Hauntii is a very solid effort on all counts. There were a lot of things that I really loved about this game and some, not so much.
The visuals, music, and story were all top-notch. I could see myself listening to the soundtrack in the future for sure. The little memory vignettes are enduring and sweet. I enjoyed them very much.
The gameplay to me was at best serviceable and frustrating at worst. I was originally trying to get all of the stars, but oftentimes I found myself wandering around lost looking for 1-2 of them (skill issue maybe). It put me off on collecting everything, though.
The platforming was also a source of frustration in some areas, although not too bad. The checkpoint system could also be refined in my opinion. Sometimes I missed a checkpoint and would be taken back farther than I would have liked. I would have liked to be able to fast travel to any point on the map as well.
Overall, the sublime soundtrack and visuals were worth some frustrating gameplay here and there. I would definitely recommend checking Hauntii out!
The visuals, music, and story were all top-notch. I could see myself listening to the soundtrack in the future for sure. The little memory vignettes are enduring and sweet. I enjoyed them very much.
The gameplay to me was at best serviceable and frustrating at worst. I was originally trying to get all of the stars, but oftentimes I found myself wandering around lost looking for 1-2 of them (skill issue maybe). It put me off on collecting everything, though.
The platforming was also a source of frustration in some areas, although not too bad. The checkpoint system could also be refined in my opinion. Sometimes I missed a checkpoint and would be taken back farther than I would have liked. I would have liked to be able to fast travel to any point on the map as well.
Overall, the sublime soundtrack and visuals were worth some frustrating gameplay here and there. I would definitely recommend checking Hauntii out!
"Con talento y corazón se ha hecho y al corazón con talento llega. Una búsqueda hacia la eternidad que vale mucho la pena realizar. Y más cuando se ve así de bien."
Desarrollo aquí: https://www.navigames.es/analisis/hauntii-xbox-series-xs/
Desarrollo aquí: https://www.navigames.es/analisis/hauntii-xbox-series-xs/
artistry, visuals ----
What an absolutely gorgeous game this is. Just the entire presentation with the artstyle, music, and subtle storytelling happening is just 10/10 top notch.
I would love to spend even longer in this wonderful world they have created. Personally I didn't find the game too hard, though it can be a bit tricky in a couple areas and it was definitely a bit of a challenge to 100%.
I just want more :D Glad to have bought this and i highly recommend everyone tries it.
Will say though it's more of an exploration collectathon game than puzzle or combat, though it has those elements in it. I personally like these kinds of games, so it wasn't a big deal for me. Just wanted to make sure to mention it so people understand what they get into.
Also it's so PREEEEEEEEEETTYYYYYYYY i can't get over it. Cinema
I would love to spend even longer in this wonderful world they have created. Personally I didn't find the game too hard, though it can be a bit tricky in a couple areas and it was definitely a bit of a challenge to 100%.
I just want more :D Glad to have bought this and i highly recommend everyone tries it.
Will say though it's more of an exploration collectathon game than puzzle or combat, though it has those elements in it. I personally like these kinds of games, so it wasn't a big deal for me. Just wanted to make sure to mention it so people understand what they get into.
Also it's so PREEEEEEEEEETTYYYYYYYY i can't get over it. Cinema
Thoroughly impressed by Hauntii! It's an under the radar indie gem that surprisingly punches well above its weight with its exploration-based gameplay, a strong, well realized aesthetic and a great take on afterlife/purgatory. It features an optimistic yet melancholic narrative thoroughly sprinkled with lighter undertones so it never feels excessively sorrowful.
Gameplay-wise, it's structured similarly to Super Mario Galaxy. The game consists of open world zones, each with their multitude of levels. Each map has you doing different tasks in order to get stars, which allow you to level up and progress further. The minigame variety is surprisingly big. Lots of fun and delightful objects to "haunt" (the main mechanic of the game where you take control of stuff like trees, animals, bells and even trains) and tasks ranging from straight to the point "destroy waves of enemies" to climbing trees with a ladybug and even shaping your own roller-coaster track!
The actual twin shooting gameplay can get very repetitive and could've done with a bigger variety of enemies and aura types. Still, the minute to minute collectathon dynamics guarantee you'll never feel bored. There's no incentive to get every star, yet I ended up getting them all just because it was fun - Hauntii is always nudging you towards exploration.
Huge props to the insanely talented 1-bit visual style and the fully orchestral soundtrack, which ranks among some of the most beautiful ambient tracks I've had the pleasure of listening for a while. Both definitely inspired by Hollow Knight.
Gameplay-wise, it's structured similarly to Super Mario Galaxy. The game consists of open world zones, each with their multitude of levels. Each map has you doing different tasks in order to get stars, which allow you to level up and progress further. The minigame variety is surprisingly big. Lots of fun and delightful objects to "haunt" (the main mechanic of the game where you take control of stuff like trees, animals, bells and even trains) and tasks ranging from straight to the point "destroy waves of enemies" to climbing trees with a ladybug and even shaping your own roller-coaster track!
The actual twin shooting gameplay can get very repetitive and could've done with a bigger variety of enemies and aura types. Still, the minute to minute collectathon dynamics guarantee you'll never feel bored. There's no incentive to get every star, yet I ended up getting them all just because it was fun - Hauntii is always nudging you towards exploration.
Huge props to the insanely talented 1-bit visual style and the fully orchestral soundtrack, which ranks among some of the most beautiful ambient tracks I've had the pleasure of listening for a while. Both definitely inspired by Hollow Knight.
I want to like this game more than I do, but it just lacks depth in many fields. The aesthetic is cute, but repetitive. The actual game mechanics don't have great game feel, the main character is quite slow, the "puzzles" are not really puzzles at all, the story is endearing yet shallow. This game is quite comfy, but I will be putting it aside potentially indefinitely unless maybe I get sick to the point that thinking hurts and there's a nice thunderstorm outside to set the ambience.
There's something about playing Hauntii that's just incredibly irritating to me. I notice annoyance rising in my body when I play this game longer than 30 minutes. The game tries to copy Super Mario Odyssey's task-based reward structure and adapt it to its twin-stick shooter format - which just does not work for me. None of the tasks you do are especially rewarding or complex, they're mostly senseless busywork, of which the game asks you to do a lot of. The twin-stick shooting is decent enough, if it weren't for the really random shooting cooldown and the weird dash - both bearable on their own, but exhausting when put together. Both get improved while playing the game, though I'd argue that having to choose whether you want to improve your dismal health (where you always start off with two hearts even if you unlocked more heart containers) or your weird dash or your annoying shooting cooldown is not a case of fun player choice but moreso allowing them to toggle in which way they want to suffer.
And all of this is such a shame, because Hauntii is an incredibly beautiful game. Like, immensely so. It's gorgeous. From top to bottom. I adore this game's visual style and I went in expecting to love it, but well, I've now dropped it halfway through. I wish its gameplay core was strong enough to be able to see more of its beautiful world. For me, it sadly wasn't.
And all of this is such a shame, because Hauntii is an incredibly beautiful game. Like, immensely so. It's gorgeous. From top to bottom. I adore this game's visual style and I went in expecting to love it, but well, I've now dropped it halfway through. I wish its gameplay core was strong enough to be able to see more of its beautiful world. For me, it sadly wasn't.
- 👻 -
Artisticamente muy lindo pero no me termino de gustar en casi nada :/
Tal vez lo juego un tiempo después.
Artisticamente muy lindo pero no me termino de gustar en casi nada :/
Tal vez lo juego un tiempo después.
Accettare ciò che non vogliamo accettare.
Ammettere ciò che non vogliamo ammettere.
Il termine del nostro percorso di vita.
La piccolezza della nostra esistenza.
Questo è ciò che Hauntii prova a trasmetterci con le sue cupe immagini e la sua originale arte.
Come si può intuire da un primo sguardo all'opera di Moonloop, questo gioco esplorerà varie tematiche inerenti a quel reame ancora oggi celato, ovvero la morte.
Noi giocatori vestiremo i panni, o i lenzuoli, di Hauntii, un fantasmino nero da poco deceduto; per adempire al suo scopo e quindi ascendere ad un piano esistenziale di pace eterna, dovrà farsi aiutare da un "Eternian", uno spiritello bianco simile ad un angelo custode, insieme al quale dovrà liberarsi da quattro catene che lo tengono ancorato ad una sorta di purgatorio.
Poco dopo, si scoprirà che per assolvere a tale compito sarà necessario privarsi di una parte importantissima del proprio essere, cosa che genererà dubbi e incertezze nei confronti della nostra guida angelica.
L'incipit della trama di Hauntii è intrigante e lascia spazio a numerose considerazioni di natura filosofica o introspettiva, nonché [la trama] fautrice di alte aspettative per lo sviluppo della stessa... sviluppo che non viene mai esplicitato.
Sebbene ciò non costituisca un vero e proprio errore, poiché rendere sezioni narrative libere di essere interpretate in vari modi è una licenza poetica da parte dell'autore del tutto legittima, dà al giocatore una sgradevole sensazione di spaesamento, in quanto, di punto in bianco, certi argomenti, fino a quel momento didascalici, verranno apparentemente dimenticati fino alla fine del gioco.
Stilisticamente Hauntii è una vera delizia, un'avventura soprannaturale bicromatica in cui, al bianco, verrà alternato un colore freddo, diverso a seconda del livello, sia esso nero, verde scuro, blu e così via. Tale scelta di colori risulta vincente per dare l'idea di un luogo privo di vita e, al tempo stesso, vario e vibrante.
Il nostro piccolo Hauntii e gli altri personaggi che incontreremo durante il viaggio sono caratterizzati da un semplice, ma gradevole, sprite in due dimensioni disegnato a mano, e si muoveranno in un ambiente che, sebbene appaia anch'esso bidimensionale, presenta una sua profondità, arrivando così la concetto di "2,5D".
Mentre a livello artistico tutto ciò regala scorci indimenticabili e certi frame che sembrano dipinti a inchiostro, sul lato ludico ciò presenta alcune criticità.
Come spesso accade nei giochi in 2,5D, calcolare la distanza tra due punti posti uno dietro l'altro potrà essere fonte di problemi di orientamento, aggravati nel caso in cui sarà necessario muoversi con una certa rapidità. Oltretutto, certi elementi di sfondo, che per motivi di prospettiva sono passati in primo piano, si sovrappongono esageratamente all'azione principale di gioco, fornendo una sensazione di confusione generale. Nulla di troppo grave, dato che ci si abituerà dopo poco tempo a questi inconvenienti, ma non vanno sottovalutati.
La feature regina di Hauntii, come suggerisce il nome, è quella di "infestare" oggetti e personaggi, grazie ai quali risolvere enigmi e ottenere stelle, elementi chiave per il completamento del gioco e il potenziamento del personaggio. Certo, il gameplay non spicca di originalità, dato che ricorda da vicino titoli come Super Mario Odyssey e Jak & Daxter, ma non per questo risulterà noioso. Questa reinterpretazione dei classici saprà regalare una decina di ore di divertimento, sia nell'esplorare i tanti livelli di ampio respiro, sia nel risolvere i tanti piccoli enigmi, mai troppo complessi, che il mondo di gioco ha da offrire. Inoltre, sarà presente un sistema shooting alla "Isaac", che ci metterà alla prova durante alcune sezioni bullet-hell o in piccole ordalie di spettri corrotti. Ancora una volta si tratta di parti semplici, forse un poco ripetitive per via di una limitata diversificazione di nemici, ma mai ridondanti o noiose.
Collezionare tutte le stelle non sarà obbligatorio e non ci sarà un reale premio per esortare il giocatore a farlo, ma nonostante ciò verrà naturale darsi da fare per completare il più possibile tutte le quest, per il semplice fatto che è divertente e rilassante.
Purtroppo, a rovinare l'entusiasmo di un grazioso comparto ludico, ci si mettono alcuni bug che minano il corretto avanzamento del gioco; un esempio è lo spawnare già morti tra una fase e l'altra di una bossfight, perdendo così ingiustamente vita, laddove sarà molto difficile riguadagnarla; un altro è veder scomparire lo sprite del nostro o di altri personaggi, salvo poi riapparire a intermittenza per qualche minuto, prima che si risolva tutto (ok che sono fantasmi, ma questo non dovrebbe comunque succedere).
Inoltre, il framerate non è solidissimo e, diciamocelo, talvolta cala senza grande motivo.
Specialmente per una produzione indipendente non si tratta di problemi gravi, tanto che potrebbero persino venir sistemati con una futura patch, però dispiace perché non permetterà all'opera di raggiungere il cuore di più persone, specialmente su PC.
Ciò che il cuore raggiunge, eccome, con forza e decisione, è la colonna sonora, triste e malinconica, ma anche risoluta e carica di speranza. Ogni traccia musicale, del tutto orchestrata, sprigionerà nel cuore di chi ascolta un'emozione sempre diversa, permettendo così agli sviluppatori di comunicare anche laddove vi è una mancanza di dialoghi. Anche la musica è parte integrante di Hauntii, e Hauntii non sarebbe lo stesso senza la sua musica.
Cos'è che ci rende quel che siamo? E ancora, quanto conta realmente la nostra esistenza in relazione ad un'esistenza vasta e umanamente inconcepibile?
Se volete saperne di più, Hauntii darà alcune risposte, a patto che le si desideri realmente cercare.
Ammettere ciò che non vogliamo ammettere.
Il termine del nostro percorso di vita.
La piccolezza della nostra esistenza.
Questo è ciò che Hauntii prova a trasmetterci con le sue cupe immagini e la sua originale arte.
Come si può intuire da un primo sguardo all'opera di Moonloop, questo gioco esplorerà varie tematiche inerenti a quel reame ancora oggi celato, ovvero la morte.
Noi giocatori vestiremo i panni, o i lenzuoli, di Hauntii, un fantasmino nero da poco deceduto; per adempire al suo scopo e quindi ascendere ad un piano esistenziale di pace eterna, dovrà farsi aiutare da un "Eternian", uno spiritello bianco simile ad un angelo custode, insieme al quale dovrà liberarsi da quattro catene che lo tengono ancorato ad una sorta di purgatorio.
Poco dopo, si scoprirà che per assolvere a tale compito sarà necessario privarsi di una parte importantissima del proprio essere, cosa che genererà dubbi e incertezze nei confronti della nostra guida angelica.
L'incipit della trama di Hauntii è intrigante e lascia spazio a numerose considerazioni di natura filosofica o introspettiva, nonché [la trama] fautrice di alte aspettative per lo sviluppo della stessa... sviluppo che non viene mai esplicitato.
Sebbene ciò non costituisca un vero e proprio errore, poiché rendere sezioni narrative libere di essere interpretate in vari modi è una licenza poetica da parte dell'autore del tutto legittima, dà al giocatore una sgradevole sensazione di spaesamento, in quanto, di punto in bianco, certi argomenti, fino a quel momento didascalici, verranno apparentemente dimenticati fino alla fine del gioco.
Stilisticamente Hauntii è una vera delizia, un'avventura soprannaturale bicromatica in cui, al bianco, verrà alternato un colore freddo, diverso a seconda del livello, sia esso nero, verde scuro, blu e così via. Tale scelta di colori risulta vincente per dare l'idea di un luogo privo di vita e, al tempo stesso, vario e vibrante.
Il nostro piccolo Hauntii e gli altri personaggi che incontreremo durante il viaggio sono caratterizzati da un semplice, ma gradevole, sprite in due dimensioni disegnato a mano, e si muoveranno in un ambiente che, sebbene appaia anch'esso bidimensionale, presenta una sua profondità, arrivando così la concetto di "2,5D".
Mentre a livello artistico tutto ciò regala scorci indimenticabili e certi frame che sembrano dipinti a inchiostro, sul lato ludico ciò presenta alcune criticità.
Come spesso accade nei giochi in 2,5D, calcolare la distanza tra due punti posti uno dietro l'altro potrà essere fonte di problemi di orientamento, aggravati nel caso in cui sarà necessario muoversi con una certa rapidità. Oltretutto, certi elementi di sfondo, che per motivi di prospettiva sono passati in primo piano, si sovrappongono esageratamente all'azione principale di gioco, fornendo una sensazione di confusione generale. Nulla di troppo grave, dato che ci si abituerà dopo poco tempo a questi inconvenienti, ma non vanno sottovalutati.
La feature regina di Hauntii, come suggerisce il nome, è quella di "infestare" oggetti e personaggi, grazie ai quali risolvere enigmi e ottenere stelle, elementi chiave per il completamento del gioco e il potenziamento del personaggio. Certo, il gameplay non spicca di originalità, dato che ricorda da vicino titoli come Super Mario Odyssey e Jak & Daxter, ma non per questo risulterà noioso. Questa reinterpretazione dei classici saprà regalare una decina di ore di divertimento, sia nell'esplorare i tanti livelli di ampio respiro, sia nel risolvere i tanti piccoli enigmi, mai troppo complessi, che il mondo di gioco ha da offrire. Inoltre, sarà presente un sistema shooting alla "Isaac", che ci metterà alla prova durante alcune sezioni bullet-hell o in piccole ordalie di spettri corrotti. Ancora una volta si tratta di parti semplici, forse un poco ripetitive per via di una limitata diversificazione di nemici, ma mai ridondanti o noiose.
Collezionare tutte le stelle non sarà obbligatorio e non ci sarà un reale premio per esortare il giocatore a farlo, ma nonostante ciò verrà naturale darsi da fare per completare il più possibile tutte le quest, per il semplice fatto che è divertente e rilassante.
Purtroppo, a rovinare l'entusiasmo di un grazioso comparto ludico, ci si mettono alcuni bug che minano il corretto avanzamento del gioco; un esempio è lo spawnare già morti tra una fase e l'altra di una bossfight, perdendo così ingiustamente vita, laddove sarà molto difficile riguadagnarla; un altro è veder scomparire lo sprite del nostro o di altri personaggi, salvo poi riapparire a intermittenza per qualche minuto, prima che si risolva tutto (ok che sono fantasmi, ma questo non dovrebbe comunque succedere).
Inoltre, il framerate non è solidissimo e, diciamocelo, talvolta cala senza grande motivo.
Specialmente per una produzione indipendente non si tratta di problemi gravi, tanto che potrebbero persino venir sistemati con una futura patch, però dispiace perché non permetterà all'opera di raggiungere il cuore di più persone, specialmente su PC.
Ciò che il cuore raggiunge, eccome, con forza e decisione, è la colonna sonora, triste e malinconica, ma anche risoluta e carica di speranza. Ogni traccia musicale, del tutto orchestrata, sprigionerà nel cuore di chi ascolta un'emozione sempre diversa, permettendo così agli sviluppatori di comunicare anche laddove vi è una mancanza di dialoghi. Anche la musica è parte integrante di Hauntii, e Hauntii non sarebbe lo stesso senza la sua musica.
Cos'è che ci rende quel che siamo? E ancora, quanto conta realmente la nostra esistenza in relazione ad un'esistenza vasta e umanamente inconcepibile?
Se volete saperne di più, Hauntii darà alcune risposte, a patto che le si desideri realmente cercare.
nothing to especially write home about in terms of story and gameplay however i still absolutely adored this charming little indie game and the art on its own is absolutely breath-taking.
i also adore the soundtrack of this game and think it adds to the ambience of the different worlds this game offers, so if you dont end up playing, i'd atleast check that out.
finally, the devs are very active in terms of fixing bugs and issues with the game, especially within the game's reddit server. not many guides are made for the game that contain all collectibles with proper 100% completion but i managed to get close with only one achievement off simply because i couldn't be asked hunting around for anymore hats.
i also adore the soundtrack of this game and think it adds to the ambience of the different worlds this game offers, so if you dont end up playing, i'd atleast check that out.
finally, the devs are very active in terms of fixing bugs and issues with the game, especially within the game's reddit server. not many guides are made for the game that contain all collectibles with proper 100% completion but i managed to get close with only one achievement off simply because i couldn't be asked hunting around for anymore hats.
What's great: The art style and music are wonderful. Just listen to the soundtrack on streaming (Spotify and Apple Music). It's phenomenal. The little animated cutscenes after unlocking each new constellation. Some affecting vignettes. You can sort of extrapolate what sort of person Hauntii was before their death. It's all very evocative and makes one reflect on their own life. I also love some of the world design. Especially the amusement park entrance.
The gameplay is this strange mix of twin-stick shooter combat combined with the puzzle design of Super Mario Odyssey/BOTW. So there's a lot of trial and error as you make your way around these surprisingly big levels and mess around with different npc's, items, and enemies. Using your haunt power to embody a wide number of npc's and inanimate objects. Finding hidden stars along the way. Some of the puzzle designs were really cool, but unfortunately, too much of it is repeated.
What's bad: The upgrade system doesn't give out upgrades enough to feel a frequent enough sense of progression. It's made worse by the upgrade station not being easily accessible on a lot of levels in the world. So I had stars I could have used to upgrade but I had to wait for another station or backtrack back to one, which would take forever.
The story of your relationship and attraction with an Eternian, another type of being, goes completely unexplained. The main baddie in the game seems half-baked. Some Eternian-hating lady with a bunch of Minion-like characters as her goons. Also some levels are dead zones for health points. That led to some extremely frustrating moments where I couldn't get health unless I backtracked.
There are quite a few visual bugs. Nothing major. All the bad aspects of Hauntii added up. The backtracking, health dead zones, bad antagonist, the lack of upgrades, and the story issues. I wish I could have seen the story to its conclusion, but I had to call it. I will be listening to the soundtrack for a while though. It's that good.
The gameplay is this strange mix of twin-stick shooter combat combined with the puzzle design of Super Mario Odyssey/BOTW. So there's a lot of trial and error as you make your way around these surprisingly big levels and mess around with different npc's, items, and enemies. Using your haunt power to embody a wide number of npc's and inanimate objects. Finding hidden stars along the way. Some of the puzzle designs were really cool, but unfortunately, too much of it is repeated.
What's bad: The upgrade system doesn't give out upgrades enough to feel a frequent enough sense of progression. It's made worse by the upgrade station not being easily accessible on a lot of levels in the world. So I had stars I could have used to upgrade but I had to wait for another station or backtrack back to one, which would take forever.
The story of your relationship and attraction with an Eternian, another type of being, goes completely unexplained. The main baddie in the game seems half-baked. Some Eternian-hating lady with a bunch of Minion-like characters as her goons. Also some levels are dead zones for health points. That led to some extremely frustrating moments where I couldn't get health unless I backtracked.
There are quite a few visual bugs. Nothing major. All the bad aspects of Hauntii added up. The backtracking, health dead zones, bad antagonist, the lack of upgrades, and the story issues. I wish I could have seen the story to its conclusion, but I had to call it. I will be listening to the soundtrack for a while though. It's that good.
A beautiful game. But beneath all the lovely hand-drawn scenery and characters there is very little to the experience.
Walking slowly through environments which offer little in the way of gameplay variety but also demand you complete a set (yet undefined) number of repetitive tasks in order progress makes the "7-8 hour" runtime feel like a goal the developers inflated towards rather than landed on naturally.
Walking slowly through environments which offer little in the way of gameplay variety but also demand you complete a set (yet undefined) number of repetitive tasks in order progress makes the "7-8 hour" runtime feel like a goal the developers inflated towards rather than landed on naturally.
Decent game. The artstyle and music is wonderful, but the gameplay is pretty repetitive. The game is also quite long for an indie game, so it feels like it goes on for a bit with the same gameplay. That said, I had fun and enjoyed it. Not bad at all.
Hauntii feels a bit short of its full potential, for me. Which is hard to imagine, since on the surface this is a jaw-dropping game. Clearly, a lot of effort was put into it. One look at the screen ought to tell you that. Gorgeous animated sprite work and visual excellence can take a game far, dynamic soundtracks can uplift it further. What felt missing was everything in between. And at first, I was a bit upset at this because Hauntii is a very creative project that I wanted to love. But the more I played, the more drained I felt, I'd put it down. Wake up the next morning, remember how pretty it was, be excited. Start playing and immediately become tired again.
To explain why though I'd have to introduce the gameplay loop, which consists of a few different things. Hauntii has you play as a recently departed ghost, searching for his lost memories. To find them, one must travel through Eternity collecting Mario Odyssey-esque stars, which can then be taken to shrines and transformed into constellations. Each shows you one memory of your previous life in a darling little animated cutscene, four or five of these together creating a jewel- which is your main objective. Obtaining stars is a means of exercising the true components of the gameplay: possessing objects and bullet hell. Possession is the more fun (and thematic) of the two, with there being a bunch of unique enemies and inanimate things to take control of that change the way you move and interact in the world significantly. The combat is... not so exciting. There are a few problems with it, first one being that you can never actually upgrade the damage/speed at which you fire, only how much you can shoot until you need to reload. And you attack very slowly. It doesnt feel satisfying to do in the way that other shmups succeed at. Secondly, this is a 2.5D game that only lets you attack in 8 directions. But you, and other things, can move in a 3D space. Its so fucking difficult to aim. I cant emphasize how hard it is to line yourself up with anything and hit them successfully.
This is another huge problem with Hauntii: the depth perception is atrocious. Maneuvering around objects, going up stairs, hitting a target, going through race rings- doing anything besides pretty much just moving gave me immense problems. Sometimes I feel like the game forgets that its monochromatic, the color scheme also makes it difficult to parse what youre actually looking at occassionally. There is a segment- a very big story moment- where youre possessing a whale, near the end. To attack you have to go down into the (normally!) white colored sand, and then rise back up and flop down onto your enemy. This is difficult to do normally. But then Hauntii decides to make you attack a moving ship (many, many times per phase) with the screen super zoomed out. Youre also in a black and white vortex, which is swirling, moving (sickeningly) and youre also moving (cant see yourself against the background) and the ship is moving (and attacking you) and everything is small and it sucks it sucks it sucks and the game is just completely unaware that this is in any way challenging cause it makes you do it for 30 minutes straight. If you get hit a few times you have to do it all over.
So, you go through Eternity, fighting a few enemies and solving a few puzzles, and you find yourself amassing a hoarde of stars. Like, a lot of stars. 20 at least. You begin to get tired looking for stars because you simply have way too many of them- and you want to progress the story- but theres no shrine around to deposit the stars in and on your way to one you find MORE stars and you just really have too many of these things. When you finally get to the shrine, you unlock all the memories at once. And then for the rest of the level there is no backstory, no story at all usually- and youre still collecting stars which feel partially useless because you cant use them till the next area unlocks. Games about death tend to make me very upset, see: Spiritfarer, which I could not finish because it made me feel too empty. But with Hauntii, past the first opening segment, the story and your motivations just completely dry up. The game also puts a large emphasis on your angel companion, who works to help you ascend, but past the frontloaded worldbuilding theyre either not there or just float around following you. And I would want to love them, I want to feel wretched when shes taken away but... I dont! Feel! Anything! Because the story is so all over the place! And I dont understand why because it has just a good premise, I should be crying! But I'm not. You dont even get to see why you died.
And I didnt get it, until I got to the final segment of the game. Where you and the angel ascend. And she lifts you up into the sky, and its really, really breathtaking. Then a vocal track begins playing. Thats when it hit me. This is a music video game. This is a game that does best when youre just watching it unfold. The second you actually have to play it, the wonder of it kind of fades away and youre struggling to go up stairs and shoot an enemy that is slightly to the left and up, but its visual prowess and soundtrack really are beautiful things to see. Then the angel lets go of our hand, and our protagonist evaporates. And then the game was over. So I sat there. It was truly very pretty and ethereal. But if I am left with one singular lasting emotion, it's that I simply wish it had been more.
To explain why though I'd have to introduce the gameplay loop, which consists of a few different things. Hauntii has you play as a recently departed ghost, searching for his lost memories. To find them, one must travel through Eternity collecting Mario Odyssey-esque stars, which can then be taken to shrines and transformed into constellations. Each shows you one memory of your previous life in a darling little animated cutscene, four or five of these together creating a jewel- which is your main objective. Obtaining stars is a means of exercising the true components of the gameplay: possessing objects and bullet hell. Possession is the more fun (and thematic) of the two, with there being a bunch of unique enemies and inanimate things to take control of that change the way you move and interact in the world significantly. The combat is... not so exciting. There are a few problems with it, first one being that you can never actually upgrade the damage/speed at which you fire, only how much you can shoot until you need to reload. And you attack very slowly. It doesnt feel satisfying to do in the way that other shmups succeed at. Secondly, this is a 2.5D game that only lets you attack in 8 directions. But you, and other things, can move in a 3D space. Its so fucking difficult to aim. I cant emphasize how hard it is to line yourself up with anything and hit them successfully.
This is another huge problem with Hauntii: the depth perception is atrocious. Maneuvering around objects, going up stairs, hitting a target, going through race rings- doing anything besides pretty much just moving gave me immense problems. Sometimes I feel like the game forgets that its monochromatic, the color scheme also makes it difficult to parse what youre actually looking at occassionally. There is a segment- a very big story moment- where youre possessing a whale, near the end. To attack you have to go down into the (normally!) white colored sand, and then rise back up and flop down onto your enemy. This is difficult to do normally. But then Hauntii decides to make you attack a moving ship (many, many times per phase) with the screen super zoomed out. Youre also in a black and white vortex, which is swirling, moving (sickeningly) and youre also moving (cant see yourself against the background) and the ship is moving (and attacking you) and everything is small and it sucks it sucks it sucks and the game is just completely unaware that this is in any way challenging cause it makes you do it for 30 minutes straight. If you get hit a few times you have to do it all over.
So, you go through Eternity, fighting a few enemies and solving a few puzzles, and you find yourself amassing a hoarde of stars. Like, a lot of stars. 20 at least. You begin to get tired looking for stars because you simply have way too many of them- and you want to progress the story- but theres no shrine around to deposit the stars in and on your way to one you find MORE stars and you just really have too many of these things. When you finally get to the shrine, you unlock all the memories at once. And then for the rest of the level there is no backstory, no story at all usually- and youre still collecting stars which feel partially useless because you cant use them till the next area unlocks. Games about death tend to make me very upset, see: Spiritfarer, which I could not finish because it made me feel too empty. But with Hauntii, past the first opening segment, the story and your motivations just completely dry up. The game also puts a large emphasis on your angel companion, who works to help you ascend, but past the frontloaded worldbuilding theyre either not there or just float around following you. And I would want to love them, I want to feel wretched when shes taken away but... I dont! Feel! Anything! Because the story is so all over the place! And I dont understand why because it has just a good premise, I should be crying! But I'm not. You dont even get to see why you died.
And I didnt get it, until I got to the final segment of the game. Where you and the angel ascend. And she lifts you up into the sky, and its really, really breathtaking. Then a vocal track begins playing. Thats when it hit me. This is a music video game. This is a game that does best when youre just watching it unfold. The second you actually have to play it, the wonder of it kind of fades away and youre struggling to go up stairs and shoot an enemy that is slightly to the left and up, but its visual prowess and soundtrack really are beautiful things to see. Then the angel lets go of our hand, and our protagonist evaporates. And then the game was over. So I sat there. It was truly very pretty and ethereal. But if I am left with one singular lasting emotion, it's that I simply wish it had been more.