The Guise
- November 20, 2019
- Rasul Mono
A well presented game that despite its charm presents a decent challenge
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreIn "The Guise" , you play as Ogden, an orphan turned monster after wearing a cursed mask. Master your new monstrous abilities, explore terrifying locations, and discover hidden secrets while avoiding hostile enemies in this action-adventure game. Your persistent monstrous form significantly impacts gameplay, offering bestial agility, monstrous strength, and inhuman capabilities. Watch out, as most entities in this harsh world want you dead.
Reviews
- The game features an interesting story about a boy turned into a monster, which adds depth to the gameplay.
- The art style is unique and creates a dark, atmospheric world that enhances the overall experience.
- The game includes a variety of power-ups and upgrades, allowing for customization and exploration.
- The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks challenge, with many bosses being easy to defeat.
- There are significant technical issues, including long loading times and instances of the game freezing.
- The level design and soundtrack are often unremarkable, failing to create a memorable experience.
- story10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a child in an orphanage who discovers a mysterious mask that transforms him into a monster, prompting a quest to regain his humanity. Players appreciate the engaging narrative and the inclusion of choices that impact the ending, although some side quests feel less meaningful. Overall, the story is described as a captivating dark fantasy that enhances the metroidvania gameplay experience.
“This is a story about a child who lives in an orphanage and sneaks into the matron's room and finds a weird mask.”
“Very beautiful story about the boy who is trying to get rid of the curse and return back home.”
“I would advise this game if you like story-driven dark fantasy close combat platformers.”
“The story can fit into one paragraph of text, and we can count all the dialogues in the game there.”
“Apart from the main quest, you'll also run into some NPCs that give you side objectives, but none of them help much or add to the experience.”
“One of the quests is on an endless loop where you need to kill all the mice in a room in an endless cycle.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a basic "Metroid" style, featuring well-balanced levels and combat mechanics reminiscent of "Hollow Knight," particularly in its healing system. However, some players noted that certain enemy attacks can be easily ignored, detracting from the overall experience.
“The gameplay features the bare bones of classic 'Metroid' mechanics.”
“Well-balanced levels and combat mechanics enhance the overall experience.”
“The game resembles 'Hollow Knight' in some aspects, such as the healing mechanic, and it's a positive addition.”
“The gameplay feels like the bare bones of the 'Metroid' experience.”
“While the gameplay was decent, some enemies have wind-up attacks that you can just walk past and ignore.”
“This brings me to my main issue - the gameplay.”
- music5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered unremarkable, failing to enhance the experience despite the game's spooky art style. While some players appreciate the dark atmosphere and occasional piano themes reminiscent of "Hollow Knight," the soundtrack lacks drama and impact, particularly during boss encounters. Overall, it does not significantly contribute to the game's appeal.
“Dark atmosphere and piano music reminds me of Hollow Knight a little bit.”
“While the art style is pretty well done and delivers a spooky atmosphere, the soundtrack, on the other hand, can't really keep up with it.”
“Even the boss music isn't really dramatic.”
“Otherwise, this is a pretty tame entry: unremarkable soundtrack and level design, very easy bosses that can be killed by button mashing and dancing from one side to the next.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent freezes occurring during area transitions and various glitches that detract from the overall enjoyment. Players have reported instances of the game displaying a black screen, necessitating forced exits to resolve the issues.
“Sometimes when loading a new area, the game freezes and stays on a black screen.”
“Several glitches impacted my enjoyment of the game.”
“The game freezes a lot.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their unique and well-executed gloomy art style, which effectively creates a spooky atmosphere and brings a diverse array of remarkable characters to life. While the visuals are strong, some reviewers feel the soundtrack does not match the quality of the graphics.
“Has a great gloomy art style.”
“The art style is unique and great; there seem to be tons of different strange, remarkable characters who make the world of 'The Guise' feel alive.”
“While the art style is pretty well done and delivers a spooky atmosphere, the soundtrack, on the other hand, can't really keep up with it.”
“While the art style is pretty well done and delivers a spooky atmosphere, the graphics themselves feel outdated and lack detail.”
“The character models are poorly designed, making it hard to connect with the game visually.”
“The environments are bland and repetitive, which detracts from the overall immersion of the game.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's art style effectively creates a spooky atmosphere, reminiscent of Hollow Knight, but the soundtrack falls short in matching this tone. Overall, the dark ambiance is well-executed, though the music does not fully enhance the experience.
“The dark atmosphere and piano music remind me a little of Hollow Knight.”
“While the art style is well done and delivers a spooky atmosphere, the soundtrack doesn't quite match it.”
“While the art style is pretty well done and delivers a spooky atmosphere, the soundtrack, on the other hand, can't really keep up with it.”
“The dark atmosphere and piano music remind me a little bit of Hollow Knight.”
