Creepy Tale
- February 21, 2020
- Creepy Brothers
- 4h median play time
Creepy Tale never relies on typical puzzle tropes, and has a wonderful art style that is both unsettling and beautiful in equal measure. It's to clever for its own good, and the amount of times you'll struggle far outweighs the enjoyment of solving the mystery of your missing brother.
Get on SteamIn Creepy Tale, players guide a young boy through a dark fantasy world filled with sinister creatures. The game features puzzle-solving and stealth-based gameplay as the boy seeks to rescue his kidnapped brother. With its unique art style and atmospheric soundtrack, Creepy Tale offers a spooky and immersive experience.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The art style and sound design create a captivating and immersive atmosphere.
- The game features a unique storytelling approach that relies on visuals rather than dialogue, enhancing the experience.
- Puzzles are generally well-integrated into the narrative and provide a satisfying level of challenge.
- The game is quite short, typically lasting around 1-2 hours, which may leave players wanting more.
- Many puzzles can be frustratingly vague, often requiring trial and error without clear hints.
- Controls can feel clunky and imprecise, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- story258 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of the game is described as a dark, atmospheric tale centered around two brothers navigating a mysterious and creepy forest filled with evil. While the visuals and art style are praised, many reviewers note that the narrative feels underdeveloped and too short, often relying on visual storytelling rather than dialogue. Overall, the story is engaging but leaves players wanting more depth and length to fully appreciate its potential.
“The story is good and spooky with some nice surprises; it also has a dark fairy tale feel to it.”
“A beautifully drawn, dark story about two brothers who went to the autumn forest for mushrooms, but met there the real evil.”
“The storyline was both creepy, charming, and extremely well-rounded (the characters managed to endear me to them, something that is typically remiss in today's average gaming experience) and the graphics were absolutely superb.”
“The story, as it is, felt much more like a prototype than a fully fleshed-out tale, so the summary which says 'find out the dark story that befell the once-calm and peaceful forest...' is a bit of an overstatement.”
“The story really didn't develop until the end, and the game is short.”
“A lot of the puzzles don't seem to be explained well enough, and the plot is very lacking.”
- graphics245 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and charming art style, often compared to the works of Tim Burton and John Kenn Mortensen, which effectively create a creepy yet beautiful atmosphere. While the visuals are described as stunning and well-executed, some reviewers noted that the animations can be simplistic and the gameplay mechanics may detract from the overall experience. Overall, the art direction is considered the standout feature, enhancing the narrative and immersing players in its dark fairy tale world.
“The art style is beautiful and gives the game a haunting creepy atmosphere.”
“Creepy tale never relies on typical puzzle tropes, and has a wonderful art style that is both unsettling and beautiful in equal measure.”
“The storyline was both creepy, charming and extremely well rounded (the characters managed to endear me to them, something that is typically remise in today's average gaming experience) and the graphics were absolutely superb.”
“Based on the unique graphics, I expected something much more immersive, atmospheric, and, first of all... fun.”
“There are no graphics options at all aside from resolution.”
“I was drawn to this game because of its art style, but the kind of stiff animation lessens its charm.”
- atmosphere166 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Creepy Tale" is consistently described as eerie and haunting, effectively evoking a dark fairy tale vibe reminiscent of Brothers Grimm stories. Players appreciate the game's artistic visuals and soundtrack, which contribute to a creepy yet not overtly scary experience, creating a sense of tension and dread throughout. While the atmosphere is praised, some reviews note that gameplay mechanics can detract from the overall experience.
“Creepy tale is a game that stands out for its disturbing atmosphere and dark narrative.”
“The atmosphere is exactly like the store description says, creepy and reminiscent of Brothers Grimm tales.”
“The art style is beautiful and gives the game a haunting creepy atmosphere.”
“Great game with a dark and eerie atmosphere, but the clunky and straight-up bad inputs make this game not a great experience because it quickly gets frustrating.”
“While never actually scary or frightening, the game does build with success a certain atmosphere of tension and dread, borrowing inspiration from the stories of the Grimm brothers to flesh out the world.”
“The atmosphere and general idea behind this game is really good, but gosh, it's a drag.”
- gameplay114 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it accessible yet frustrating due to its reliance on trial and error and imprecise mechanics. While the art style and atmosphere are praised, the puzzles often lack clarity and direction, leading to a mediocre experience overall. Some players enjoyed the unique mechanics and straightforward nature of the gameplay, but many felt it was hindered by technical issues and a lack of engaging content.
“The gameplay is fun and straightforward, with an absence of the usual galaxy-brain puzzle solutions that tend to plague point-and-click adventure games (almost everything is very easy to figure out, and you may not ever need a walkthrough to progress, although you may want one for a couple of more arcane achievements).”
“Albeit very short (gameplay time < 3h), the game is fun and memorable due to its distinctive style of graphics, and prices accordingly.”
“Although the visuals are the major appeal to this release, the puzzles are what the gameplay centers around, and boy oh boy are they good.”
“Bad and frustrating gameplay makes it not worth it.”
“The gameplay lacked direction and clarity, which is one of the reasons why I couldn't fully immerse myself in it.”
“Very annoying gameplay and it's not clear where to place objects; there are no hints and the logic is strange.”
- music108 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to create a haunting and immersive atmosphere that complements the visual style, enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers noted that the soundtrack effectively sets a dark fairy tale tone, although some mentioned minor issues like gaps in looping and a desire for more music during gameplay. Overall, the music is described as beautiful, fitting, and integral to the game's eerie ambiance, making it a standout feature despite some critiques.
“The music is beautiful, but has a depressing tone to it, which fits the story well.”
“Additionally, the soundtrack is subtle and blends everything together, with a haunting main melody that may just end up lingering in your head even after you've completed your creepy tale adventure.”
“The art direction is nice and the soundtrack is probably the best part of the game.”
“The sounds are noisy, the music has gaps when looping, and the animations are a little bit clunky.”
“I would've liked a better soundtrack to pair with the charming graphics.”
“I also streamed this game, and my VOD was muted because of the game's music... so do watch out for that.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is polarizing; while some players find it entertaining and filled with creative moments, including funny monsters and satisfying endings, others feel it lacks substance and is not their style. Overall, it serves as a lighthearted distraction for those seeking humor in gameplay.
“If you're looking for a funny game to just use as a distraction - this is perfect.”
“The monsters are funny and well designed.”
“Their sounds are hilarious.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for its buggy controls, which can lead to frustrating gameplay moments, such as characters getting stuck or failing to respond correctly during critical situations. While players report no crashes, several glitches have been encountered, necessitating restarts and causing some to replay sections of the game. Overall, the stability issues suggest a lack of polish from the developers.
“The controls get buggy at certain points, making you die like an idiot (e.g. you want to climb some stairs while a monster is approaching but the character keeps doing the shrug animation and stays put).”
“It's fairly buggy; I got stuck in scenery a couple of times and had to restart.”
“Pretty buggy, and it's not super complex or mechanical, so it's just laziness from the devs.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with many puzzles requiring repetitive actions that lead to frustration. The need to repeatedly navigate through long processes after mistakes detracts from the overall enjoyment, making the experience feel laborious and unenjoyable.
“Really wanted to like this, but so many of the puzzles involved time wasting where if you messed up, you had to go through a long, tedious process over and over again.”
“It is just a tedious experience to play.”
“Eventually, I could probably guess the right order, but that just sounds unbearably tedious.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a sweet and touching ending that resonates with some players, while others find it anticlimactic due to repetitive musical elements and a lack of impactful resolution. The use of atmospheric synths and digitized vocals contributes to a mixed emotional experience, leaving some players feeling underwhelmed.
“Sweet touching ending.”
“It mostly consisted of either a few darkly emotional piano chords played on a loop, airily atmospheric synths, or this celestial-sounding bright chorus effect smeared on digitized vocals that kept growing in loudness every half minute.”
“Sweet touching ending.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted by its appealing and cute design, which resonates well with players. The influence of John Kenn Mortensen's artwork adds a unique charm to the characters, enhancing their overall attractiveness.
“The overall character design is extremely cute and attractive to the general player.”
“The inspiration in character design taken from the artwork of John Kenn Mortensen is a nice touch.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users generally find that the game lacks replayability, particularly noting that puzzle games typically do not offer much incentive for repeated playthroughs. Additionally, the appeal of Steam achievements does not significantly enhance the desire to replay the game.
“Sure, it was the first and the last time I started it, but puzzle games aren't exactly famed for their replayability (and I don't love Steam achievements that much).”
“Sure, it was the first and the last time I started it, but puzzle games aren't exactly famed for their replayability (and I don't love Steam achievements that much).”
