I couldn’t begin to enjoy Moonloop Games” Hauntii until I give up the idea of playing the game properly. Chasing a mysterious ghost Hauntiiwonderfully styled afterlife, I asked myself: Am I doing it right? Moonloop games does start by learning about the buttons and their functions, but that’s all. What you do next is up to you. Fortunately, it didn’t take long before I started playing around with what was and wasn’t possible – and started to appreciate Hauntiifew expectations, similar experience I had A short hikeone of my favorite games of all time.
Everything in Hauntii is light or dark; playing as an ink ghost – new to the afterlife – I follow an angelic figure throughout a dark world. I navigate by following the light and creating it where there is none, through Hauntiitwin-stick mechanics. By using one stick to move and the other to shoot, I can shoot at hostile creatures, or I can inhabit objects to release their light, creating a path to wherever I want to go. But where do I go next? Am I going in the right direction? I’m not done yet Hauntiiso I really don’t know. And that’s okay.
Despite the melancholic nature of the setting and the theme of the game, Hauntii it looks aesthetically light and fun; This also applies to the mindset I had when playing this game. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its challenges Hauntii: The afterlife is inhabited by corrupt creatures that must be fought – sometimes by shooting two sticks, and at other times by “haunting” other beings in the environment. For example: There are certain instances where I encounter a terrifying monster with cat ears that carries a blaster. Two, actually. I can jump on one of these monsters and use it to fight the other one. These action sequences start out simple enough, but become more and more difficult as the game progresses, while still being forgiving enough to not disrupt the game’s laid-back atmosphere.
The joy in which I found Hauntii is not a pursuit of this mysterious angelic figure, but – as cliché as it sounds – an exploration that I must make along the way. Hauntii it has fairly clear paths to the “end” of the level, but taking them means missing out on the little surprises scattered throughout the world. These little surprises range from puzzles to interesting characters that you can build Hauntiithe world through short moments of storytelling. That’s a plus Hauntiithe eerie, melancholy soundtrack means this is a world I’m happy to traverse.
There’s a lot to collect Hauntiisome of which are necessary to progress to different sections – forests full of mushrooms, a bustling amusement park, an atmospheric cemetery and more. What I collect leads me to unlock vignette cutscenes depicting memories from my character’s past life, connecting the present journey with the past. It’s all very sweet, sometimes stupid and very sad. For some Hauntii it will start to feel boring as some environments stay in them for too long, but I found that feeling of boredom disappeared again when I let go of what I was supposed to be doing and just sat in the bittersweet feelings of these stories.
I have a unique situation when it comes to the way I play games: due to the nature of my job, I have to play a lot of them. Often this means that I think about the value of my time spent playing effectively and correctly to make sure I could experience the entire game in a reasonable amount of time. It’s hard to shake that feeling when there’s always something new to move on to, and I’m glad Hauntii it reminded me that it’s nice to stay.
Hauntii was released on May 23 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The game could be played on PC via Steam Deck using a download code provided by Moonloop Games. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. Additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy can be found here.
