New Blood Interactive has brought us the likes of Dusk and Ultrakill, both grand ventures in modern retro titles. They are back at it again with another modernized retro title that aims to revive the immersive sim genre. Gloomwood is a dark Victorian themed stealth based immersive sim that throws players into a mysterious world. There is a lot of hype for this title and for a good reason. With a community-given tagline of “Thief with guns”, I can confidently say that Gloomwood is much more than just a Thief clone. It is shaping up to be a fantastic survival horror game that we can’t wait to experience the fully finished product. 

Gameplay

Anyone familiar with open-ended games that provide the player with a plethora of choices and various outcomes will be familiar with the term “immersive sim.” Although Gloomwood definitely feels like it is aiming to fit in that niche genre and it sits comfortably well. This is in early access after all and the game is still being developed. That being said, I had a fantastic time surviving the streets of Gloomwood and I truly can not wait for the next big update of content.

You begin your journey in the city of Gloomwood as a prisoner, being held captive for unknown reasons. You play as a doctor and clearly, you are not a local resident. It is up to the player to discover the hidden truth behind the dark dystopian city, sticking to the shadows and conserving ammo, all while uncovering the truth behind the city’s purpose. The game does a fantastic job immersing you into this Victorian-era world in various ways. Overhearing NPC’s conversations about events that have occurred in the city, discovering hidden rooms with journals that reveal more sinister rituals conducted by the local townsfolk, and the city itself are all used phenomenally well to craft an immersive world.

Gloomwood allows you to pick up and interact with many objects in the game. Fans of BioShock, Dishonored, and Deus Ex will feel right at home with the level of interactivity present here. Stacking crates to access higher inaccessible areas, collecting used shotgun shells after combat to later use as a distraction decoy, as well as having to manually reload each bullet in your trusty revolver in order to be fully prepared for the next fight are all fantastic examples of how this game sucks you in and keeps you invested.

Currently, gameplay in Gloomwood is heavily stealth based. Shadows are your best friend and are essential for survival. With only your trusty cane sword at your side, you can attack, block, and holster your weapon at any time. The cane sword is the stealth fan's best friend, allowing you to sneak behind an unsuspecting enemy and take them out with one charged thrust. However, it is important to move slowly and quietly as the NPCs can be alerted to your presence more easily than not.

The inventory system will appease Resident Evil 4 die-hards as it includes a slot-based storage system. You can freely move inventory items around the storage case to help fit other items, similar to a puzzle. this “metagame” didn’t sit too well with me as I felt the storage space that was given was just not enough for the most basic items. I love the nostalgia behind this idea but the execution needs work. Hopefully, there will be a way to increase inventory size with a future update.

The arsenal of weapons currently includes a revolver, shotgun, cane sword, and an unlockable weapon that I won’t spoil here but it is accessible once the game's first few levels have been completed. Enemies seem to soak up bullets with the exception of the shotgun, but it gives you more of a sense of dread to stay quiet and in the shadows to pull off a stealth kill instead.

The AI in Gloomwood is a work in progress. Enemies investigate loud noises, dead bodies, and misplaced objects. Leaving a door open in a room can leave the AI with a suspicion that your presence is near, causing them to investigate the room thoroughly. On normal difficulty, the investigations do not last very long but the developers are looking to make the game even more challenging with expended difficulty options coming in future updates.

Expectations

I went into Gloomwood expecting a stealth-based horror sim set in a dystopian semi-open world and that is exactly what I got. The game in its current state only offers about 3 hours of gameplay, but even though the amount of content is a bit underwhelming, the phrase “quality over quantity” couldn’t fit more perfectly. I am currently running through my hard difficulty playthrough and finding secrets that I somehow managed to miss the first time. The challenge of increased AI difficulty is also appealing and makes the game play out a bit differently than before since situations have to be handled in a more cautious way. The game does invite players to experiment with the game’s physics and AI interactions. Fire is one of the most dangerous elements in this game and it is also the most common way to get killed. Enemies carry torches not only to guide them through the darkness but to bash you over the head. Not only that, but when you kill an enemy, they notoriously drop their weapon. So if an explosive barrel happens to be in front of an unsuspecting NPC and you take him out with a silent stab to the back, he will certainly drop his torch and blow up the two of you in a heartbeat. It is this kind of immersion that makes you realize that the developers really want you to not only experiment with the game’s various elements but also consider every action you take. 

Verdict

Gloomwood has a lot to offer in terms of themes. A dark Victorian dystopia littered with survival horror and immersive sim gameplay gives this title huge potential. Although there isn’t much content in the game’s infancy, it is expected to have continuous updates throughout the next year leading up to its eventual full release. I am fully invested in the story, I want to know more about the city and the locals’ true inventions. I want to know how the Doctor ended up in Gloomwood and discover what other horrors await me in this gloomy town. 

We are off to a great start, now we just need more content. I strongly recommend picking up Gloomwood if you are a fan of immersive storytelling and stealth-based single-player games. If you are not bothered by the short game time of 3 hours and know that more content will be coming throughout the year, then please pick this up. It will allow you to be a part of the growing community on Discord to help shape this game into its inevitable final product.

Gloomwood is available now on Steam early access with an expected full launch within one to two years.