Hauntii Review – Lost In The Eternity

I have always wondered what the one storytelling trope is that’s hardest to execute but leaves the strongest impression. The answer can vary from person to person, but the conclusion I always arrive at is the”Show, don’t tell” technique. It’s a risky double-edged sword that can elevate a great story to new heights or become its ultimate pitfall. Hauntii is one such beautiful gem that utilizes this technique to its full potential by showing a story that will stay with me for a hauntingly long time.

Hauntii hooked me up from the very second I launched the game, and I need to shill out my thoughts in this review, which I am quite excited about. Let’s talk, shall we?

Story And Setting

Hauntii sets the tone of the story with a brilliant cinematic tutorial that captured my attention from the moment it started. Our adorable protagonist is a ghost who initially seems lost after crash-landing into the magical metropolis of Eternity. Here, we learn that our little soul has entered his afterlife state after meeting demise in his previous life.

I wasn’t expecting such a bleak opening for a game like this since it is all cutesy, but I appreciate how playfully Hauntii explores the darker themes with playful settings and world-building that I often forget about the “Death” part.

Hauntii doesn’t feature any spoken dialogue and it is an artistic choice with the idea behind it to give us players more to observe rather than just tell us how things are and move on

Hauntii is lost and desperate to meet his angel friend so he can find answers about Eternity and how to escape from it. The little guy goes on a journey in which he gets lost and succumbs to the deadly grasp of void demons hiding in places where light doesn’t shine.

Thankfully, a kind angel jumps to the rescue and befriends our guy with the promise of ascending him to the heaven where he belongs. But things don’t go as planned, and the ghost is denied ascension, and he falls back to eternity. 

It is a lot on the shoulders of the little guy, but he seemed determined to find out why he couldn’t reach the next state and what’s holding him back. I finished this beautiful cinematic storytelling in a mere 5 minutes and I immediately loaded up a new profile to play it back again. It is amazing that without a single exposition sequence, I got everything I know about our protagonist and the world he is in now. 

The Hauntii Soundtrack Works Perfectly As the Telling Device

Hauntii doesn’t feature any spoken dialogue and it is an artistic choice with the idea behind it to give us players more to observe rather than just tell us how things are and move on. Bigger sequences that highly change the plot and narrative are masterfully done but let me tell you the real star of the show, Hauntii’s soundtrack. 

It reminded me of early Studio Ghibli movies, where an amazing soundtrack can creatively command the emotional pacing of the scene and story. Whether it’s a dramatic cutscene or an introduction of goofy, funny characters, the OST tells you everything about them.

I almost felt emotional watching the sequence when Angel arrives; her theme song is hauntingly beautiful. The soundtrack is awesome and the best part of the game.

Gameplay

Hauntii is described as a twin-stick puzzle shooter where you can control the character’s movement with one stick and shoot by pushing the other stick in the direction you want to shoot. Hauntii gameplay benefits a lot from a controller input. I own both M&K and a gamepad, so I opted for the gamepad for the best experience possible.

Our tiny ghost, (let’s call him Hauntii) is capable of haunting objects. You may have got the idea by now that by haunting those objects, you can manipulate their movement and abilities to solve the puzzles, which is clever and delivers some creative, head-scratching moments that took me a sweet, sweet time to get through.

Hauntii knows nothing about his past life, which can be uncovered by gathering stars and completing a constellation piece. Each constellation provides a small glimpse of Hauntii’s previous life, which makes for some of the most bittersweet moments in the game.

Healthy Dose Of Combat And Puzzles

I am glad that a game with this minimalist style did not bore me at all. I was skeptical at first and had already made up my mind to lower my expectations in case the gameplay got repetitive. All I had to do was press the shooting stick to defeat the combatants, but this was not the case at all.

Hauntii gameplay benefits a lot from a controller input. I own both M&K and a gamepad so I opt for the gamepad for the best experience possible.

Hauntii puzzles are creative and push towards world-building while also giving us leverage to combat deadly creatures. Those void demons I mentioned above are nasty, and you can bet on your life they will snatch you the moment you stray off the visible white path. But what if there is no path in front of you?

You can haunt the tall trees and shake them off to shed magical stars on the ground. Anywhere the stars touch will create a safe haven where those demons will never dare to approach you. Of course, this special ability is “special” and costs a lot of ghost flames, so be sure to stack those up. You are going to need them for puzzles, sooner or later.

Visuals And Performance

There is no point talking about the graphical performance of such an adorable tiny game. Instead, I would love to talk about the amazing visuals and art style of Hauntii. It’s mindblowing how many great decisions took place behind the development of Hauntii. Whoever thought of creating this beautiful world of Eternity with only just 2 color palettes is a genius.

It is by far one of the loveliest-looking games I have seen in a long time. The art style is hauntingly beautiful, and the colors are minimal, complementing the dark and dramatic themes of the game. It is a gorgeous-looking game that is brimming with charm and life despite dealing with themes of death and the afterlife. 

Verdict

Hauntii is a masterclass in storytelling. You are told everything you want to know through cryptic messages, character interactions, and world-building, but Hauntii’s greatest strength may become its weakness. I loved this method of visual storytelling, but some players may feel alienated by this choice and even run out of patience. 

A little more attention to detail is required here, which becomes crucial in uncovering puzzles and turning the pages of the world-building lore. Hauntii is an adorable ghostly tale that may not terrify you, but it will haunt you for a long time, leaving an incredible lasting impression. I am glad I got to review this game, and I will most probably recommend that you keep it in your gaming library.

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