yall don't know how much I needed a game like this after playing Prey. I bought it 5 months ago and I just got around to playing it and it's INCREDIBLE.

I would've given it a 4.5 but it's really short and it's still in early access BUT either way, don't let the early access tagline stop you from playing it!! It's REALLY GOOD

I loved the RE4 inventory system so much -seriously all games should have it at this point lmao-
loved how the shadows are literally a mechanic in the game and how you can hide IN them
I LOVED the light ring and how it genuinely makes the game clean -it's HUDless which is so cool-
Loved the save system phonograph which is basically like the old typewriters in Resident Evil
I especially loved it in the first area since it wasn't linear like the other two but I'm not gonna lie... after finishing the second area I thought it was kinda annoying and didn't really serve ANY purpose but hey it's still a pretty cool idea after all


Here are some stuff/concerns that I hope will get fixed or added in later updates:
1- I thought the 'looting for money' thing was great, but why would put it IN the game if I can't do anything with it YET?? I kept all the raw gems and the brooches throughout the whole game in my ALREADY LIMITED INVENTORY and apparently, it was literally for nothing?? I'm sorry but that is so dumb

2- the A.I., the way to see my HP, and climbing are a bit clunky but it's okay they aren't THAT bad and I'm pretty sure they'll get fixed sooner or later

3- I'd love it if they'd be a little more specific when I pick up a key, yeah I know I just praised the game for how clean it looks but keys look literally the same and I don't want to stop what I'm doing to open every locked door in the area to check if I was using the right key or not.

4- I know it's kinda pointless but I'd love if they put my playthrough's stats when I finish one -like dishonored maybe-

5- WE NEED MORE NON-LINEAR LEVELS LIKE THE FIRST ONE!!!!!!!!


Anyways, Gloomwood isn't perfect YET by no means. Still, it's genuinely awesome and I seriously do NOT remember the last time I played an immersive sim without having to go through a hassle like 99% of the time lmao. I repeat I highly recommend it even in its current state and I'm so excited for it to be finished. وصح الديفولبر يشبه اوسمز خخخخ

(This review was made during early access)

Gloomwood is another game from New Blood Interactive and like their other games it’s awesome. In Gloomwood you play as “The Doctor” who has been kidnapped by the sickly huntsmen. Shortly after you are rescued by the mysterious merchant and are set free to start your journey into the nearby city.

Gloomwood takes heavy inspiration from the Thief games, for god sake the developers used to own the domain “thiefwithguns.com” that would link to the games steampage. This doesn't mean that Gloomwood doesn't have its own identity. Right now Gloomwood focuses a lot more on the rural setting unlike Thief that sticks to an urban setting. secondly just like the domain says Gloomwood has GUNS and nice ones at that. Gloomwood has more of a flow between combat and stealth instead of Thief sole focus of stealth.

The maps of the game are also great. They have tons of ways to get through them and the immersive sim elements are fun and are logical. I’ve found tons of ways through the levels and interesting ways to use the game's tools too. The only map design thing I really didn't enjoy was The Mines. They were quite short, linear and without many possibilities for creative problem solving. But in the greater scheme of things it is not huge that one level is boring. The current final level is The City and I really enjoyed it. It really encapsulates what I enjoy about immersive sims and stealth games. That is the free form gameplay where you plan your own path with map markers or waypoints. So while there is only one objective in the city I'm excited to see the rest of them and locations get added in the future.

While Gloomwood is far from finished but I see true potential for some truly great even in New Bloods portfolio this is already one of my favorites from New Blood.