Push forward through a dark fairy tale as you confront both terrifying monsters and challenging puzzles to save your little sister.
Type: Single-player
Genre: Adventure, Horror
Developer: Creepy Brothers
Publisher: Creepy Brothers
Release date: 16 July, 2021
Overview
Horror adventures come in many shapes and sizes. Some of them have a steady atmosphere of dread while others continue to terrify with grotesque imagery and intense survival elements. Either end of the spectrum is fantastic when the experience is skillfully crafted, though we’ve seen that the majority have fallen flat as disastrous messes. If the developer is unsure of their own story and gameplay it’s readily apparent to the player in no time whatsoever and they’ll alienate their own potential fans
Creepy Tale 2 leans far more heavily on the unsettling atmosphere theme than it does on adrenaline-pumping terror. While it starts out as a slow burn, steady puzzler, it seems to lose its way around the midpoint.
A Grimm Tale.
Creepy Tale 2 begins as you take on the role of a boy who lives with his sister and father. His mother’s been dead for a few years, though she did leave a mysterious book in a strange language behind, so there’s that in case you were worried about inheritance. Once you kick off a few simple chore-based puzzles, the horror kicks off as our young hero’s family is torn apart by wicked forces.
The experience that follows starts off strong with an interesting world full of supernatural creatures and magical elements. Unfortunately, as the tale continues, the CreepyTM begins to give way to the IrritatingTM. Thought-based puzzles with a peaceful, casual feel fall to the wayside as timing puzzles push their way front and center. These puzzles are often based around entities that you have to avoid or you’ll have your progress reset to the start of the scene. Whereas the early game offered a solid and unique experience, the general feel of the title seems to lose its way somewhere around the middle. Three such scenes in a row were sufficient to kill the curious wonder that I had for the world and its story.
Creepy, Not Terrifying
Creepy Tale 2 offers up an atmosphere that lends itself well to a casual horror adventure. The world is unsettling and lacks the jump scares and oppressive atmosphere of other horror titles like Outlast or The Cat Lady. The dark Grimm-styled setting is displayed through an art style that lends itself to this feel overall and stands out as something unique unto itself. There’s no question that the artist deserves any and all praise that comes their way.
The sound design suited the title. The soundtrack is enjoyable enough even if it isn’t particularly memorable and the sound effects played their role well enough to add what they were supposed to without detracting from anything. The voiceovers have a heavy accent to them, though it never interferes with your ability to understand what’s being said. They add a nice localized feel to the game’s setting and, if you really have an issue with them, the subtitles have you covered.
Verdict
Though its early game promises a strong entry into the 2D horror genre, Creepy Tale 2’s mid-game alters the formula enough that it loses its original identity. The casual puzzles of the beginning are replaced with extended puzzles that introduce enemies and “deaths” that force you to restart the entire scene. If the title had rolled from start to finish as it began, this one may have been a Save. Its blurry identity and repetitive later puzzles result in my having to declare it a Save for Later though. If it looks like your flavor of experience, you probably won’t be disappointed with dropping the $10 as long as you don’t get too attached to the early atmosphere.
