I had the chance to play Hauntii final yr at Summer time Recreation Fest. Pitched as an journey sport set in Limbo, Hauntii sees you taking part in as a ghost who explores the afterlife, which was a giant promoting level to me. So when the chance to assessment Hauntii got here up, I jumped at it, and let me inform you, it was not what I used to be anticipating.
What drew me in was the setup and environment: the story of a darkish ghost first coming into a spooky ethereal world of the afterlife. Ultimately you meet your good match in a white ghost, and collectively you’re employed in direction of recreating your reminiscences out of your life within the land of the dwelling. Whereas exploring, there are hints and whispers of an elder civilization on which the afterlife was constructed, however these are solely imprecise allusions to what could possibly be, and sadly they aren’t paid off. Hauntii isn’t as targeted on the narrative as it’s on the playground it presents.
There are two methods to work together with the world: shoot your essence in a twin-stick shooter style, or hang-out one thing to acquire a brand new skill or two per haunted object/creature. There’s a finite quantity of essence gauge, however afterward there are upgrades that permit that to be practically infinite. The haunting skill, although, makes for some fascinating maneuvers. Generally you flip into an enemy that may physique slam, leaving a fiery space of impact; different instances you’re a bug that may soar from tree to tree. It readily assorted up the gameplay, and had me continuously searching for the subsequent factor I might management, to see what new powers have been out there to me.
What made Hauntii so surprising is its format and supply. The second to second gameplay is extra akin to Tremendous Mario Odyssey than anything: a world constructed round smaller maps, each with hidden stars strewn all through so that you can discover and accumulate. Some are hidden on the outskirts of the map, or via possessing completely different creatures, whereas others are rewards for hidden challenges. There are races that may have you ever soar via rings as a bug, or some that may require you to hang-out a turret enemy and defeat all of the enemies in a fight enviornment. There are stars basically in all places, to the purpose that I’d generally enterprise to the far reaches of the map, to be rewarded with a hidden, far-off star.
The celebrities are literally used as an improve foreign money, the place you’ll put them into constellations. As soon as a constellation is accomplished, you’ll be able to improve the quantity of essence you shoot, your variety of hearts, or how usually you’ll be able to sprint. These upgrades are useful however usually the gameplay stays the identical. What actually makes the celebs fascinating is in how inventive the crew at Moonloop Video games will get with situating them. I used to be at all times tremendous excited to simply see a shimmering star off into the space, solely to spend the subsequent ten minutes deciphering how I used to be presupposed to get it.
These little victories are what pulled me via as a result of general the story takes a steep backseat to anything happening, and is tough checkpointed by star depend. When progressing via the small-sized maps that interconnect the world, I’d be having a good time till the story would gate me off, leaving me to backtrack to hunt for extra stars. Fortunately, the environment and hauntingly (pun meant) stunning orchestrated soundtrack are extremely nicely accomplished. I used to be chilled to the tip by each flute solo and piano association. I’d completely go to see this soundtrack carried out stay primarily based on its sheer magnificence.
Hauntii does a incredible job of offering a smaller scope journey throughout an enigmatic underworld. Gathering stars and haunting various enemies gave a way of discovery round each flip. It’s stunning in its supply and make-up, however that’s what additionally holds Hauntii again: its restricted scope. It doesn’t dream sufficiently big for what might have been. The gameplay, whereas enjoyable and fascinating, is tremendous restricted. Haunting and capturing aren’t sufficient to maintain you hooked. When reflecting on my time with Hauntii, I take into consideration the music and the artwork, and fewer so on the way it performed. Hauntii is a wide ranging expertise, nevertheless it simply doesn’t do sufficient with it. This sport makes a compelling case for videogames as artwork, nevertheless it stops quick relating to the precise mechanics.