IT'S NOT YOUR USUAL HAUNT
Beautiful monochromatic masterpiece sees your ghostly character explore a new ethereal world
HAUNTII
(PEGI 3) PS5, XBOX X/S, Switch, PC ★★★★☆
MY partner is always telling me that ghosts don’t exist.
And while I’m begrudgingly inclined to agree, I like to think life would be just that little bit more interesting if they did.
As a lover of all things spooky, I was instantly drawn to this beautiful little adventure from indie developer Moonloop Games.
The name caught my eye, but it was the graphics that hooked me in. The game takes place in Eternity, an ethereal world our titular hero finds themselves crashing into.
Hauntii is a ghost, a curious spirit who loves nothing better than having a nosy around.
At the centre of Eternity is a looming tower. A mysterious race of glowing creatures, called Eternians, guide lost souls towards it and from there they appear to ascend to a higher plane.
But what are the Eternians, and where did they come from?
After narrowly avoiding being dragged up into the heavens from the ominous tower, Hauntii sets off in search of answers.
Eternity is split into different worlds, each with several stages to work your way through.
The artwork is breathtaking, creating landscapes and environments which create a bewitching atmosphere. Blacks and greys are used to incredible effect against single hues of blue, turquoise and pink, bursts of colour popping against the monochrome.
The game’s opening minutes act as a tutorial for the twin-stick controls, showing you how to move along the paths of light, and how to possess objects in order to manipulate them.
Stray from the light too long and purple-eyed monsters begin to gather, clutching at you as the game’s delicate jazz soundtrack begins to warp.
At its most basic, this game is a collectathon, you move around the various worlds collecting items to solve puzzles as you go.
The possession mechanic is the clever bit, with you first starting out taking over inanimate objects like stone statues to move around, or trees to shake down in search of goodies.
But as you progress you find yourself seizing control of an array of weird and wonderful things like a roller coaster, a whale and beetles.
The stars that lie scattered around the levels are the key to your progression. Sadly the puzzles themselves are a bit hit and miss. I found the game the most fun when I was allowed to go about solving a puzzle my own way, and while the complexity of the challenges increases as the game goes on, they’re never too difficult – which I was fine with.
Hauntii is far from perfect. The plot is a little lacking, and trying to find lost stars with no real help was frustrating.
But for all that, I fell head over heels for the beguiling world in which this game exists, and the cute little spirits that call it home.
Blacks & greys are used to incredible effect against single hues of turquoise and pink
■ Buy it: £16.99 (free to play if you have game pass) on XBOX X/S at xbox.com, £15.99 (on offer at £12.79 until June 6) on PS5 at store.playstation.com, £16.99 (on offer at £13.59 until June 6) on Switch at nintendo.com and £16.99 (on offer at £13.59 until June 6) on PC at store. steampowered.com