Review for GYLT
GYLT is a horror stealth adventure from Tequila Works that was originally released as an exclusive to Google’s Stadia streaming service in 2019. Since that platform shut down, it has seen a wider release, serving up a spooky tale with an art style reminiscent of the likes of Coraline. The story puts you in the Converse sneakers of a young girl named Sally, who’s searching for her missing cousin, Emily. A snowy night spent putting up “missing” posters eventually leads her to a fog-filled nightmare scape resembling a monster-infested version of Sally and Emily’s school. While on the surface Sally is combating monsters, the horror is accompanied by a deeper and more serious plotline involving humans, as it deals with themes of bullying, loneliness, and depression.
I appreciate that GYLT set out to cover these topics, but I would have preferred more subtlety in how they were explored. The game is heavy-handed in depicting Emily’s bullying through things like cruel graffiti scrawled on walls and mannequins placed in positions suggestive of intimidation. Sally’s constant narration leads to over-explaining, as though the developers want to ensure that the game's themes are coming through. There is plenty of environmental storytelling around to hammer home the game’s subject matter without having Sally mention it as much as she does. The “plot twist” later on in the story is entirely what I expected from the narrative, and the ending includes a choice that feels almost too weighty for a game in which the two main characters are children.
The gameplay choices are more welcome. GYLT relies heavily on stealth, but you’re often given the option to fight, whether that means sneaking up behind an enemy for a stealth kill or taking them on head-to-head, using your flashlight as a weapon à la Alan Wake. Soda cans are available to serve as distractions, clattering and fizzing on the ground wherever you throw them as you sneak past the enemy who’s gone to check out the commotion. These sodas are also used cleverly to solve a couple of puzzles. Mostly, though, the puzzles are light, revolving around exploration and making use of either your flashlight or the fire extinguisher you find later in the game. It’s the stealth where GYLT shines, offering a challenge in later areas despite being straightforward initially.
Enemy design is interesting and often sincerely creepy. The game starts out with goofy-looking monsters and giant bulbous eyeballs, the stuff of kids’ nightmares. Eventually, you’re staring into the soulless void of your mannequin doppelganger’s split-open face as it croons “Come here” at you in a sickly sweet voice. It’s genuinely unsettling. Bosses are disappointing when compared with the regular enemies, both design-wise and mechanically. One boss fight had me stealthing through a theater avoiding a spotlight, but the spotlight wasn’t intuitive and often focused on one area for too long, making it frustrating to work around. And the final boss section was tedious and underwhelming.
GYLT's environments are lovely, evoking nostalgia as you sneak through places like a colorful arcade and a dusty museum. The level of detail had me searching every corner just to see what I would find. There is a bit too much on-the-nose graffiti, but subtle choices -- like a hallway of mannequins that follow your every move and an art room full of macabre paintings -- add touches of creepy flair to the game’s atmosphere. The soundtrack weaves deftly into the tension with a beautiful orchestral score that rises and falls at all the right moments.
There are collectibles to find, including journal entries written by Emily and other inhabitants of the town, giving glimpses into the world outside the school in which the game is largely contained. Other collectibles include caged canaries — the school’s mascot — and blood quartz that can be used to free mysterious clay figures that you come across as you explore. It’s never explained why these figures are there, but they play an important role in the game’s story anyway. I would have loved to have understood more about them, and I found myself wishing for more journal entries from characters besides Emily. Plenty of time is spent on the bullying story, but it would have been nice to get more insight into the town.
Tequila Works’ GYLT plays it safe with a plot that’s predictable and overdone. There isn’t much to uncover that the game doesn’t just come out and tell you. Gameplay mechanics are gradually layered in and the stealth becomes more challenging as you move along, making GYLT ultimately satisfying to play, although the boss fights leave something to be desired. It’s a good starting point for those just getting into horror or younger players. Veteran horror fans may find themselves left wanting.
