Gylt Review (Switch)

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Value

Summary: A perfect introduction to the stealth horror genre for younger gamers and a great time for those who already love it.

3.8

Silent Rhyl

Gylt is a creepy and engaging teen horror that is as touching as times as it is creepy.

It’s a game that wears its influences on its sleeve, feeling a little Coraline, a little Goosebumps, with some added Little Nightmares thrown in for good measure.

Basically, it’s Baby’s first stealth horror game, a non-violent Silent Hill crossed with PS1 classic Heart of Darkness.

You play Sally, a young girl searching for her cousin Emily, who vanished a little over a month ago. After she’s attacked by bullies while posting flyers, Sally escapes by taking a strange cable car back to town, but something isn’t right. It’s deserted, the streets are torn apart, and shadowy creatures are hunting for survivors.

However, when Sally reaches the elementary school, she spots Emily in a second-floor window, and it looks like she’s in trouble. Thus it’s up to you to creep past the horrors

As you sneak through each area, Sally slowly expands and improves her arsenal. She replaces her flashlight with a more heavy-duty one that can blind and burn enemies and a fire extinguisher that freezes them, allowing her to turn the tables on the creepy crows, clowns, and other ominous shadowy creatures stalking the abandoned former mining town.

The stealth mechanics generally work well. It’s easy to sneak about and use the environment to your advantage, and there’s a never-ending supply of soda cans to distract enemies with.

Though the monsters aren’t too clever, each has well-defined behaviours and patterns of attack. They’re aware of you, but it never feels unfair. When you get caught, it’s usually because you overlooked something or tried to push your luck a little too far.

When the monsters do attack, though, it’s difficult to escape as there’s no dodge button. Once you can fight back, it’s hard to effectively wield the flashlight to burn away the shadows before they strike.

Despite this, the boss battles are a highlight as Sally faces some legitimately unsettling monsters, including a weird scuttling spider-like thing with a projector for a face and a flaming demon resembling Krumm from Ahhh! Real Monsters.

When you’re not running for your life or tricking demons into dosing themselves with water, you’ll be figuring out simple yet satisfying environmental puzzles. Lobbing soda cans at far away switches, freezing electrified puddles of water, or redirecting steam jets, as well as hunting for keys and removing some creepier barriers that block your path.

However, none of the puzzles are particularly tricky and nowhere near as obtuse as the recent remake of Alone in the Dark. Each still feels rewarding when the pieces all fit into place, and Sally can proceed to the next area.

The presentation on Switch is solid. As with Tequila Works’ previous titles, Gylt’s art direction carries the title far further than graphical bells and whistles, and the game runs well, though load times are longer than other consoles

Final Thoughts

Gylt is a great survival horror game for teens or those put off by the genre’s usually explicit nature. With clever puzzle design, creepy enemies, and an engaging, well-paced plot, if you’re looking for a game that will give you goosebumps, Gylt is a great bet.

About the Author

Gareth Newnham

Gylt Review (Switch)