Gloomwood

Last updated
Gloomwood
Gloomwood cover.png
Developer(s)
  • Dillon Rogers
  • David Szymanski
Publisher(s) New Blood Interactive
Engine Unity [1]
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release
  • Early access
  • September 5, 2022
Genre(s)
Mode(s) Single-player

Gloomwood is a first-person stealth survival horror video game developed by Dillon Rogers and David Szymanski and published by New Blood Interactive. Players control an unnamed doctor who makes his way through the Victorian-esque titular city. The game features stealth and exploratory gameplay, along with utilizing weapons (melee and firearms) against enemies.

Contents

The game is heavily inspired by the Thief series of games, especially its first two: The Dark Project (1998) and The Metal Age (2000). [2] It has also been favorably compared to Dishonored , [3] Bloodborne , [4] Sir, You Are Being Hunted , [5] Resident Evil , [6] BioShock , [7] and Deathloop . [8] It has also been referred to as an immersive sim. [9] [2] [3] [10]

Having been announced in June 2020, Gloomwood was released via early access on September 5, 2022, after a delay from its initial August 16, 2022 date. The pre-release builds have received praise for the atmosphere, tone, world, level design and gameplay, but has been criticized for the unfinished elements and difficulty.

Gameplay

Gloomwood takes place from a first-person perspective, with the game having the player navigate the titular city. Players have the option to rely on either stealth or weapons, with stealth often being the most encouraged strategy. [11] The player character is given a ring, which indicates the level of light in the environment and the amount of noise being generated. For instance, being exposed to light or walking on metal and rock surfaces increases the likelihood of alerting enemies. Conversely, remaining in darker, shadowy areas and moving on quieter surfaces are encouraged to avoid detection. With a stealth approach, players can take down unsuspecting enemies from behind with a sword cane and eavesdrop to obtain information, [7] and items like bottles and cans can be thrown to distract them. [12]

In addition to stealth, players have the ability to fight with various types of weapons, including a sword cane, [13] different types of guns (revolvers and shotguns [14] ) with ammo for them occasionally scattered around the map, and explosive barrels that can be activated on shot. [15] The amount of ammo that can be found depends on the selected difficulty. [16] The weapons can also be opened to check how much ammo is in them. Traps and harpoon guns can also be obtained. [7]

Players carry a briefcase, which uses a grid-based inventory system, that has a finite amount of space (which has drawn comparisons to Resident Evil 4's inventory system [17] [18] ). There are health items (such as syringes), coins, keys, and maps. [12]

Areas of the map contain gramophones (indicated from the music they play), which act as save points [8] (similar to Resident Evil's typewriter system [11] ). The map also contains secret areas with extra pickups, and shortcuts that are unlocked with different keys. [11] There are puzzles to complete within the map as well. [10]

Setting

The titular city of Gloomwood has been described as neo-Victorian, [19] [20] gothic, [21] [22] steampunk-esque, [8] [15] and industrial. [23] The city is made up of multiple areas in one interconnected map. [24] Some of the main areas of the map include a fishery, mines, and a lighthouse. [25] [26] The interior for a tavern was added in a subsequent update. [27] On July 25, 2023, a market district was added to the map, which includes a merchant's shop to buy and sell items. [28] Within the map are enemies, including hunters and hounds, [29] that patrol the areas. [10] They travel in a set pattern unless alerted or provoked by the player. [30]

Release

Pre-release

On June 16, 2020, the game was announced at the 2020 PC Gaming Show with a reveal trailer. [20] In the trailer, Terri Brosius (who previously voiced Viktoria in the first two Thief games) voiced the Countess of Gloomwood. Over Twitter, Dillon Rogers confirmed her involvement. [6] A demo was released on the same day, [5] and the early access release was given an initial release date of August 16, 2022. [17]

In reference to its similarities with the Thief series, the developers bought the domain "ThiefWithGuns.com" for the game. [30] [31]

Prior to the early access release, Dillon Rogers teased at upcoming features for the game, [6] such as the inclusion for new weapons and destructible lighting. [32]

Early access was delayed and pushed to September 6, 2022 due to development and COVID-19 related issues. As a compromise, the "Act 2" update for New Blood's Ultrakill was released. [33] [34] New Blood Interactive co-founder, Dave Oshry, uploaded a video to Twitter featuring Malcolm McDowell addressing the fans of the game. [35]

On September 5 (a day before), early access for the game released on Steam for $20 USD. [36] New Blood Interactive co-founder, Dave Oshry, explained the release timing was done to avoid overlap with CD Projekt's showcase of extra content for Cyberpunk 2077 . This resulted in Gloomwood becoming #1 on Steam's top 10 for 24 hours. [37]

Early access reception

The early access release of Gloomwood has received positive reviews from critics and players [3] alike. By September 7, 2022, the game garnered an "overwhelmingly positive" score out of a thousand ratings on Steam. [37]

Many critics heavily praised the game's level design, [12] [11] [38] with Renata Price of Vice Media saying, "[It] isn’t just good—it's exceptional," [16] and Andrew King of TheGamer stating, "[The game] is a brilliant exercise in small scale level design against the backdrop of a larger world." [39]

The atmosphere, [11] world, [38] and gameplay mechanics [9] have also received praise.

Aaron Boehm of Bloody Disgusting called it "a classic in the making." [11]

Andrei Pechalin of The Escapist called Gloomwood "a masterclass" in its use of cost–benefit scenarios, where players must weigh the benefits between using acquired gear against enemies or eschewing from doing so in order to avoid detection and/or to conserve the gear. [8]

The game has also been criticized for its unfinished elements. Alice Bell of Rock Paper Shotgun gave an overall positive review, calling it, "a grubby delight of a game", but criticized its unfinished nature. Because of this, Bell didn't recommend it on launch. [15] Morgan Park of PC Gamer drew similar conclusions, stating, "It's good as-is, but unless you're truly desperate for an immersive sim fix, you're better off waiting until it's all out, which is exactly what I intend to do now." [12]

Gloomwood was also the subject of an 18-minute documentary by Noclip. [40]

Related Research Articles

A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses stealth to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. Some games allow the player to choose between a stealthy approach or directly attacking antagonists, but rewarding the player for greater use of stealth. The genre has employed espionage, counter-terrorism, and rogue themes, with protagonists that are special forces operatives, special agents, secret agents, thieves, ninjas, or assassins. Some games have also combined stealth elements with other genres, such as first-person shooters and also platformers.

<i>Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines</i> 2004 action role-playing video game

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is a 2004 action role-playing video game developed by Troika Games and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows. Set in White Wolf Publishing's World of Darkness, the game is based on White Wolf's role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade and follows a human who is killed and revived as a fledgling vampire. The game depicts the fledgling's journey through early 21st-century Los Angeles to uncover the truth behind a recently discovered relic that heralds the end of all vampires.

<i>Thief: Deadly Shadows</i> 2004 video game

Thief: Deadly Shadows is a stealth video game developed by Ion Storm for Microsoft Windows and Xbox that was released in 2004, on May 25 in North America and on June 11 in Europe. It is the third video game in the Thief series.

<i>Doom</i> (2016 video game) First-person shooter

Doom is a 2016 first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is the first major installment in the Doom series since 2004's Doom 3 and was a reboot of the franchise. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in May 2016. A port for Nintendo Switch was co-developed with Panic Button and released in November 2017, and a version for Google Stadia was released in August 2020. Players take the role of an unnamed space marine, known as the "Doom Slayer", as he battles demonic forces within an energy-mining facility on Mars and in Hell.

<i>Counter-Strike: Global Offensive</i> 2012 video game

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is a 2012 multiplayer tactical first-person shooter developed by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment. It is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike series. Developed for over two years, Global Offensive was released for OS X, PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 in August 2012, and for Linux in 2014.

Rust is a multiplayer survival video game developed by Facepunch Studios. It was first released in early access in December 2013 and received its full release in February 2018. Rust is available on Windows and macOS. Console versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One developed in conjunction with Double Eleven were released in May 2021. Rust was initially created as a clone of DayZ, a popular mod for ARMA 2, with crafting elements akin to those in Minecraft.

<i>The Forest</i> (video game) 2018 first-person survival horror video game

The Forest is a survival horror video game developed and published by Endnight Games. The game takes place on a remote heavily forested peninsula, where the player character Eric LeBlanc must fight off cannibalistic monsters, while searching for his son Timmy after a plane crash. The game features nonlinear gameplay in an open world environment played from a first-person perspective, with no set missions or quests, empowering the player to make their own decisions for survival. Following a four-year long early access beta phase releasing in 2014, the finished game was released for Windows in April 2018, and for the PlayStation 4 in November 2018. The game was a commercial success, selling over five million copies by the end of 2018. A sequel game, Sons of the Forest, was released in Early Access for Windows on February 23, 2023.

<i>Running with Rifles</i> Tactical shooter game

Running with Rifles is a top down open world tactical shooter game published and developed by Osumia Games. It was developed by Pasi Kainiemi in Tampere, Finland and Jack Mayol in Stuttgart, Germany, working under the team name Modulaatio Games. The game is primarily voxel-based, with the map texturing done using "splat map" texture layering, and with the modeling being done with typically low-poly or simple .mesh files. Because of this, the game runs very well on old hardware, making it more accessible to more players.

<i>Call to Arms</i> (video game) 2015 real-time strategy video game

Call to Arms is a real-time tactics and strategy video game developed by German company Digitalmindsoft as the spiritual successor to the Men of War series. The early access version of the game was released on 30 July 2015 to Steam. A stand-alone expansion pack, titled Gates of Hell: Ostfront, was released in 2021.

An immersive sim (simulation) is a video game genre that emphasizes player choice. Its core, defining trait is the use of simulated systems that respond to a variety of player actions which, combined with a comparatively broad array of player abilities, allow the game to support varied and creative solutions to problems, as well as emergent gameplay beyond what has been explicitly designed by the developer. This definition is not to be confused with game systems which allow player choice in a confined sense or systems which allow players to easily escape consequences of their choices.

<i>Metro Exodus</i> 2019 video game

Metro Exodus is a first-person shooter video game that was developed by 4A Games and published by Deep Silver. It is the third installment in the Metro video game series, which is based on Dmitry Glukhovsky's novels. The game is a sequel to Metro: Last Light and the book Metro 2035, and follows protagonist Artyom and his crew as they flee the Moscow Metro and set off with their allies on an intercontinental journey to the Far East on a locomotive called Aurora. The story takes place over a year, during which Artyom visits locations such as the Volga River and the Caspian Sea. The game improves on the gameplay mechanics of Last Light; it includes several miniature open world locations and has linear levels like earlier games in the series.

<i>Deep Rock Galactic</i> 2020 video game

Deep Rock Galactic is a cooperative first-person shooter video game developed by Danish studio Ghost Ship Games and published by Coffee Stain Publishing. Deep Rock Galactic was fully released on May 13, 2020 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One after its early access release in February 28, 2018. The game was later released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in January 2022, and for Xbox Series X/S in September 2022.

<i>Foxhole</i> (video game) 2022 video game

Foxhole is a cooperative sandbox massively-multiplayer action-strategy video game developed and published by Canadian video game company Siege Camp, who are based in Toronto, Ontario. The game uses Unreal Engine 4, utilizing an axonometric projection perspective, much like that of a conventional real-time strategy video game with a top-down view. Foxhole's setting is "inspired by early 20th century warfare". The game allows the user to join one of two factions as a soldier, having the choice of contributing to a persistent war by gathering, manufacturing, and transporting resources and supplies, providing manpower and vehicles in combat, and building and managing fortifications, with the end goal of annihilating the opposing faction. The game was released on September 28, 2022, for Microsoft Windows.

<i>Totally Accurate Battlegrounds</i> 2018 video game

Totally Accurate Battlegrounds (TABG) is a multiplayer battle royale video game developed by Swedish studio Landfall Games, and a spin-off of Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (TABS). Similarly to how TABS parodies the battle simulator genre of video games, TABG is a parody of the battle royale genre, primarily titles such as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite, and features exaggerated player and weapon physics. The game was released on Steam on June 5, 2018.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Darktide</i> 2022 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a first-person action video game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, developed and published by Fatshark. It is a spiritual successor to the Warhammer: Vermintide series. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 30 November 2022. It also was released for Xbox Series X/S on 4 October 2023.

<i>Teardown</i> (video game) 2022 video game

Teardown is a 2022 sandbox–puzzle game developed and published by Tuxedo Labs. The game revolves around the owner of a financially stricken demolition company, who is caught executing a questionable job and becomes entangled between helping police investigations and taking on further dubious assignments. Teardown features levels made of destructible voxels, and the player follows the campaign through consecutive missions. In most missions, the player must collect or destroy objects connected to a security alarm. The player has unlimited time to prepare and is given upgradable tools, vehicles, and explosives to create a path within the level that allows them to complete the objectives as quickly as possible. A timer starts as soon as the security alarm is triggered, and the player must complete all required objectives and reach a getaway vehicle within sixty seconds, through the alarm can be adjusted from the settings.

Ready or Not is a tactical first-person shooter developed and published by Ireland-based VOID Interactive and released for Microsoft Windows. Ready or Not follows the operations of a police SWAT team in the fictional city of Los Sueños, California, in the midst of a crime wave.

<i>Super People</i> Upcoming video game

Super People was a battle royale game developed by South Korean studio Wonder People, and published by Wonder Games. Directed by Seong Gon Park, the debut title gained widespread popularity on Steam, with 4.3 million players participating in its closed beta test in February 2022. A final closed beta test for the game concluded on August 30, 2022, before the game finally launched in Early Access on October 8, 2022. The game experienced a rebranding to Super People 2. The name change officially took place on December 12, and is done so because the dev feels that changing the name reflects “the huge and sweeping changes that will improve the core game elements and systems”. However, on May 23, 2023 the developer announced on steam that they are planning to terminate the live service in August, citing the dwindling number of users, despite "balance patches" and "efforts for changes consistently". As of August 21, 2023 the Early Access has been discontinued and the live service was terminated.

<i>Choo-Choo Charles</i> 2022 video game

Choo-Choo Charles is a 2022 indie horror video game developed and published by Two Star Games. The player controls a monster-hunting archivist with the goal of upgrading their train's defenses in order to fight and defeat the titular character, Charles, an evil spider-train hybrid monster that wanders the landscape looking for people to eat.

<i>20 Minutes Till Dawn</i> 2023 video game

20 Minutes Till Dawn is a roguelike shoot 'em up game by flanne. The player controls a character who fights against continuous waves of monsters, with the goal being to survive the onslaught until dawn. During each round a player earns gems, with which they are able to unlock additional characters, weapons, and runes for subsequent sessions. The gameplay of 20 Minutes Till Dawn is inspired by Vampire Survivors, with the main difference being that the characters in 20 Minutes Till Dawn do not attack or recharge their weapons automatically.

References

  1. ↑ Jester (September 17, 2022). "Gloomwood – Refreshing and Disappointing At the Same Time". GND-Tech.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023. (this is a Unity engine game anyway and the engine has Vulkan support)
  2. 1 2 Moyse, Chris (June 13, 2020). "Gloomwood's stealth 'n' slash action invokes '90s classic Thief". Destructoid . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Tate, Alexander (September 9, 2022). "Gloomwood Turns Dishonored Into A Survival Horror Nightmare". Screen Rant . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ Wallace, Chris (September 6, 2022). "First-person stealth game 'Gloomwood' sneaks into Early Access". NME . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Graham (June 13, 2020). "Gloomwood demo is out now with heavy Thief vibes". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Litchfield, Ted (September 14, 2022). "One of our most anticipated games since 2020 is about to enter early access". PC Gamer . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Blaine, Lucas (July 22, 2021). "Gloomwood Mixes BioShock and Thief Into a Throwback Package". CBR.com . Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Pechalin, Andrei (September 30, 2022). "Gloomwood Disrupts the Immersive Sim & Thief Formula with Its Save System". The Escapist . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Jackson, Claire (September 13, 2022). "Stealth Games Like This New Sneak 'Em Up Are A Rare Breed". Kotaku . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 Donlan, Christian (September 7, 2022). "Gloomwood is stealthy Victoriana incarnate - and it's already super good". Eurogamer . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Boehm, Aaron (September 13, 2022). "'Gloomwood' Early Access Proves It's a Stealth Horror Classic in the Making". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Park, Morgan (September 9, 2022). "Gloomwood is too good to play unfinished". PC Gamer . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ Armstrong, Patrick (September 17, 2022). "5 Beginner Tips For Gloomwood". Game Rant . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  14. ↑ Marty, Emily Mei (January 29, 2023). "Gloomwood: Best Weapons, Ranked". Game Rant . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 Bell, Alice (September 12, 2022). "Gloomwood's grimy stealth playground deserves better than the agony of early access". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  16. 1 2 Price, Renata (September 9, 2022). "'Gloomwood' Is More Than Just a Spiritual Successor to 'Thief'". Waypoint. Vice Media . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  17. 1 2 Wheeler, CJ (June 13, 2022). "'Thief with guns' stealth 'em up Gloomwood shoots into early access in August". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  18. ↑ Wright, Steven T. (June 24, 2021). "Gloomwood Developer Is Tired Of Explaining How The Game's Fancy Shotgun Works". GameSpot . Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  19. ↑ Bolding, Jonathan (January 9, 2022). "Here's a big update on Gloomwood, that neo-Victorian stealth horror game". PC Gamer . Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  20. 1 2 McGlynn, Anthony (June 14, 2020). "Gloomwood is a Thief-like survival horror from the makers of Dusk". PCGamesN . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  21. ↑ Moyse, Chris (June 12, 2022). "Gothic 'n' gory Gloomwood hits Early Access August 16". Destructoid . Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  22. ↑ Pattni, Chirag (August 4, 2022). "Gloomwood has been delayed a few weeks, but Malcolm McDowell says 'you can wait'". PC Invasion . Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  23. ↑ Zak, Robert (September 14, 2022). "Gloomwood Is A Grindhouse Thief With Some Soulsy Level Design". DualShockers. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  24. ↑ Chalk, Andy (June 13, 2020). "Gloomwood is a neo-Victorian stealth-horror game that looks like Thief, but isn't". PC Gamer . Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  25. ↑ Minakov, Vladislav (September 28, 2022). "Gloomwood: Coin Location Guide". TheGamer. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  26. ↑ Suther, Austin (September 16, 2022). "Gloomwood Snuck Its Way Into My Heart". TechRaptor. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  27. ↑ Lane, Rick (December 22, 2022). "Gloomwood's final update of the year adds a pub and lets you quicksave". PC Gamer . Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  28. ↑ Serin, Kaan (July 25, 2023). "Spooky stealth 'em up Gloomwood adds bustling market district in latest update". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  29. ↑ Minakov, Vladislav (September 28, 2022). "Gloomwood: 5 Beginner Tips". TheGamer. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  30. 1 2 Robertson, Adi (October 25, 2022). "Gloomwood is my new favorite knocking-guys-out simulator". The Verge . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  31. ↑ Nichiporchik, Alex (May 30, 2023). "Tips To Get Your Game Noticed By Publishers And Investors". Forbes . Retrieved July 8, 2023. Retro FPS (first-person shooter) publisher New Blood goes as far as registering humorous (but descriptive) URLs for their games, such as devilmayquake.com and thiefwithguns.com. This is sharp pitching taken to extremes and ideal for a business card.
  32. ↑ Faulkner, Cheri (June 12, 2022). "Stealth horror-shooter 'Gloomwood' has a release date". NME . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  33. ↑ Wilson, Mike (August 4, 2022). "'Gloomwood' Bumped to September Release, 'Ultrakill' Update Moved up to August 16th". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  34. ↑ Van Allen, Eric (August 2, 2022). "Gloomwood Early Access has been delayed, and Ultrakill Act 2 is moving into its slot". Destructoid . Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  35. ↑ Shutler, Ali (August 3, 2022). "'A Clockwork Orange's Malcolm McDowell announces 'Gloomwood' delay". NME . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  36. ↑ Smith, Graham (September 6, 2022). "Gloomwood's Thief-with-guns 'em up sneaks into enters early access". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  37. 1 2 Wood, Austin (September 7, 2022). ""Thief with guns" FPS Gloomwood tops Steam after shifting launch plans to dodge Cyberpunk 2077 showcase". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  38. 1 2 Benfell, Grace (October 12, 2022). "Gloomwood Echoes the First-Person Stealth Horror Games of the Late '90s". Paste Magazine . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  39. ↑ King, Andrew (September 13, 2022). "Gloomwood Is Unbelievably Good (And Unfinished)". TheGamer. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  40. ↑ How Gloomwood Combines Survival Horror & Immersive Sims. Noclip. January 12, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.