mimics that will move into a home and disguise themselves as regular flowers, singing at night and creeping the heck out of the homeowners. In spite of how obviously wrong they may be compared to actual plants, the advised method to deal with them is to simply pretend they don't exist and just keeping watering and tending to them while purposefully ignoring any suspicious signs or noises coming from them. Otherwise, they'll become agitated and spray a blinding and burning poison all over the offenders face.