Review: Creepy Tale 2 (Nintendo Switch)

Creepy Tale 2 is a platform-adventure title with point-and-click mechanics for the Nintendo Switch. As the name implies, it’s the sequel to 2020’s Creepy Tale. It’s also just as dark and foreboding as the original. 

The standalone story involves a young boy named Lars, whose life is turned upside down when a sinister creature attacks his family and possesses his sister. Our brave protagonist must find his sister and restore peace to the world by defeating the generically named entity known as “Evil”. 

The story is divided into three chapters, each broken down into nicely autosaved segments. Each part presents the player with a confined area, from forests to towns, from which you need to escape by solving puzzles. This forms the basis of the gameplay.

Lars can walk around his environment and interact with certain elements. These are made obvious by symbols that appear once close. The game involves manipulating these elements in order to progress, with a wide variety of tasks ranging from coaxing a cat to leave its high perch to awakening a robot-like entity and using it to cross a lake. The diversity makes for an interesting story, though some stand out as being somewhat left-field. For example, I’m not even sure how to properly explain the one where you need to acquire a fruit from a tree by creating two levers, blowing air into the tree, and knocking on a little window that’s opened by an odd creature to let the fruit fall. 

Despite that strange example, I found the puzzles in this sequel to be a little more intuitive than in the original game. For the most part, I was able to proceed without as much frustration. There are still some head scratchers, but – once again – patience along with trial and error are the keys to success.

The graphics are also an improvement on the original. The dark tones and washed-out hues of gray and brown remain, but everything looks sharper, including the sprites. The atmospheric music is also retained, which successfully completes the chilling tone. There’s a strong narrative element too, complete with full voice acting. This helps create an even more immersive experience. 

The game is rated T for blood and violence, and it’s worthy of that rating. There are some genuine scares in here, usually in the form of a quick and unexpected death. As with the first title, respawning is quick and close by, helping to maintain a great flow.

Creepy Tale 2 is a little more expensive than the original, though it’s also much longer. This time you’ll find yourself spending a few hours completing the story, rather than under one hour. Both games are actually on sale in the eShop right now, so it’s a good time to pick them up.

Overall, Creepy Tale 2 is another aptly named title and a worthy successor, with polished graphics and tighter puzzles than the original. It should keep you busy for several hours and will appeal to fans of point-and-click style adventures with horror elements.