Creepy Tale Review
Release Date: July 10th, 2020 (Switch), February 21st, 2020 (PC)
Developer: Deqaf Studio
Platforms: Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PC
Price: $9.99, $11.99
The Horror genre and Puzzle genre have always complemented each other quite nicely, and while a lot of Horror games have puzzle elements, there are others that blend them both in a beautiful 50/50 fashion. Creepy Tale does well to combine both of these with a big focus on the puzzle aspect of it, but rather than feeling like puzzles you're ultimately left with a game that almost feels spiteful and tries to be difficult in an unrewarding way, using less brain power to think like you would normally with puzzles and instead more patience to endure with the constant trial-and-error. On the surface, Creepy Tale has everything that would ensure an indie game of this nature success and admiration with those that appreciate these types of games from whichever studio, big or small, thanks to an underlying charm that walks alongside the eerie atmosphere and exudes through the puzzles and adventure even with a lack of a narrative, but Creepy Tale suffers from more so from the overall constant frustration that plagues it from start to finish.
Creepy Tale has players go through a sequence of chapters that are comprised of various challenges and puzzles throughout, and while there's no real clear story and most directions are given through thought bubbles depicting images, progression is basically made simple by going from left to right like a standard sidescroller would. There isn't much backtracking in terms of areas, but there are between puzzles, where you may grab something on the 3rd floor of a building, then go to the 1st floor of the building next to it, and then back to the previous building and going to the 2nd floor to access a previously locked door once a key has been acquired. Progression itself is simplistic, but it's the constant roadblocks and lack of fluidity that make an otherwise short game feel like it’s overstaying its welcome. Assuming you can knock every area out in one go and there aren't any issues progressing from section to section, you're likely to beat the game in a matter of half an hour, otherwise most would probably average at about an hour, with an hour and a half or two hours max being your peak if you tend to get stuck and refuse to look anything up, given that the game has been released on PC now since the start of 2020. I feel a little reluctant at times to refer to what you're doing within the game as a puzzle, since it's more like a disguise within a disguise, acting as a horror game with puzzle elements, and rather having an unsettling atmosphere - which it nails on the head despite its shortcomings - but truthfully being nothing more than a game that feels more like it wants to be a difficult platformer with no reward or incentive to keep going other than to punish yourself with its trial-and-error approach that can't be stressed enough.
There are a lot of weird hitboxes as well within the game that make you question if you're even doing anything correctly. For example, there's a section at around Chapter 3 in which you'll have to step upon a few platforms to raise them, and - much like the trial-and-error approach the rest of the game forces upon you that tries to pretend it's a puzzle instead - there is no indication or hint or backdrop or any sort of description as to how the actual platforms work other than stepping on them and seeing what makes them go up and down, however, step on the wrong platform once, and the entire set falls down. Once you've reached the top of this scenario of Simon Says platforms, you'll have to pull on a lever, yet for whatever reason you have to meticulously place yourself in a very specific spot for animation's sake despite being directly in the vicinity of the lever you need to pull. This would happen many times throughout other scenarios, causing me to be killed over and over again while being chased by an enemy while I was trying to do something as simple as go down some steps, but because I wasn't exactly in the middle or in a very specific spot in order to initiate it, nothing would happen and the character would just shrug instead, which were my feelings exactly. Shrugging became something you got far too comfortable with throughout Creepy Tale.
Creepy Tale has a lot to like about it including its eerie yet friendly art style followed by minimal assets so the screen never feels too busy. The forests and insides of buildings are effective and visually the game does what it aims to do in an adequate manner that also exudes the creepiness it wants to bestow upon players going through it, and while animations are also considered minimal, it complements the overall aesthetic and has an underlying charm about it that's hard to resist, until, of course, you start to actually play the game, which unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired. I have a deep love for games of this nature, so it's truly a shame that it was just no fun to play at the end of the day. While bugs are riddled throughout, they tend to be minor inconveniences and aren't anywhere near the inconvenience of simple quality of life and intuitive functions like not having controls be so stiff and larger hitboxes. The only truly "disastrous" bug I had was in a witch's house where I couldn't move after interacting with a chest laying on the ground next to a ladder at the beginning of the puzzle/level.
I've always appreciated games like Creepy Tale where they take a sidescrolling horror approach like Knock Knock, Little Misfortune, and Limbo, and while puzzle games have always been another genre that I've always felt complemented Horror quite nicely, Creepy Tale does so focusing on trial-and-error gameplay rather than any real thought behind going about seamlessly playing through, though the level design is unique and lends itself to some clever moments, and overall despite its short length feels like an eternity. It's ultimately a shame as it can and should be enjoyable, but the frustration, road blocks, and tediousness unfortunately leave the game less than enjoyable and a chore to play through. I personally love games like this that challenge the mind and do so behind horror curtains - it's the atmosphere and vibe that really help carry the game and make the progression feel adventurous - but Creepy Tale falls flat on the one thing it focuses most on: The Puzzles that feel less like puzzles and more like a gauntlet of "how far can you go?".
PROS:
The artstyle is appealing while being cute and creepy
The sound design lends itself nicely to create further tension in the atmosphere and puzzles
CONS:
The game is very short, spanning about roughly an hour that can extend or be cut in half depending on your proficiency of the puzzles
Tendencies to be in a particular spot in order to activate or trigger anything can quickly become a nuisance
The trial and error approach versus any real in-depth thought to the puzzles can become tedious and frustrating very quickly
A big thank you to No Gravity Games for providing us a copy of the game for the purposes of this review