A First Look at Creepy Tale 2 by flotsam

I am about two and a half hours of playtime in, and it's a definite mixed bag.

Inspired by ancient European fairy tales, Lars is out to rescue his sister from the evil forces that have spirited her away. A cartoon puzzle adventure awaits.

I like the look, and the the soundscape is perfectly fine. The puzzling has so far been largely situational (what do I do here and how do I do it) but there are multi-part clues to one conundrum that gets full marks.

The interface though is way too fiddly. The game plays with the keyboard or a game controller, the mouse being completely redundant. The game tells you at the start that the best experience is a game controller, but having switched back and forth neither overcame the fiddliness. I eventually settled for the keyboard, but it never felt comfortable.

The autosave feature is the other major contributing factor to the mixed bag. I never like not being able to save when I want to, and the inability to do so here meant I had to replay parts of the current chapter more than once simply because I wanted to quit. Part of that was a product of the nature of the conundrum solve; I had had enough of trying things to move forward and wanted a break. While I knew what to do to get me back to where I was, the fact that I had to do it again irritated me.

The area I just finished involved not only finding things, and discerning things, but also doing certain things before certain characters came back to discover what I was doing. It doesn't need a twitchy finger, but you do need to identify a plan and then execute it in a timely fashion. Failing can be a part of working out not failing.

An upside is that there were occasions where I was caught (and killed) but I returned not to the start of the area but to a later point in my endeavor, and still with the items in my inventory that I had acquired before my demise.

So far I am liking some aspects and not really liking others so much. A mixed bag, as I said.

Thanks very much flotsam (and Draclvr)

Can't say it sounds very appealing to me. Rather too much in that "mixed bag" ....

The lack of a save at will feature is generally a deal killer for me.

Thank you very much for the first look, flotsam. A very balanced appraisal.

And thank you too, Drac.

Thanks flotsam and Drac!

It sounds a little disappointing but I have actually already bought the game. I have the first but never played it yet either. Can't. Stop. Buying. Games.

Thanks, flotsam!

Thanks, Drac!

Ana

Thanks flotsam and Drac.

I just bought the bundle of both games. Gave up with the first one pretty quickly as I got REEEEALLY fed up with dying and I'm not nimble-fingered enough to do all that running and jumping stuff especially using only the keyboard. I have a feeling the same will happen with the 2nd game, it's all way too fiddly.
Not quite sure why anyone makes this sort of game. Does anyone actually enjoy playing?

I do, lynthorpe! I love them and play them almost exclusively.

Oooops sorry Just reading the other comments seemed like no one really liked them and I know I'm very picky about the sort of games I like to play. couldn't get on with Tohu either.

Ok I'm back cap in hand. I'm actually quite enjoying the 2nd game but I have got totally stuck in episode 5. I have looked at the papers in the drawer after getting the key but I cannot get out of the close up of the papers. Does anyone know how I get back to the interior of the shed?

Lynthorpe, it's all just a matter of preference!! I know a LOT of people who feel the same way you do!

Anyway, your question would best be asked in the Adventure Games Hints and Help forum.

Glad you gave it another try lynthorpe. That is not my favorite type of gameplay at all but I still attempt to play them.

Well I sorted my previous problem but I've given up now as I can't get past the owls. I've spent hours at it and it's all too frustrating. Not good with quick time stuff so this now another game confined to the "never-to-be-finished" pile.

Sorry to hear that. I haven't attempted this game yet but sometimes I'll just leave a game like this unfinished but installed and try again here and there until I get lucky .