History VideoGame / HomeSafetyHotline

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Whistling Fungi have a rather amusing concept: they're fungi with holes in their caps that make dissonant whistling noises, and their whistling audio cue is rather whimsical. Most of the time, they're only a nuisance with their whistling and foundational damage. However, if they start whistling in unison... the homeowner should evacuate the house and never return. [[NothingIsScarier It's never ever stated what happens]] if they whistle in unison. They also give provide of the most horrifying fates should you fail to handle them for an owner -- in what is likely the shortest callback response of the game, all the owner can say is [[SoundOnlyDeath indiscernible screaming]] along with ominous whistling noises in the background.

* MagicalRealism: You work at a company that deals with pest infestations, ranging from rats and cockroaches to trolls and warlocks.

* {{Mundanger}}: Even at the later days where you're dealing with face-stealing nymphs and trolls invading houses for clothes to steal, you still get the odd call about bedbugs and carbon monoxide leaks.

* RedHerring:
** Certain entries have overlapping "symptoms" and problems, so it can be easy to confuse one possible issue with another. This can also mean mistaking supernatural creatures for mundane ones, and vice-versa.

* {{Determinator}}: The [[spoiler:Prank Caller]] is persistent to the point where he still manages to [[spoiler:call the player on Saturday even ''after'' he was [[ForcedTransformation turned into a mouse]] by Carol on Friday]].

* CreepyRedHerring: [[spoiler:The Prank Caller]] is a recurring character that has a portrait spliced together from different parts, seemingly changes his voice over the phone, and uses odd pseudonyms every time he calls. Combined with the supernatural setting and AnalogHorror elements throughout the game, one could assume he's of some sort of plot-importance or antagonistic entity. [[spoiler:While somewhat of a problem, he turns out to be nothing more than just a prank caller. [[TheFairFolk Carol eventually deals with him]].]]

** 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 (who has a Whistling Fungus infestation) the right information, all you'll hear from her the next day is indiscernible screaming along with whistling sounds.

* YouHaveFailedMe: If your accuracy rating drops too low, you'll be [[spoiler:turned into a mouse by Carol]].
* YourHeadASplode: Sprig Trees burst from humans, sprouting from where their heads used to be. [[spoiler:Fail to assist the caller dealing with a Spriggan, and his returning call has him panicking as its touch eventually results in a tree rapidly sprouting from his head with a SickeningCrunch]].

* AnalogHorror: The game takes place in 1996, and the interface looks the part. The operating system you use looks like Windows 95, and all of the available pictures rely on Analog Horror's trademark crustiness to conceal -- and simultaneously enhance -- the scare factor of whatever anomaly they're reporting on.

* CreepyRedHerring: [[spoiler:The Prank Caller]] is a recurring character that has a portrait spliced together from different parts, seemingly changes his voice over the phone, and uses odd pseudonyms every time he calls. Combined with the supernatural setting and AnalogueHorror elements throughout the game, one could assume he's of some sort of plot-importance or antagonistic entity. [[spoiler:While somewhat of a problem, he turns out to be nothing more than just a prank caller. [[TheFairFolk Carol eventually deals with him]].]]

* DeathOfAChild: Implied when the player gets a call wrong, when the entity in question is implied to attack the caller who has a family. Played straight with the [[spoiler:[[MimicSpecies False Artifact]] call, as the child is dying or already starved to death by the time that the mother calls the hotline]].

* EasilyForgiven: If you give Grace the wrong information on what infestation she has, she doesn't hold a grudge and acknowledges that the company was just busy.

* 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. One caller who fell victim to a Mirror Nymph has their face heavily blurred out.

** If [[spoiler:you do badly at your job, the company turns you into a mouse. You get emails from one former employee who suffered the same fate, and one of the videos implies its happening enough that scientists are noticing a sapient subspecies of mice.]]

* {{Irony}}: The Soap Sprite appears to be a bar of soap and even consumes bacteria, but despite its clean looks and lifestyle, it's actually ThePigPen, being ''covered'' in several deadly diseases including the Fae Flu that can be spread on touch.

* KilledMidSentence: If you get certain questions wrong, the callers will message you back to complain even further that your info hasn't helped. In some of these cases, the line will either cut off just as they're screaming in terror or suddenly go silent.

* {{Mundanger}}: Even at the later days where you're dealing with face-stealing nymphs and trolls invading houses for clothes to steal, you still get the odd call about house fires and carbon monoxide leaks.

* 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. Grace remains calm and if you get her pest infestation wrong, she just informs you and figures that you were just busy answering other calls. Wanda informs you that her daughter both told her not to call you anymore and called pest control, and Wanda apologizes before hanging up. [[spoiler:Edward is freaked out because he figured out the 'pranksters' breaking into his house was actually a troll. Kyle's call is below. For context, his dog, named Goblin, went missing.]]
-->[[spoiler:"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! 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."]]

* ParasiticHorror: The False Beet takes root in your stomach to siphon your nutrients if you eat it.

* RiddleMeThis: [[spoiler: At the end of the game, you must solve a series of riddles on the threats to determine if you can join the fae behind the organization.]]

* FesteringFungus: Black mold is one of the hazards customers might deal with. In later days, you start to deal with more supernatural fungi.

* InstantIllness: Fae Flu takes a surprisingly short time to show symptoms once contracted. If you fail to provide correct information to the owners being harassed by the Lamp, Tea, Wine, or Soap Sprites, they'll contract the Fae Flu and immediately show symptoms the next day.

* OurFairiesAreDifferent: Sprites are small fairies that are attracted to various everyday things, like lights or tea.

** There are a few entries that ultimately aren't one of the solutions to a home problem [[spoiler:or the final day's riddles]], but they do serve to confuse an inattentive player. These include Gophers, Toilet Hobbs, Trash Gnomes, [[spoiler:the above-mentioned Dream Weavers, and the Warlock Remnant]].

** Those who make contact with a Spriggan will have a Sprig Tree planted in them that quickly grows and consume them, killing the victim.

* TrashOfTheTitans: The Horde is an invisible collective consciousness that's known to collect and store huge quantities of common household refuse. Once a Horde has introduced itself to a house, it'll quickly turn said house into a garbage-filled dump.

* GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul: Autumn Vines are vines with orange-red leaves which release pheromones that cause a state of bliss and lightheadedness. One caller affected by it keeps mentioning how "things are good", despite her brother telling her about his suspicions towards the vines.

* GaiasVengeance: One of the later entities you learn about, [[spoiler: the Spriggan]], is provoked by people who it considers harmful to nature, even if it's something like [[DisproportionateRetribution mowing the grass.]] If one of such creatures touches a human, they will become infected with a [[{{Transflormation}} Sprig Tree]].
* GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul: Autumn Vines are vines with orange-red leaves that release pheromones that cause a state of bliss and lightheadedness. One caller affected by it keeps mentioning how "things are good", despite her brother telling her about his suspicions towards the vines.

** Those who make contact with a Spriggan will have a Sprig Tree planted in them, and the Sprig tree will eventually grow and consume them, killing the victim.

* NothingIsScarier: 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 gophers 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.

** Implied with Wood Secretions. Once ingested, it causes "translation of flesh", presumably into wood.

* DeathOfAChild: Implied when the player gets a call wrong, when the entity in question is implied to attack the caller who has a family. Played straight with the [[spoiler:False Artifact call, as the child is dying or already starved to death by the time that the mother calls the hotline]].

* GaiasVengeance: One of the later entities you learn about, [[spoiler: the Spriggan]], is provoked by people who it considers harmful to nature, even if it's something like [[DisproportionateRetribution mowing the grass.]] If one of such creatures touches a human, they will become a [[{{Transflormation}} Sprig Tree]].

* IntellectualAnimal: On Thursday, the player receives a video about a scientific discovery of ''Mus musculus loquentus'', known as the Smart Mouse due to having humanlike intellect. Scientists have managed to decipher their squeaks to reveal hidden messages, like [[spoiler:"Help me"]]. This is because [[spoiler:these mice are actually [[ForcedTransformation humans who were turned into mice]], like one former employee who is notably still able to operate a computer and send emails in typo-filled human language, and the prank caller managing to call the hotline even after he was transformed the previous day]].

* ThereIsNoCure: Part of the game's horror comes from the fact that a number of the afflictions caused by fae creatures cannot be cured whatsoever. A person whose memories have been taken by Memory Wisps cannot regain them, the Fae Flu is incurable once contracted, False Beets cannot be removed from a host without killing the host, those touched by a Spriggan will eventually have a [[{{Transflormation}} Sprig Tree grow from and consume them]], etc.

* AllTrollsAreDifferent: Trolls are 12-foot tall fey that can [[{{SizeShifter}} "deflate" themselves to a smaller form]] when they need to [[StealthyColossus go into a house to steal clothing]]. If startled, they can grow back to their normal size, causing property damage if they do so while in the house. They're also implied to be [[WeakenedByTheLight vulnerable to sunlight]], as they're nocturnal and can be repelled by UV lights to prevent future break-ins.

** The coupons you receive in your email grow increasingly less subtle about [[spoiler:the fey nature of the HSH]]. The last one you get before the end of the game is for [[spoiler:a {{Glamour}} stone]]. Eagle-eyed players may notice that [[spoiler:Carol is wearing one herself]].

* SizeShifter: Trolls are 12-foot tall fey that can deflate themselves to fit inside homes [[StealthyColossus when they need to steal clothing]]. They can re-inflate back to their normal size if startled, causing property damage to the house they've snuck into if they do it in the house.

* ThereIsNoCure: Part of the game's horror comes from the fact that a number of the afflictions caused by fey creatures cannot be cured whatsoever. A person whose memories have been taken by Memory Wisps cannot regain them, the Fae Flu is incurable once contracted, False Beets cannot be removed from a host without killing the host, those touched by a Spriggan will eventually have a [[{{Transflormation}} Sprig Tree grow from and consume them]], etc.

** The [[spoiler:intelligent mice are revealed to be humans that were [[ForcedTransformation turned into mice by fey]]. This fate befell a previous employee, befalls a prank caller, and if you fail to give accurate information, you as well]].

* 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. Grace remains calm and if you get her pest infestation wrong, she just informs you and figures that you were just busy answering other calls. Wanda informs you that her daughter both told her not to call you anymore and called pest control, and Wanda apologizes before hanging up. [[spoiler:Edward is freaked out because he figured out the 'pranksters' breaking into his house was actually a troll. Kyle's call is below.]]

-->[[spoiler:"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! She freakin' came crawling out of that hole with [[{{Unicorn}} a big bump on her head or something]] so I'm taking her to the vet now. But uh, yeah. Thanks for trying I guess."]]

-->[[spoiler:"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! She freakin' came crawling out of that hole with [[Unicorn a big bump on her head or something]] so I'm taking her to the vet now. But uh, yeah. Thanks for trying I guess."]]