Not many games can actually balance stealth and horror-action, but Gloomwood shows it has that potential in the hour and a half I spent with it. It helped recontextualize the entire experience from imitation to homage.
All of the ammo I kept piling up suddenly was being used up against monsters in the dark, my only light source from a lantern as I trudged through tunnels looking for keys to get to a safe haven, worried that one errant slash from the shadows would be my end.
#Gloomwood e3 Pc
It is here that Gloomwood showed that it was more than just a one-note experience simply imitating a PC classic, it actually had some creativity under the hood. I was mildly disappointed until I got to the demo's second half in the sewers. Thank goodness this lantern doesn't run on oil. Also, despite the game making it clear that the guards are attracted to sound, gunfire doesn't raise many alarms. They will realistically search for a disturbance and multiple guards will rally together if you are spotted, which usually leads to instant death, but their patrol paths are predictable and easily exploited. The guards' AI is just a little less sophisticated to be in a game all about infiltration. While there are optional areas in the demo, they mostly lead to health or collectible gold coins, there is only one critical path here and it is scripted. In terms of level design and enemy AI, Gloomwood reveals itself to be more in line with a gothic survival-horror experience. Even the environment design maintains a consistent sense of realistic geography, with signposts and background detail leading you along instead of a giant map with waypoint markers. I was especially impressed with the minimalist approach to ammo management, you have to keep a mental ammo count for your revolver and rifle at all times, you can even check these by popping the barrel open mid-game, forcing you to make those crucial shots count. The entire game has some mild interactivity to it, you can throw glass bottles for distractions or move crates and barrels to break line of sight. There's a robust sound system where enemies will more likely hear you if you're walking on metal grating as opposed to cobblestone. There's an icon in the corner of the screen to show how visible you are. In fact, the entire stealth system and user-interface is practically a direct copy of Thief. I'll be honest, I was holding my breath around this point This means that your best bet for survival is stealth, keeping to the shadows, and being mindful of where you step, taking enemies by surprise with strikes from the dark. Eventually, you do get a revolver and a rifle of your own, but ammo is scarce, and there are other monstrous things waiting in the dark. There are patrols of glowy-eyed guards roaming the streets armed with axes and rifles, and all you have to defend yourself with is a sword cane. There are no cutscenes or any dialogue save for one line delivered at the very end, it just opens with an interactive title sequence where you end up trapped in an oppressive Victorian city called Gloomwood and your objective is to get out. Check out my Let’s Play Walkthrough below.The very first thing that stuck out to me is how well Gloomwood manages to imitate the look and feel of the original Thief game, at least in tone and style.
#Gloomwood e3 full
Gloomwood is expected on Steam in Early Access in August 2020, and I can’t wait to play the full version. Synopsis: Trapped in a dark, Victorian city consumed by an ancient curse, you must plan your survival and daring escape using nothing but stealth, an arsenal of eccentric weapons, and your wit in this haunting adventure inspired by the immersive sims and survival horror greats of the late 90s and early 2000s. Gloomwood has a demo which – like a graphic I saw that had made up later by someone, is ‘Thief with guns’: a great mix of retro updated just enough to look fresh in 2020.
#Gloomwood e3 Ps4
Similarly, while The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR looked a little more like PS3 graphics in VR, than a PS4 game, that just made it all the more ‘ Thief II‘-like for me, and I loved it all the more as a result. Thief (1998) and Thief II: The Metal Age (2000) are two of my all-time favourite games, and I still have memories of playing the latter in particular, with headphones on, late at night, very tired, and getting scared into submission as the baddies chase me around, shouting “TAFFER!” A demo was released on their website, and you can watch my Let’s Play Walkthrough of it below.
I missed the show, but by the sounds of it, this was the only thing worth watching. Gloomwood is a forthcoming game which was shown off at the end of the 2020 PC Gaming Show as the final trailer.
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