The game, written by Darby McDevitt, was noted for its dark plot and absurdist humor, and received mixed reviews from critics upon release.

The town periodically suffers from attacks by aliens who consider the hot and arid surroundings of Strangetown ideal for colonization, since they themselves are afraid of water, requiring the Sim to stop this threat.

The gameplay is tied to the need to earn money in different ways, which can be obtained by completing mini-quests, collecting items in the desert and doing odd jobs; if the Sim fulfills all the desires and whims of hotel visitors, they will pay more.

Despite sharing a title, the Nintendo DS version is a reimagined linear progression game with graphics adapted to run on a smaller device.

Lovecraft and Stephen King, especially the novel It, but also noted that the PC version itself offered mysterious background stories that aroused widespread interest among fans of the game, specifically mentioning the disappearance of Bella Goth.

Initially, Stocker composed the melody using the Buzz and Impulse Tracker programs, then Johnson accompanied it with a guitar performance, attaching it to the track using Audio Hijack Pro.

[13] Craig Harris of IGN compared the game's structure to Animal Crossing and considered the plot too linear, though he praised the accessible interface.

[4] Users on Reddit have noted the game's empty and oppressive atmosphere and abundance of cruel humor and ambiguous scenes, such as when the player character, on behalf of a mobster, must bury a wriggling suitcase.