Creepy Tale

Gorgeous game with a short, yet enticing story that left me wanting more. Just be sure to bring your patience with you before trying to tackle the puzzle-based gameplay.

Creepy Tale is aptly titled; it had no trouble giving me goosebumps. The gloomy atmosphere is aesthetically pleasing and the cryptic puzzles will tease your brain, bordering on frustrating at times – patience and trial and error are key attributes here. This one will likely appeal to fans of point-and-click style puzzle games with horror elements.

With a short run time of only around two hours, it’s a shame much of that time is spent flapping about, trying to figure out what to do next. The puzzles are a real downer, taking away from the player’s ability to invest in the world and truly enjoy the atmosphere. Taking everything into consideration, Creepy Tale‘s full asking price on the Nintendo eShop is perhaps a bit steep. But if you can pick it up on sale, it’s probably worth a play through for its atmosphere alone.

The story and world in which it takes place are enough to keep the player going. Every new environment introduces the players to new creatures that call the woods home, most of which are hostile and will kill the player if given the chance. Creepy Tale's storybook art style makes the game feel like a Grimms' Fairy Tale if not for the unenjoyable puzzle-solving. While surely unintentional, Creepy Tale requires patience to trek through the forest of abysmal puzzles, but it is a short and sweet experience worth the $5 it costs to play.

Creepy Tale can best be described as a mixed bag of different flavours. If the game's presentation is full of lovely elements to see and to listen, its puzzles feel rather forced and almost as if they didn't quite belong there. This makes Creepy Tale a game that can please fans of games based mostly on watching and listening a developing story, but less so for those looking for some stimulating and well placed puzzles.