If you like stories, but want to see them from another perspective, don’t miss out on what The Darkest Tales has to offer.
Once upon a time there was a studio called Trinity Team who was not very fond of traditional tales. Those stories where the good guys defeat the bad guys, the heroes save the princesses and where there are always happy endings where partridges are eaten. For this reason, they decided to turn the tables. Telling the legends in a more adult, more serious way. More unstable and paranoid. And from those distorted thoughts and ideas, the game that we will talk about today was born: The Darkest Tales.
sewing work
The Darkest Tales is about a metroidvania quite linear where we will control Teddy, a teddy bear. His mission, albeit reluctantly, will be to restore peace of mind to Alicia, a sick girl who does nothing but have nightmares. We will have to sneak into the mind of the little girl and look for the evils that torment her. Each and every one of them, based on the popular tales that we all know. Of course, past the nut.
A psychopathic Little Hood that kills wolves, a genie from the lamp who will demand his own wishes from us or a Geppetto who only thinks of dissecting his victims are clear examples of what we will find. His virtues enhanced in his most malignant part, that need to be removed by our felt hands. Our hands, and a whole arsenal of weapons that we will collect.
There is a friend in me
The references that emanates The Darkest Tales they are unmistakable. It has an unavoidable Hollow Knight essence, and that shows in the movements of our teddy bear. His attack pattern with the scissors, the dash side, the powers that we can equip ourselves… Everything reminds us of the work of Team Cherry. And that’s not bad at all. That familiarity with the controls allows us to soon feel comfortable with the protagonist’s controls and that we know how to act in each situation.
The difficulty level is also lowered. It’s not that it’s a little walk, but we will have enough healing capacity and checkpoints so as not to stay stuck in the same place for a long time. In addition, since it is not a metroidvania title designed for exploration, we will not have many alternative paths to get lost. Be careful, if we want they are there, but they are not necessary to finish the adventure.
Don’t be fragile like Humpty Dumpty
As we progress, Teddy will collect various weapons, each one more useful. From a bow that shoots pins, to a powerful axe, or a kind of boomerang that flies through the skies in search of victims. A collection of weapons that will provide us with more actions and diversity in combat.
nightmare after nightmare
Part of the charm of The Darkest Tales is the magical kingdoms that we will visit. Each zone of this nightmare network is completely different from the previous one. Climbing through the plants that sprout when the magic bean sprouts is not the same as touring the islands where a crazed Peter Pan lives. And not only the aesthetics change, but the obstacles and traps will be different. That has been the reason for continuing to play the Trinity Games proposal: the constant itch to know what the next screen will bring us. and with that tone creepy who has his work, gets us drunk with curiosity.
Not everything is good, and precisely that linearity and sudden changes in scenery bring consequences. Although there is Alicia’s plot and our desire to save her, there are times when that relationship is lost. It remains to promote a stronger link to the story, and that all the phases marry in a single fantasy world. In the end, for better and for worse, The Darkest Tales is still like a good adventure book where everything happens to the hero until he reaches his destiny.
Conclusion of The Darkest Tales
Trinity Games wants us to see folk tales from another perspective. A much darker and psychopathic vision of Little Red Riding Hood, Peter Pan or Pinocchio. And the result ends up being very good, since we will be glued to the screen waiting to see the next world that we will visit. Although The Darkest Tales can be considered a metroidvania, we can complete the title without straying too far from the main path. That does not mean that we are facing a little walk, since the obstacles, races and enemies will make life impossible for us until we reach the next checkpoint. If you like this type of Hollow Knight-style proposals, Teddy’s adventures will surely entertain you for a good handful of hours.
The Darkest Tales
€24.99
Pros
- The recreation of the stories is great
- Good handling of weapons and utensils
- It’s a metroidvania… but not too messy or convoluted
cons
- The story loses coherence as we progress.
- Teddy jumps in a somewhat crude way
- It does not innovate much except for an original visual section