Gylt (2019)

Gylt is a game I apparently tried once and dropped, but finally got around to finishing. It is technically a survival horror of sorts, which is kinda all i feel like playing lately, so I ended up seeing this one through. Thematically, it’s very similar to Fear The Spotlight - you are exploring a school type setting - and it has the same underlying themes of bullying and its consequences.

But Gylt is just not nearly as good as Fear the Spotlight. The art style, monsters, environments - just very meh. More spooky than scary, and fairly generic at that. The gameplay is also meh, half-hearted puzzles and really boring combat/stealth.

I liked it just enough to finish. It’s got a decent map, and it has some fun level design/puzzle moments, but mostly it’s a bit tedious to play. I can’t really recommend it unless you have absolutely nothing else to play.

Released in 2019 exclusively for Stadia and then in 2023 for normal platforms, this is a neat indie horror game made by Tequila Works.

The story is simple: You're a high schooler named Sally searching for your lost cousin Emily, and while pasting Missing posters through the city you get chased by the bullies until you fall into a bizarre universe where everything is dark and there are monsters that want to hurt you.

The gameplay is also simple. You travel around the city with a flashlight that can kill the monsters but has a limited battery, just like in Alan Wake. There are some puzzles around the way, but nothing particularly difficult, as the game is really easy, and even if you die you will respawn a couple of meters away, so there isn't a lot of tension here. Also, the themes and violence are tame, so this is a perfect game for kids and people just starting into the horror genre.

Along the way, you can find collectibles, like books and pictures with lore, so if you want to know more about the world and characters they are a must-get, especially some of them that are necessary if you want to get a good ending. This isn't a long game at all, and you can complete it under 10 hours, so doing a 100% run isn't that hard and it's worth doing if you want to get the full experience.

However, don't expect anything revolutionary from this game. This is basically Silent Hill lite, the inspiration is obvious and the main difference is that the focus is bullying and school, which works for the story, but it makes the whole experience feel like a DLC of a bigger game that doesn't exist.

Still, it is entertaining and the lore is interesting enough to motivate you to get all the collectibles, so I'd recommend playing if you want a family-friendly horror game that you can complete in under one week, especially if you are a fan of Silent Hill.

I see what this game is going for, but way too much of the play time is spent with a truly dull stealth system. Like it clearly wants to be "Silent Hill, for kids" but I don't think kids would have the patience for it.

Really sad to say, but I think the world would not have lost much if this stayed on Stadia. Like I'm glad it escaped, I even got a physical copy, but... Yeah, I'm really bored with this one. Time to drop it on eBay.