Goetia by Ynnis Interactive

Imagine what a shock it would be to not only discover that you died 40 years ago, but that you have now also returned as a ghost. This is the fate that befalls a girl named Abigail Blackwood. It gets even worse though, as Abigail also discovers that the rest of her family members were a pretty twisted bunch who dabbled in all kinds of mysticism and weird experiments. Being a ghost does have its perks however, and you must use these to help Abigail uncover just what happened in her absence and why her afterlife was so rudely interrupted.

Goetia is a point & click adventure, but since the main character is a ghost it does shake things up a bit. As Ynnis Interactive provided a short demo version of the game we were able to check out exactly what it has to offer and our initial impressions are quite favorable. The game is set in and around a haunted English mansion and takes place during World War II. As Abigail is a ghost she doesn’t have any pockets, but can float around freely and even bypass walls, doors or floors.

The game features some sumptuous 2D visuals, and while the demo only provides a small glimpse of the mansion, the developers promise five diverse areas for the full game. Apparently Blackwood Manor, where the game is set, is also surrounded by woods, caves, ruins and even an abandoned village. More than 90 rooms to explore will be available, and since you can simply walk through most walls you will also be able to reach secret areas.

The demo also demonstrated some of the puzzle elements featured in the game. Abigail can examine items and even open drawers, but since she doesn’t have any pockets, she can’t carry anything with her. Instead, you can possess objects and then float them to where they are needed. However, Abigail might be non-corporeal, but the objects she can possess remains solid. This means that if something is needed in another room you can’t simply fly through the floor with it, but must instead devise another plan. During the course of the game Abigail will also discover new ghostly powers to help her in her search for the truth.

The hauntingly beautiful gameworld and freedom to go almost anywhere means that Goetia is a game with a heavy focus on exploration, something that is not often seen in the point & click adventure genre. Playing as a ghost also means that your interaction with the gameworld is different as there is no backpack with infinite storage to rely on. The demo only clocks in at about an hour of playtime, but it is already easy to spot how much effort has gone into the visuals and overall feel of the game. Small touches such as lights flickering as Abigail floats close to them really make the gameworld feel alive. The haunting background music also deserves a special mention.

Goetia has already reached almost 75% of its funding goal at the time of writing, but with less than a week left for the Kickstarter it needs a final push to succeed. Check out the Kickstarter page for the game for more information and try out the demo for yourself to see why we think that this game is going to be a hit amongst point & click adventure fans.