GYLT Review

Previous Google Stadia (R.I.P.) exclusive GYLT in 2019 became available on current, last-gen consoles and Steam in July this year. Tequila Works’ horror puzzler is now out in the open for anyone who didn’t get a chance to play it on Stadia. Players take on the role of Sally who is searching for her lost cousin Emily, in their town of Bethelwood. GYLT touches on a couple of sensitive topics during its runtime and while it doesn’t redefine the horror genre, it executes what it set out to do fairly well. The story for me was serviceable while the gameplay kept me playing and the world in general was intriguing and aesthetically pleasing from a visual standpoint. All around a good time and a decent adventure. To briefly sum GYLT up, it feels like a ‘My Kids First Alan Wake’ game. Read on to learn more!

Face Your Fears

GYLT will see Sally transported into what looks like a darker, more evil version of her town of Bethelwood in search of her missing cousin Emily. The town is in ruin and looks like it’s been hit by an earthquake all while covered in a mysterious fog. The now quiet and eerie town of Bethelwood is seemingly abandoned, instead inhabited by these weird-looking monsters known as Strangers. Along the way, you will be able to find collectibles in the form of diary entries and stones that are known as Blood Quartz. GYLT boasts multiple different endings depending on how you choose to tackle the world. Collecting all of the Blood Quartz is key to earning the ‘good ending.’ This isn’t a tall order either, as important things are marked on the in-game map. An in-game map that shares some similarities with Resident Evil, which is a nice touch.

When players aren’t hunting down these Blood Quartz (which aren’t necessary for finishing the game) their ears will be treated to a soundtrack that molds brilliantly to GYLT’s atmosphere. While the story certainly served its purpose, the gameplay, the soundtrack, and the atmosphere were the real stars of Bethelwood for me. There were some heartfelt moments however, especially when it came down to tackling the theme of bullying, something I’ve been personally affected by in my own life. Sally is relateable, fleshed out well and the game does a great job of making you feel sorry for her at times. The same goes for her cousin Emily, too.

The atmosphere is great and full of tension which it maintains throughout the various different sections. The setting helps with the atmosphere, taking place mostly inside of a school while visiting some places around the school grounds, it works well. There’s a video game arcade that you briefly visit which gave me Stranger Things vibes and the light mechanic and how you tackle monsters gives off an Alan Wake vibe. The game manages to retain its own identity whilst also feeling comfortingly similar to other franchises I adore.

Mannequins?!

GYLT has a somewhat basic approach to combat and honestly? It’s ok. Early on you will start out with nothing, quickly finding a flashlight that can be used to see around, but isn’t much help until you find an upgraded flashlight that will allow you to fight back. The flashlight is your most useful tool around school, helping you see where to go, defeat Strangers, and for solving the odd puzzle. You’ll also need the flashlight for bursting Observers, which are these non-threatening eyeball enemies that block doorways and the like. Power doesn’t come free of course, which Sally needs to find in the form of batteries littered around campus. Along with this, she uses her inhaler to restore health so you’ll need to be on the lookout for these lying around too. Thankfully, resource management isn’t as heavy a focus here as it is in something like a Resident Evil title where you’re constantly juggling resources. For example, later on, you will have access to a fire extinguisher that can only overheat and won’t run out of ‘ammo.’

Inhalers and batteries seem to be in constant supply. I lost count of the number of times I’d stumble across either of these and be unable to pick them up due to being full already. A few times I would pass multiple inhalers while holding the allowed maximum of five. The same goes for the batteries. While this was kind of a nice thing because it completely negates the resource worry, I can’t help but think it would have added to the tension if I was made to keep an eye on my consumables. For instance, and this didn’t happen often, If I did manage to get caught out in a room full of enemies I wouldn’t worry about trying to lose them all if I knew where I was going. Sprinting through them all taking a few hits knowing I had five out of five inhalers for the duration of the game and if I had to use one or two after an encounter there would most likely be an abundance once reaching safety. One thing that stands out to me about the flashlight however is how you can see how much charge you have with no heads-up display, similar to how you view health and stasis in Dead Space. Intentional or not, it was a nice touch.

The enemies aren’t too hard to deal with as you are met with the same bunch of them over and over, which does get a tad repetitive later on. Eventually, some different and seriously creepy enemies are introduced but that’s as far as it goes from moment-to-moment gameplay. They do reach a point where you have to deal with both at the same time but again, it’s nothing that a nice bit of stealth can’t deal with. Basic enemies aside, there are some cool boss-type enemies that you do have to deal with along the way. This however is dampened a little bit because you might have four or five total boss encounters and they reuse two of the bosses in a different scenario so it’s more like two bosses and a final boss. While these were cool encounters each time, It would have been appreciated if they could have expanded the variety in the enemy department a little more.

That said, for what is here it’s fun and kept me wanting to see this one all the way through until the end. It did enough for me to want to see an ending, but not enough for me to want to bother with all the collectibles for a good ending. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t recommend GYLT though, because despite its shortcomings (which aren’t a lot) I would.

Leave A Twisted World

Overall I enjoyed my time with GYLT despite a few minor grievances. It’s certainly not setting any new benchmarks but I feel it achieved what it set out to do. It didn’t overstay its welcome either, being able to be completed in roughly five hours (maybe more if you are a completionist) and doing enough to stay somewhat fresh as you progress. The game really appealed to me visually. Some great lighting and funky enemy designs made for an enjoyable five-hour experience, especially accompanied by an original game soundtrack. Resource management could have been handled better and required the player to think about when best to use consumables and there could have been a few different enemy types thrown in but for the few gripes, it doesn’t make it worth missing. What is on offer here is charming and fun and for the price point, it can’t be knocked. I know I would feel GYLTY about missing this one.

GYLT isn’t going to keep you up at night with its scares nor will it be nominated for Game Of The Year but it could serve as a perfect in-between type of game or palate-cleanser. It’s a charmer.