Recent reviews by HimawariKotetsu

The game was fun while it lasted but recent Developer decisions mean that I can't continue to play this game in good conscience. Own all the DLC up to this point and gad been playing it somewhat frequently on Epic Store and on steam but nah, just going to uninstall it and forget I ever had this game.

I can not in good conscience recommend this game to anyone. The recent events have shown a disregard for consumer safety and security along with a complete and wanton disregard for the personal comfort of the audience.

The gameplay loop was solid enough, however updates from the developers tended to err on the side of debuffing loadouts which received widespread use in opposition to improving those loadouts which saw less use. This general approach to game design can be felt in each and every aspect of the game.

If you have fun the wrong way your fun will be removed so that something else can be used instead.

This is further seen in the implementation of the Sony Account system a system notorious for its consistent data breaches and violations of consumer privacy. An implementation which locks people out of the product they purchased and have played for weeks and weeks prior at the whim of the developer in violation of European Consumer Protection rights showing a wanton disregard for the law of various nations.

The complete lack of non server play means that at any time you can lose complete access to your account.

Monetization of the game is fairly reasonable at the moment with ample opportunity to earn in game currency through active play, but recent decisions have raised questions as to if this will remain or if predatory practices will be introduced much as the current predatory practices have been implemented to force users to a 3rd party platform.

The game is a buggy mess with animations often breaking, enemies stuck in mid air, the player being stuck under ground, objectives finding themselves unable to be completed by anyone other than a specific player.

You can currently at time of writing kick other people from a game even if you aren't host with no way for the prevention of such by the host.

Designs of the games armors is unique and delightfully intriguing with little lore elements spread throughout but proves useless at best due to the simple fact that if someone so decides arbitrarily you will no longer hold access to the skins you purchased.

Stay away from this anti-consumer bait and switch product, and spend your money on a competitor instead. To those who are refused a refund for this predatory product: My condolences.

Over the years there have been many titles which have sought out the effort to seek for the title of Thief Successor. Many of them have fallen short of the gold. Even in this early access state Gloomwood stands out for doing what many of those games have failed: It took what worked and expanded on it rather than recreating it whole cloth.

Taking an inventory system reminiscent of Resident Evil 4 (And many other games of its ilk) provides a delightful way to build tension in attempting to find that perfect combination of placement to get those few extra spaces.

While of current I find the weapon variety serviceable, with a Shotgun, Revolver, Canesword (Which would be well serviced by addition of an ability to use while still sheathed for non lethal attack), and single shot pistol (Which functions much like the arrows of Thief to my delight!) I would say that the weapons themselves handle with a good deal of punch feeling like you're actually shooting a gun at an enemy (instead of merely spitting at them).

On that note sound design is paramount for any game, but especially so for a stealth experience. Footsteps are well placed and are modified by the terrain as one would expect of a modern game but have a similar level of punch to them which allows for a proper immersion. The Weapons as stated have a nice punch where needed. The levels audio design in general provides a lovingly crafted experience which shows that the developer understands that sometimes even more important than a videogame looking good is it sounding good.

On the subject of looks the retro style has been bandied about a fair bit and for many has settled into something of a rut. The presentation of such inside of Gloomwood while feeling certainly unsettling often lacks a bit of the punch and color of the era causing many of the areas to feel slightly muddied. (The exception to this is the mines which are bathed in a lovely series of reds and blues lending to an ethereal style I wish the game would lean more heavily into.) In its current state I wish there was a bit more of a Victorian feel, though already it shows great promise and feel in the general direction of such, which is shown well in the enemies.

And what is a game without enemies? The design on the opponents within Gloomwood for the most part are quite lovely. The from soggy Fish dogs, and Krampus in training to bats of the harry variety this game knows well when to launch in a knew enemy to spice up the mixture, though there are points where I wish there was a bit more build up to it, some of the enemy introductions showing a solid early foundation but lacking a bit of the eery buildup one would expect from such a Lovecraftian outting as this. The glow of the huntsmen's eyes serves as a lovely reminder of their agitation which I wish was better carried across by other enemies of the game.

Said glow of the huntsmen's eyes is one of several methods this game uses to provide a mostly HUD-less experience, allowing for players to become far more immersed within the world of gloomwood. The characters ring providing a ready method of spotting how well hidden you are in the dark providing a welcome change from the demo's garish glowing moon. However I find the jam on the screen that shows up when damaged to be a poor indicator of health status which lead me to checking my menu more than I would like(A potential fix would be adding a light bit of color changing similar to a moodring to the existing ring that could give a bit more friendly indicator of general player health), that is when I was able to take more than a couple hits.

Because yes I went through the entire game on its hardest difficulty, Bloodmoon. While easy may allow you to complete a game to experience the story, and medium should in all cases be the balancing point for a game, I find the best way to tell how a games MECHANICS hold is to dive into the deep end of the hardest difficulty and see what falls apart.

In the case of Gloomwood? The game holds up perfectly well on Bloodmoon difficulty especially with the addition of the option to turn back on quicksaves, which should help for those who need to shut down their computer for other efforts or the like and don't have the time to find more cylinders (As with ink ribbons in resident evil of old these are used to save progress on Bloodmoon's difficulty). enemies were challenging but fair providing a genuine sense of tension and dread knowing how much time could be lost at a moments notice. (Though I did find a less than kind save point placement in the first savepoint of the game from a stairway approach, which lead to me saving seconds before discovery)

Over all I believe that this game is even in its current early access state perfectly worth the purchase price and is a delightful experience for those who are looking for a suitable successor to the legacy left by a pair of very large shoes.

TL;DR : Sounds good, needs more buildup for the horror to land, Plays good, little muddy colour in current build, very immersive, delightful integration of other games mechanics in a meaningful way. Worth full price currently.

PS: I spent an hour and a half building my way up in the archaeological sight underground using boxes and barrels, nothing was up there, but man I just sat down playing British Empire marching tunes and had a lovely cup of tea proclaiming it my fiefdome, make sure you visit, it's only going to take about an hour to prop climb up there.