Ghost of a Tale

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 143 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 108 out of 143
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 143
  3. Negative: 11 out of 143

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  1. Fuz
    May 9, 2018
    10
    This game is absolutely beautiful and need more exposition.
    It's amazing. It's not exactly a stealth game (the stealth mechanics are very basic and from a certain point you can totally ignore it) but more of an exploration/adventure game. And it's got a great story (although riding on a bit of a cliché - but it's extremely well done), amazing writing, fantastic set of characters and it's    This game is absolutely beautiful and need more exposition.
    It's amazing. It's not exactly a stealth game (the stealth mechanics are very basic and from a certain point you can totally ignore it) but more of an exploration/adventure game. And it's got a great story (although riding on a bit of a cliché - but it's extremely well done), amazing writing, fantastic set of characters and it's absolutely gorgeous.
    I want more of this whimsical world, I really hope there will be a sequel.
    Buy it, the developer(s) deserve all the praise and support.    … Expand
  2. WandaWolf
    Mar 4, 2020
    10
    It's an absolutely lovely game. I love everything about it: the graphics, the story, the lore, the humor, the character design. I love that everyone you meet has their own story. And it's one of the few games where you being a bard actually get to perform and use your singing to advance.
    I had no glitches (but I played it in 2020) and enjoyed it a lot.
    Cons: - I had to use my husband's    It's an absolutely lovely game. I love everything about it: the graphics, the story, the lore, the humor, the character design. I love that everyone you meet has their own story. And it's one of the few games where you being a bard actually get to perform and use your singing to advance.
    I had no glitches (but I played it in 2020) and enjoyed it a lot.
    Cons:
    - I had to use my husband's PC to play it, it didn't run on my notebook.
    - You shouldn't play it if you're not acquainted with stealth games or don't like them and if you don't know how to adjust your screen (otherwise you would end up thinking it's a "boring amateur attempt"). And the game starts in the prison in the dungeon, so it WILL be dark and scary and you'll have to learn how to sneak past the guards).
    - Please also note that this game is also about exploration, so it won't take you by the hand and explain everything to you, you'll have to use your brain (though you can get some hints) and you'll have a lot of running around to get back to where you couldn't get/open something or you have talk to someone. So some people may find it boring to have to go back and enjoy all the lovely designed locations to advance. I don't. It was fun to explore this world.
    I'm totally in love with it and waiting to buy the next game.    … Expand
  3. macintosh_plus
    Apr 20, 2018
    8
    I like stealth games and good adventure - and this game ticks all the right boxes for me. There were few main selling points for me here:

    Its immersive adventure in beautiful, very detailed world. The world design borrows heavily from first Dark Souls game, and as much as I love that game I dare to say here it is much more cleverly designed, with lots of hidden secret passages and    I like stealth games and good adventure - and this game ticks all the right boxes for me. There were few main selling points for me here:

    Its immersive adventure in beautiful, very detailed world. The world design borrows heavily from first Dark Souls game, and as much as I love that game I dare to say here it is much more cleverly designed, with lots of hidden secret passages and details put into it.

    The games is focused heavily on exploration, finding things and avoiding enemies. No minimaps, quest markers and other horrible modern stuff - the game feels old school in that manner and I loved it. This plays like a stealth/puzzle solving game, but it feels like a puzzle game in the same way that Looking Glass games felt - not in a way of point and click adventures (but there were few riddles to solve on the way).

    You can save game only in "safe" spots - very cool concept and works perfectly. The experience is "casualised" a bit here and there - the game gets easier as it progresses and allows you to obtain hints and maps for money. This does not ruin the fun, but removes lot of frustration associated with being "stuck" for too long. You will get stuck once in a while anyway, do not worry. My only complaint is that I would remove some hints for secondary quests - they are optional anyway so no need to make it too easy, especially since you can figure out everything when you pay enough attention to the world and the dialogues.

    The stealth system is quite original and works very well. It is totally unrealistic and a bit too easy, but it all fits perfectly with cartoonish style of the game.

    Unfortunately the game is not perfect and I need to address few things:

    The experience quality drops significantly in last third of the game. The attention to detail and level of polish of the first few hours of the game are not carried through the whole playthrough. (which is a case for most games actually...)

    The game tries to throw too much fetch quests at player at some point (they really should have cut out some of the quests from the game) and it also tries to take more "cinematic" approach at the end which it fails to do, exposing many design limitations. There is a moment when you start getting that indie game feeling, that some obvious things are missing due to limited budget and resources.

    The game also throws more and more dialogue lines at the player as story progresses and the quality of that aspect also drops a lot, the later conversations drag for too long and are quite uninspired. I would also do the ending differently, but thats a minor thing. I wasnt that much into story anyway, I liked the lore and some characters very very much, but found a whole main story a bit bland and too complex for its own sake.    … Expand
  4. sh4dow
    Mar 18, 2018
    9
    This is an absolutely amazing game. The gorgeous art style, sound design, the idea of a stealth game playing as a mouse, how great the controls feel, etc.. As a result, Ghost of a Tale is very addictive - at least I'm always curious what's next, want to explore new areas and so on. Despite what some people are saying this is actually a pretty big game considering its price and that most ofThis is an absolutely amazing game. The gorgeous art style, sound design, the idea of a stealth game playing as a mouse, how great the controls feel, etc.. As a result, Ghost of a Tale is very addictive - at least I'm always curious what's next, want to explore new areas and so on. Despite what some people are saying this is actually a pretty big game considering its price and that most of it was done by just one person. When people say "you play mostly in a keep", they're ignoring things like the forest areas (which have amazing vegetation detail), as well as catacombs and sewers beneath the keep. It's all designed in a bit of a maze-like manner too, so it will probably take you a couple of hours to find your way around.

    I can't comment how long the game is because unfortunately, the dev seems to have taken a page out of CD Projekt Red's playbook (reminds me a lot of the Witcher 2 release) and decided to release something that's only mostly finished but still quite buggy. So after encountering yet another possible quest bug, I've stopped playing (about 10 hours into the game) and will wait for 2-3 weeks until hopefully all major issues have been addressed. Kind of begs the question why if the game has been 5 years in development, they weren't fixed before the release. You only get one chance to make a first impression, after all. And while I'm willing to turn a blind eye to these issues since 95% of the game is done and stunning and I already feel like I've gotten my money's worth, not everybody may be as forgiving.    … Expand
  5. 1stBoTToX
    Mar 31, 2018
    10
    Magnifique jeux, avec des personnages très attachants, des animations juste parfaites.
    Quand on sait que ce jeux a été fait par une personne seule, avec seulement 50'000€ de budget, on se dit que certains gros studio devraient en prendre de la graine!!!
  6. Sfea
    Jun 18, 2018
    10
    La belleza máxima, me a conmovido completamente este hermoso videojuego, esto si se le puede llamar un buen juego de Aventura. Para ser un indie es la perfección, es un juego que recordaré para siempre, estoy muy agradecido por su existencia !
  7. Neshta
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    Это одна из лучших игр, в которые я когда-либо играл. Очень люблю эту игру. Да, в ней есть странные моменты с предметами, которые никогда не будут использованы, видимо, разработчик начинал с большим размахом, но потом игру немного урезали. Тем не менее, я готов простить этой игре все ее проблемы. Очень надеюсь когда-нибудь увидеть продолжение.Это одна из лучших игр, в которые я когда-либо играл. Очень люблю эту игру. Да, в ней есть странные моменты с предметами, которые никогда не будут использованы, видимо, разработчик начинал с большим размахом, но потом игру немного урезали. Тем не менее, я готов простить этой игре все ее проблемы. Очень надеюсь когда-нибудь увидеть продолжение.
  8. triadne
    Mar 15, 2023
    9
    I fell in love with this game within half an hour of starting it and I love it more and more every time I play it.
    the art is gorgeous, the music is atmospheric, the gameplay is widely varied, fun, engaging, well implemented, the story constantly reaches new depths and becomes more intriguing all the time.
    I don't understand how an indie developer makes this game... this is a strong    I fell in love with this game within half an hour of starting it and I love it more and more every time I play it.
    the art is gorgeous, the music is atmospheric, the gameplay is widely varied, fun, engaging, well implemented, the story constantly reaches new depths and becomes more intriguing all the time.
    I don't understand how an indie developer makes this game... this is a strong contender for my game of 2021. I don't see how a game could surpass this.
    still don't know how far I am through it or how much more there is. I like that. I like the mystery this game provides.    … Expand
  9. TitaniumDragon
    Feb 10, 2019
    9
    Ghost of a Tale is a very densely packed Stealth/Fetchquest game. That may sound like a joke, but it really isn’t.

    Ghost of a Tale stars Tilo, a mouse minstrel who has been unjustly imprisoned in the crumbling Dwindling Heights, a great fortress built over the tomb of the hero Dunlain, but which is today little more than a prison where rat soldiers who have screwed up one too many times    Ghost of a Tale is a very densely packed Stealth/Fetchquest game. That may sound like a joke, but it really isn’t.

    Ghost of a Tale stars Tilo, a mouse minstrel who has been unjustly imprisoned in the crumbling Dwindling Heights, a great fortress built over the tomb of the hero Dunlain, but which is today little more than a prison where rat soldiers who have screwed up one too many times are given jobs as punishment. One day, Tilo finds a key and a note hidden under a piece of bread delivered to his cell, entreating him to unlock his cell and sneak through the fortress meet with his anonymous benefactor on the top of the highest tower in the keep.

    But Tilo is a tiny little mouse in a world full of rats, magpies, and other larger creatures. One of the first people he runs into, a frog, entreats him to murder a snoring guard, but Tilo refuses, on the grounds that he is no murderer – or indeed, a criminal at all.

    And so the stage is set for a stealth game, as our cute little mouse protagonist scampers and sneaks his way around the world. This is a world akin to Redwall, where all of the people are anthropomorphic animals – but only slightly anthropomorphized. They walk on two legs, but Tilo will scamper on all fours when he runs, and they’re all designed to look rather like real animals.

    It seems at first like the racism of Redwall is present as well – the rats are at first depicted as being rather mean, and the mice as good. But it quickly becomes clear that the rats are indeed the heroes of the setting, and that the mice betrayed them in ancient times to a terror known as the Green Flame. The mice you run into in the game are thieves, and it becomes clear when you read more about the world that a number of mice have been rebelling against the rats – and while their treatment as second-class citizens is perhaps unjust, a number of the rats seem to be sympathetic towards mice.

    The game, thus, subverts the player’s expectations about a setting like this, and the game keeps doing so throughout. The whole game takes place in a very small area – a single fortress and a bit of surrounding wilderness – and there’s only about a dozen real characters in the game, but there is more to almost all of them than meets the eye. Thus, as you explore the keep and try to make your way to freedom and find your wife, you also learn more about the world and the people around you, and find that things are nowhere near as simple as they seemed. Everything you believed might be wrong, and your benefactor, Silas, warns you not to trust anyone – even him.

    But Tilo is a kind creature, and the NPCs are so cute… how can you not want to help them out?

    The weird thing about this game is that while it appears like it is a stealth game at first glance, it actually only is one for about the first quarter or third of the game – one of the first quests you get is a quest to sneak around the keep and gather pieces of guard armor to make yourself a disguise. Once you complete this disguise, weighed down in heavy, oversized rat armor, you pass yourself off as a runty new rat recruit who was supposed to be transferred in. At this point, it becomes possible to walk past and talk to every guard in the place, and the game goes from a stealth game to being focused on exploration and, ultimately, doing what amounts to fetch-quests for a number of NPCs.

    What you enjoy about this game is probably not going to be the gameplay – sure, the stealth bit is decent enough, but the mechanics never really evolve because instead it focuses around disguising yourself to pass as various people to get others to help you out. The game is really mostly fetchquests and exploration, trying to find things for people who might help you escape from the prison or help to find your wife.

    The real draw of this game is the writing. The fact that the whole place is pretty small means that a lot of what you’re doing is going back and forth, trying to find stuff or get people to give you stuff or convince them to do stuff, or just talking to people to learn more about the world. And the fact that the game world is so small means that, despite all of the backtracking, you don’t actually spend all that long between plot points – the game is pretty dense, and you’ll frequently complete tasks and go turn them in to get new fun bits of dialogue with people. The conversations are often funny, but can deliver emotionally powerful exposition; the hidden depths of characters are nice to see, and you end up caring about the core cast of characters because there are so few of them and you get fond of them by talking with them over time. From the rascally Gusto and Fatale, mouse thieves extraordinare who make you write a ballad for them, to Silas, your mysterious benefactor with ulterior motives, to the blacksmith Rolo, who seems to always be willing to sell you advice for a bit of coin, they're a highly likable bunch.    … Expand
  10. tremault
    Mar 5, 2021
    9
    I fell in love with this game within half an hour of starting it and I love it more and more every time I play it.
    the art is gorgeous, the music is atmospheric, the gameplay is widely varied, fun, engaging, well implemented, the story constantly reaches new depths and becomes more intriguing all the time.
    I don't understand how an indie developer makes this game... this is a strong    I fell in love with this game within half an hour of starting it and I love it more and more every time I play it.
    the art is gorgeous, the music is atmospheric, the gameplay is widely varied, fun, engaging, well implemented, the story constantly reaches new depths and becomes more intriguing all the time.
    I don't understand how an indie developer makes this game... this is a strong contender for my game of 2021. I don't see how a game could surpass this.
    still don't know how far I am through it or how much more there is. I like that. I like the mystery this game provides.    … Expand
  11. BIGTIMEMASTER
    Dec 16, 2018
    8
    This is a masterpiece among solo-dev created games. Besides that, it's a pretty solid game even held up to 50 million dollar juggernauts.

    Art is on point. It's cute, it's smart, it's full of character and charm and it just pleasing to look at. Gameplay is simple and well designed for the genre. It is engaging, usually not frustrating, and serves well to give exploring the world    This is a masterpiece among solo-dev created games. Besides that, it's a pretty solid game even held up to 50 million dollar juggernauts.

    Art is on point. It's cute, it's smart, it's full of character and charm and it just pleasing to look at.

    Gameplay is simple and well designed for the genre. It is engaging, usually not frustrating, and serves well to give exploring the world purpose and moving the story along at the right pace without dragging things out or distracting player with too much nonsense. Well done.

    Story and characters are better than most. Perhaps there is something to be said for a solo-dev who can just make decisions how they see fit and stick with it. No bureaucracy concerned with pandering to the slathering masses. Characters are full of charm and wit, story is simple and endearing. World building is interesting, even to a 30 year old dude who typically likes shooting games and didn't even like Disney movies when I was a kid.

    Indie's need to take note, study this game, and learn something. AAA should as well.    … Expand
  12. BoTToX_CH
    Apr 28, 2019
    10
    Wonderful graphics, very cute characters, fantastic level design.
    Amazing game made by only 1 ppl, 50'000$ and 5 years.
    No i'm waiting for a sequel
  13. CamyVero
    Jun 22, 2021
    8
    Beautiful mixture of Graphic Adventure and RPG of indie production that mixes stealth mechanics, exploration and puzzle solving. With a very nice graphic finish and a story that traps you until the end. In this game the player is in charge of Tilo, a bard mouse trapped in the prison of the rats with the difficult mission of escaping his unjust captivity and finding his missing wife. FromBeautiful mixture of Graphic Adventure and RPG of indie production that mixes stealth mechanics, exploration and puzzle solving. With a very nice graphic finish and a story that traps you until the end. In this game the player is in charge of Tilo, a bard mouse trapped in the prison of the rats with the difficult mission of escaping his unjust captivity and finding his missing wife. From the outset the setting is reminiscent of the first 'Dark Souls', with its dark, merciless medieval settings and deep, gloomy dungeons, but the game is geared towards other gameplay solutions. There is no combat, which means that we have to use our brains to get out of the different situations, with the skills of our bard mouse, his facility with words and his ability for music and disguise. Highly recommended. It took us between 15 and 20 hours to complete.… Expand
  14. heinyreimes
    Aug 2, 2018
    8
    A level of detail rarely seen among other indie games! Top notch production value!
  15. phalamaja
    Apr 29, 2019
    8
    wvey gud gaem must play ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
  16. spencerplewe
    Feb 17, 2021
    9
    With great characters, a solid story, and an impeccably designed world with tons of secrets to find, this is a definite indie gem that's actually worth full price.
  17. dyeah
    Oct 18, 2020
    9
    What a great game! Beautiful world, beautiful music, touching story and a great set of companions by the end.

    Not everything is perfect, some of the puzzles are more tied to game mechanics than logic and the movement is clunky and slow in the early game. These negatives didn't stop me from having a fun time playing the game though. Great job!
  18. hoanns
    Jun 6, 2020
    8
    amazing graphics and atmosphere, not so great mission breaking bugs and often confusing quest design. Great for kids, too, I assume, but can be annoying because of the former.
  19. AJ84550
    Jun 19, 2020
    9
    The game is set in a surprisingly vibrant, colorful world. The silent protagonist is immediately and enduringly sympathetic. There are several well defined NPCs that you feel connection to. The stealth and platforming are basic, but enjoyable. The RPG elements are minimalist but sufficient. There are a few flaws in camera, controls. There is a bit of a slog in making trips for quest items.The game is set in a surprisingly vibrant, colorful world. The silent protagonist is immediately and enduringly sympathetic. There are several well defined NPCs that you feel connection to. The stealth and platforming are basic, but enjoyable. The RPG elements are minimalist but sufficient. There are a few flaws in camera, controls. There is a bit of a slog in making trips for quest items. But the overpowering charm of this game make it one of my favorites, certainly one of my favorite indie games.… Expand
  20. Dormin94
    May 22, 2021
    10
    By ignoring generic GameDesign-Decisions of the current Era of video games (Minimap and Markers for orientation, Skilltrees for more success with progression, a lot of interchangeable loot to keep you busy with your inventory, ...), SeithCG managed to create a unique Game experience. This fundament is enriched and given more personality by the beautifully looking World, a fresh setting,By ignoring generic GameDesign-Decisions of the current Era of video games (Minimap and Markers for orientation, Skilltrees for more success with progression, a lot of interchangeable loot to keep you busy with your inventory, ...), SeithCG managed to create a unique Game experience. This fundament is enriched and given more personality by the beautifully looking World, a fresh setting, and it's very own humour. Overall the game fells harmonic through all its decisions and is therefore offering an original adventure.… Expand
  21. Animus_V0x
    Jul 14, 2022
    9
    This game was a very good surprise, I really liked the story, and all the lore around it !! Found it original. Pure stealth game where you can barely fight. IA could have been smarter but ignoring that fact I still had a good time with riddles and mysteries, secret paths and other treasure hunts.
  22. Morados9
    Jan 3, 2023
    8
    Qué ratoncito más divertido. Me ha encantado su aventura y su belleza. Excelente juego.
  23. o1nk
    May 30, 2023
    9
    Отличная ролевая игра. Сказка, в которой очень хорошо проработана история и персонажи.
    Приятная графика, юмор, интересные диалоги и минимальная система прокачки.
    Бесполезность предметов конечно режет глаза и портит впечатление, но не критично. Есть баги, влияют на некоторые механики, но после загрузки сейвов все вроде как приходит в норму.    Отличная ролевая игра. Сказка, в которой очень хорошо проработана история и персонажи.
    Приятная графика, юмор, интересные диалоги и минимальная система прокачки.
    Бесполезность предметов конечно режет глаза и портит впечатление, но не критично.
    Есть баги, влияют на некоторые механики, но после загрузки сейвов все вроде как приходит в норму.

Awards & Rankings

84
#84 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. BaziCenter
    Mar 14, 2019
    60
    Ghost of a Tale is heavily influenced by the Souls series, and one would wonder why? It definitely suffers from tons of issues and technical difficulties, and unless you are a hardocre Stealth fan, you'll probably have a hard time enjoying its beautiful (but full of technical issues) visuals and appealing (but full of cliches) story.
    Read full review
  2. Jeuxvideo.com
    Jun 6, 2018
    85
    This magical tale grabs us from the first page to the last. We read it with the heart of a child, fascinated by its fantasy universe.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Jun 5, 2018
    75
    Due to very basic enemy AI Ghost of a Tale is not a particularly good stealth game, but its fairy tale charm is irresistible and although I worked hard for hours to escape the fortress, I was leaving it with genuine sorrow. [05/2018, p.78]
See all critic reviews »