Tales from Candleforth
- April 30, 2024
- Under the Bed Games
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games StoreIn "Tales from Candleforth," players explore a collection of fairy tales with a dark twist, as a forbidden book's text bleeds into the stories and alters them. The first tale follows Sarah, a 16-year-old apothecary owner, as she discovers her family's occult secrets and powers to uncover the truth about her missing grandmother. The game features challenging puzzles and a journey through a world of mystery and horror.
PC
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a stunning hand-drawn art style and a captivating atmosphere that perfectly blends cozy and creepy elements.
- Puzzles are generally well-designed, providing a good mix of challenge without being overly frustrating, making them enjoyable to solve.
- The story is intriguing and filled with dark, whimsical themes, enhancing the overall experience and keeping players engaged.
- Many puzzles lack clear instructions or hints, leading to confusion and frustration for players who prefer more guidance.
- The game is relatively short, which may leave some players wanting more content and a deeper narrative experience.
- There are several grammatical errors and typos in the text, which can detract from the immersion and overall polish of the game.
- story28 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by a dark, witchy atmosphere and engaging folk horror elements, captivating players with its intriguing narrative and beautiful art style. However, many reviewers noted that the plot becomes convoluted towards the end, with some feeling that it lacks depth and coherence, particularly in its conclusion. Overall, while the storytelling is immersive and compelling, it leaves room for further development and clarity.
“The story was captivating; I would love to play a second chapter <3”
“This game hooked me with its art, but its story and folk horror completely captivated me.”
“The story is creepy yet beautiful, and the puzzles are very well designed.”
“I lost the plot towards the end of the game, and so the ending didn't make much sense.”
“The script itself was very lacking, with very little narrative for it being a story that is being told to the audience, especially as the girl solves puzzles.”
“The plot twist at the end didn't make much sense.”
- graphics25 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and beautiful hand-drawn art style, which effectively creates a spooky atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Many reviewers appreciate the intricate visuals and how they complement the game's intriguing puzzles and soundtrack, contributing to a captivating and immersive environment. However, some players noted that while the graphics are stunning, the overall gameplay experience did not fully meet their expectations.
“The art style is beautiful, the aesthetic matches my personality perfectly.”
“The handmade 2D graphics are just beautiful and really draw you into the spooky world!”
“Tales from Candleforth is a clever horror-puzzle game with an insanely good-looking hand-drawn aesthetic.”
“Quite an original idea and graphical style, but sadly, I didn't enjoy the experience very much.”
“There's something about the art style, the music, the slow pace!”
“Beautifully crafted, with original twists in the artwork.”
- music15 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmospheric experience, perfectly complementing the beautiful art style and engaging storytelling. Reviewers highlight the immersive sound design and dark ambient tracks that contribute to the overall ambiance, making the game captivating and enjoyable. Overall, the combination of music, art, and design creates a compelling and memorable experience for players.
“The setting, music, and art are all perfect and come together to create an amazing experience.”
“It features a compelling story, well-balanced difficulty, remarkable art, and immersive music that keeps you engaged in the atmosphere.”
“Its music hypnotizes and its art leaves you enthralled in front of the screen.”
“The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“While the art and design are impressive, the music fails to leave a lasting impression.”
“The soundtrack doesn't match the game's atmosphere, making it feel disjointed.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning art style, immersive music, and effective horror elements, creating a tense and foreboding experience. Reviewers highlight the surreal and oppressive ambiance that enhances the storytelling, although some noted issues with text quality that detracted slightly from the overall immersion. Overall, the combination of visual and auditory elements successfully captivates players, making for an engaging and evocative atmosphere.
“The atmosphere and animation are great, and it packs some serious horror punches.”
“I love the atmosphere of the game; the art style is super beautiful and the music went very well with it.”
“Creepy and atmospheric, this is an enjoyable puzzler with mature themes and imagery.”
“I will be looking forward to any future releases in this same style, although I must say they probably should hire a translator next time, as a lot of the text moments were riddled with typos and grammatical errors. It didn't completely take me out of it, but it made for a few humorous moments in an atmosphere designed to be tense and foreboding.”
“It starts off a bit enigmatic right at the beginning, but then the atmosphere of the game starts to thicken and becomes so oppressive it feels like it's grabbing your neck.”
“- the atmosphere the combination of art, music, design, and storytelling creates.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay features challenging and enjoyable puzzles enhanced by innovative escape room mechanics, providing a unique twist. However, some players find the experience frustrating at times. Overall, the visuals are praised as incredible, complementing the clever puzzle design.
“The puzzles are challenging but super fun, and the escape room mechanics add a cool twist.”
“I have just played for a very short time, but I can say that the visuals are incredible and the puzzle mechanics seen so far are very ingenious.”
“I found the gameplay profoundly frustrating.”
“The gameplay relies too heavily on escape room mechanics.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often unintentional, stemming from typos and grammatical errors in the text, which, while not detracting significantly from the experience, added some amusing moments to an otherwise tense atmosphere. Players express a desire for future releases to improve on this aspect, suggesting that a better translation could enhance the overall comedic effect.
“I will be looking forward to any future releases in this same style. Although I must say, they probably should hire a translator next time, as a lot of the text moments were riddled with typos and grammatical errors. It didn't completely take me out of it, but it made for a few humorous moments in an atmosphere designed to be tense and foreboding.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is criticized for lacking depth, with character designs that fail to add meaningful value; for instance, the main character's two different colored eyes are noted as an intriguing but ultimately superficial detail.
“There is also no value to the character designs; the main character has two different colored eyes - very curious about that.”
“The character development feels shallow and uninspired, making it hard to connect with anyone in the story.”
“I expected more depth from the characters, but they all seem one-dimensional and forgettable.”
