Developer: Rasul Mono
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: Switch
The Guise – Review
A couple of years ago, solo indie developer Rasul Mono brought us their twisted fairytale The Guise on Steam. Since a month or so, the game has also been ported to Switch, which is the version we’re reviewing today. The visuals are unique enough to draw us into what this creepy world has to offer, though retaining our humanity when we’ve been contorted into a monster can be a challenge. This challenge is one with an uncertain ending. Are you brave enough to face the darkness within?
Story
The game starts off with some cryptic text that explains the strange setting this story takes place in. After the world was created by a benevolent god called ‘the father of all’, he entrusted said world to his twelve magical children. Strife and hostility broke out among the siblings though, and unable to hurt each other, they instead aimed their mythical ire at the poor mortals. Their fighting plunged the world into darkness and this is the cause of the monsters you face in the game.
You play as an orphan boy named Ogden. After putting on a mysterious mask he found in his headmistress’ private quarters, Ogden is transformed into a four-legged creature. The headmistress scolds him for his blatant disregard for the rules, then tells him he’ll have to set out himself to find somebody who can help him with such ancient magic. The journey will be hard with monsters roaming the wild and Ogden will have to try his hardest to keep his humanity intact in the face of all this evil. The game has multiple endings, depending on your choices.
Graphics
The visuals might be the most striking thing about The Guise. It lives up to its name as a twisted fairytale, having a hand-drawn aesthetic that reminds us of Tim Burton. The environments are dark and dreary, with pops of color to accentuate where necessary. The latter is an effective method of making certain things stand out more in the grim world of The Guise. Monsters of different shapes and sizes lurk in the shadows, and the many enemy designs in this game are very creative and fun – especially the bosses. The game makes clever use of background and foreground elements to give depth to what otherwise would be a simple side-scroller. The game also has a handful of beautifully animated cutscenes.
Sound
The soundtrack of this game is surprisingly whimsical for the creepy atmosphere, but it works perfectly. Especially with the more realistic and scary sound effects layered on top. Whistling wind chases you through the cursed forest and overall the atmosphere is greatly enhanced by the sound design, adding to the experience. Every area of the game you visit has its own themes and music, which is pretty cool. The game does not contain any voice acting, though the monsters do make some fun guttural sounds.
Gameplay
The Guise is a Metroidvania through and through, though it might surprise players that the game is considerably easier than most others in the genre. This makes it perfect for beginners. You start the game with a simple slash attack and a roll which you use to dodge the enemies. The first special ability you unlock is ‘absorb’. This allows you to absorb the energy of the creatures you kill. This energy can be used to heal yourself but it also means that sometimes you get to absorb their ability when they are bosses. Another thing you collect by killing enemies is eyes. The eye collector is more than happy to take those off your hands and give you upgrades in return, meaning they’re the game’s main currency. Though there are also nine totems, which similarly make your character stronger or grant passive quirks.
The amount of abilities and upgrades in the game is impressive, though they balance well against the number of enemies. The entire map is filled with monsters to an almost ridiculous degree. Thankfully they’re not very smart and once you know their patterns, The Guise can become ridiculously easy at times. Like in most Metroidvanias, you can go back to areas you’ve explored before and find new passageways or areas to access when you unlock new abilities. This means there’s a lot of backtracking, though it doesn’t become tedious.
The game only allows you to save at specific save points. This does make things slightly more challenging, and if you die, you are at risk of losing a lot of progress. We wouldn’t call it a hard game though. You can get through a lot of encounters by simply button mashing and some upgrades of your abilities turn them into one-hit-kill moves with unlimited uses. Once you unlock those, traveling anywhere is a walk in the park. For completionists, there are plenty of secrets to uncover and collectibles to gather, as well as multiple endings if you’re into that sort of thing.
Conclusion
The Guise does not disappoint if you’re looking for an enjoyable experience that can impress in the graphical department, while also having some interesting lore and gameplay that doesn’t take long to master. If you want a harder challenge, this game might not be your cup of tea. This, of course, doesn’t mean hardcore Metroidvania fans can’t enjoy this one. Just stay away from the dark.
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