Ghost of a Tale

it's a very mice game.

Follow our curator page Alexander's Club Curations, if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.
OVERVIEW
Ghost of a Tale is a 3rd-person stealth adventure game released in 2018. Play as a mouse named Tilo as he embarks in an adventure set in a well-crafted open world full of secrets and inhabited by many interesting characters. Some minor lack of polish does not hamper the fun and sense of discovery this game has to offer.
The Good
Superbly made, small, but dense open world to discover and explore.
Strong art direction with excellent animation bringing the world and characters alive.
Surprisingly deep and interesting world full of lore to be learned.
Likeable cast of characters filling the world
Excellent soundtrack
The Bad
Can be unpolished especially the terrain hit detection, where in some areas you are prone to fall off the world.
Over-reliant on collectibles/fetch quests.
Enemy's AI is too forgiving and too easy to exploit.
No voice acting
The story ended in a cliffhanger and the main plot doesn’t get resolved.
Gameplay
There aren’t any complex mechanics in the game. The gameplay mostly involves finding a way to certain locations in the world or finding items. There are several tools given to you to navigate the world, and I will elaborate on them in detail.
Stealth
The stealth element is simple. Enemies have a basic vision cone and hearing range. When Tilo is inside their vision cone, or walk inside their hearing range the awareness meter rises and they will chase him if it fills up. Guards will chase you until you find a hiding place or run outside their search perimeter.
Stealth is also affected by other mechanics like what armor you wear. Some armor is quiet and raise your sneak stat, while heavier armor will attract guards easier as they make a lot of noise. You can also throw items to distract guards and slip while they are searching. Some items give you the ability to knock them out temporarily.
Overall the stealth system isn’t really that deep or engaging. The enemy AI are far too dumb and they are slow that you can mostly outrun them making it trivial.
Navigation and Level
In Ghost of a Tale the players are thrown into an open world where you unlock more areas as you progress. The level design is reminiscent of Dark Souls where shortcuts and secret routes are unlocked as you explore. The world itself is really well-designed. It’s memorable that players can navigate without maps and there are tons of worthwhile secrets they can find.
Every time a new area is unlocked, you are basically blind as the game doesn't immediately provide the map. You have to find a map hidden in that area, or buy them from a merchant in the central area that Tilo will often visit. The game also doesn't give marker for quest objectives. it gives a general direction of the objectives, but if you get stuck you also can buy hints from the merchant who will put objective markers on your map.
Armor and Disguise System
The biggest reward in the game for exploration are the armor and clothing sets. Each armor set provides Tilo with stat bonuses that makes him tougher or less detectable. A complete set give special effects, like being undetectable or giving Tilo immunity to poisonous gas. This can open up previously inaccessible areas.
The disguise system is one of the biggest mechanics in the game. In the story, the player are given a guard’s armor set. When you wear it, every turns guards into talkable NPCs. They can give quests, minigames or give hints instead of automatically being hostile.
The drawback of the armor is it is heavy and restricts your movement. Tilo can’t run or jump with the armor on. Later, he can obtain upgrades to his guard’s armor by completing quests until finally it gives him full options of mobility. Most of these quests are optional, but being able to jump or run in full armor set is worth it.
Quests
Most of the quests are actually fetch quests, but due the hand-crafted level and item locations, most of them feel more like a puzzle or treasure hunt. they are usually placed in locations where it makes sense, that fetch quests feels like organic process of discovery. In my opinion it is fundamentally different than typical RPG fetch quests like “bring 10 of certain random items” and similar lazy design.
There are also quests with interesting storyline like exposing a smuggler organization or solving a murder. The rewards of quests are usually very useful items like armor sets and new skills Tilo can use in his adventure.
Progression
The progression is simple. When an objective is achieved, you get experience to level up. Each level up gives you increased stamina and HP, which allow you to run longer and survive longer. Obtaining skills however is separate mechanics as skills are rewards from NPC for completing their quest. In my opinion the levelling system is kinda redundant because of how shallow it is.
Technical Issues and Performance
Specs: Ryzen 3700x, GTX 1080, 16 GB RAM, 1440p 60Hz
The game mostly runs at full 60 FPS, but it would dip into mid 40's when there are big particle effects on the screen.
The biggest problem in the game is its lack of polish, especially in terrain detection and general enemy hitboxes. There are 2 areas where you are really prone to fall off the world. The game provides a brute-force solution that it detects if you are falling off the world, then a prompt appears if you want to teleport above. It sometimes works, however one time it just teleports me to a blank ground that it makes me fall over again.
The other issue is the enemy hitbox. Throwing is a big mechanic in the game. Tilo can throw various items to distract enemies or make them unconscious. In narrow hallways, it often happens that the items he throws don’t hit the target even when the auto-lock is on.
Story
Having been imprisoned and separated with his wife, Tilo must find a way out of prison and find information about his wife's whereabouts. As he makes his way out of the prison, he learns secrets and forgotten truth about the history of the world he lives in. In my opinion the story is pretty good, and there are good amount of interesting lore that ties directly to the plot. The characters have believable motivations and goals and their dialogues are generally well written. The only problem with the story is it ended in a cliffhanger with the main plot point goes unresolved.
Graphics and Visuals
Lionel Gallat, the mind behind the game is an animator worked on famous titles like Despicable Me. His skills resulted in a radiant world that makes the locations look like sceneries. The characters are also well animated, from Tilo’s tail waves as he runs, to the intricate details of the guard patrol routines. Visually, it is one of the best looking indie games I have ever played.
Music and Sound
The sound effects are well designed. you can hear armors clinking, or ambient sounds in the various areas of the game. With headphones, you can hear guards slowly approaching and that information can be used to evade them. Soundtrack rarely plays, but when it plays it’s usually powerful and sucks you into the mood they are trying to convey. Overall the game has an excellent sound design but none of the lines in the game are voice-acted. This can be a turn off for some people, but it’s an understandable compromise for a team this size.
Conclusion
Ghost of a Tale is a flawed, yet still a highly charming and captivating game. Its strengths simply trump over the dents and scratches left by the limited resources the developer had.

Who said it that everybody imitates Dark Souls, but nobody imitates Dark Souls brilliant level design?!
Get over here and fight me!
Ghost of a Tale does!
Ghost of a Tale is a unique beast cute tiny creature that manages to be:
A. A stealth game.
B. A 3D metroidvania.
C. And a... Awwww, look at this adorable mousy!
In other words, Ghost of a Tale IS what adventure games of old should have evolved into many, many years ago but for some inexpicable and absolutely inexcusable reason didn't.
It has a decent enough faux-Redwall story, likeable characters, gorgeous visuals (the lead developer is animator by trade), pleasing music and wonderfuly tight and enjoyable gameplay which involves a lot of exploration, a lot of stealth and a quite a bit of disguise as your mouse will be parading around a rat castle dressed as one of their ilk. If it came out four years prior the time that it did, it would have been a smash hit that it deserves to be.
One probem though. The story isn't resolved. It doesn't end in a cliffhanger, sure, but still there's no conclusion. So, this game is essentially a Chapter 1.
Aaaand I still got 20 great hours out of it. Even if the sequel doesn't come, it's totally worth the play. There's absolutely nothing like it at the moment. Styx, maybe, is the closest comparison, but who on earth would want to mingle with that scoundrel?
PS
Incidentally, its store picture reminds me of a certain kind of rodents - what with all the explosive green-green...

Ghost of a tale
Ghost of a tale is perhaps the most adorable game I have ever played, bought it back when it was released (I think it was early access back then) and decided to play it now, and I'm glad I gave it a shot. I thought it was a dark souls clone at first, but then I realized it's not the case.
Pros:
- It is a stealth focused game, so you have to sneak your way into areas to avoid the guards until a certain point
- The mice in this game are so freaking cute with their puppy eyes and all :D
- The graphics look absolutely stunning, the way the grass and plants behave in this world is just incredible
- The OST is beautiful
- The animation in this game from guards patrolling the courtyard to you being idle and playing with your tail is so fluid and amazing to look at.
- The story is very well done with plot twists that I did not expect
- Lovely side characters, some of them are just hilarious
- The sound design is amazing, from swaying trees in the wind to birds chirping in the morning
- This game has a freaking day and night cycle
- Multiple costumes to wear and they have an effect on how you play the game
Cons:
- The maps are basic and do not really help you, would have been better if notes can be written in them, silent hill-style (since a lot of quills are pretty much everywhere)
- A few bugs and glitches here and there
- The stamina regeneration in this game is super slow, I am a mouse dammit I should not worry about stamina
Notes
- Don't let that cuteness fool you, this game is hard; it doesn't hold your hand and pinpoint you the exact location of your objective in your map, you have to depend on clues and directions from what other characters in the game say and books/notes/charts. I had to use guides to help me finish some of the quests in the game.
- The game ends with a cliffhanger, a sequel is definitely coming.
- Since this is a stealth focused game you can't use a sword or fight. you throw empty bottles and sticks most of the time so you can progress or distract a guard or enemy
Final Thoughts
This game took me 14 hours to complete and I loved every minute of it, it is a really good indie game and worth the asking price
Verdict: 9/10
If you're looking for more quality reviews like this then check out my curator page.

Easily my favorite game I've played this year. I spent 12 hours straight the first day just absolutely absorbed by this world.
The level design is top notch. Some of the best level design I've ever seen. The only other games I can think of that have worlds like this are soulsborne games. The areas aren't huge but they are dense. You will get lost but if you stick with it, you will eventually figure out the layout of things and where all the shortcuts are.
Exploration is fun and rewarding. You will often find new armor sets and shortcuts if you go off the obvious path and look around more. The game encourages you to take your time and really look around.
The story is interesting and wasn't too hard to keep up with. That said, there is no spoken dialogue, so be prepared to read a lot of lore if you want to know what's going on. The game helps you constantly with that though. Any time a character mentions something lore related to the world, a button pops up allowing you to learn more about that subject. It's a great way to learn about this world's story and is totally optional if you don't want to bother. I would suggest you do though because you might not know what's going on a lot of the time if you don't.
The graphics are amazing as well. The lighting is great and the environments look awesome. The character designs are good too. There are a lot of the same looking rats, but that is honestly not that big a deal and totally understandable considering one person did basically all the art for the game. Taking that in to consideration, they should be really proud of what they created.
All in all, I highly recommend this game. I think it could be in my top 10 favorite games of all time and I hoping they make a sequel that's bigger and better.

One part Secret of NIMH, one part Dark Souls, this game is just brimming with charm and atmosphere. While the stealth & exploration-based gameplay is fairly simple, the environment and worldbuilding is just incredible. Full of interesting and unique characters with wonderfully written dialogue, this game would make an amazing animated film - but in absence of that I'll take this very memorable game instead.
It takes an adorable anthropomorphic mouse, and puts him in an unforgiving world. Dark prisons full of secret passages and foul-mouthed inmates, bone-filled crypts complete with a ghostly presence, ancient curses and even unsolved murders - this is a love letter to classic animated films that don't shy away from darker themes, like the aforementioned NIMH or Return to Oz.
I really hope to see a continuation of this game in the future. The engaging lore paints an expansive world and an epic quest that I really hope to return to some day.

Absolutely stunningly gorgeous, this game is visually an absolute feast with a rich and engaging storyline, fun and interesting characters, a fantastic world, and fun to play. It isn't without faults: some aspects of exploration are a little bit boring as the game progresses (having to trek between lots of different areas without any clear direction as to how to get to them... Things that could be fixed with simple map keys once areas become unlocked), and some mechanics are a little glitchy, but in the context of everything else these are all easy to overlook.
It really feels like you're playing a Redwall book.
I sincerely hope that there is a sequel.