MSRP: $14.99 (demo available here)
Platforms: Win, Mac, Linux
Release: 4/14/16
Steam rating: 92% positive
I’m going to show my linguistic geekiness here for a second: I love when video games have titles that I don’t understand, so I look them up, and learn something new. Goetia is a point-n-click adventure game where you play as the ghost of Abigail Blackwood, who has returned to her home to try to solve the mystery of what happened to her family in the 40 years since her death.
I’m always down for a spooky story, and when it also looks this good, and features some innovative and interesting mechanics, there is no way I can’t take it for a spin. Given that you’re an incorporeal being, a lot of your classic point-n-click mechanics are out the window from the get go. No need to hunt for keys when you can just float through walls.
The puzzling that remains is tough. Very tough. You’ll need to do a lot of reading, check your journal and the codex frequently, and you’ll probably still yearn for a walkthrough from time to time. The first few puzzles are fairly simple to get you used to some core ideas, such as possessing objects. But it probably won’t be long before you’re not sure what you need to do next – for example, I had no trouble adjusting to the idea of floating through walls, but I had a mental block of sorts when it came to floating through ceilings or floors.
Goetia is stunningly beautiful, and the writing thus far is pretty impressive. Due to the nature of moving items via possession, the physics needed to be far better than most games in the genre, and so far, I haven’t been disappointed by the way things move. I chose not to delve too deeply in, approximating the experience of the one-hour trial, but I am really looking forward to buckling down to play through the 10+ hour story over a couple of days. It’s not a game I want to take too much time with – the storyline feels dense, and I get the sense that I’m going to want it to be as fresh in my mind as possible as I proceed.
Goetia falls a little short of my preferred cost per entertainment hour, however, during Steam’s Winter Sale (going through January 2nd), it’s on sale for 66% off, putting the price at just over $5. If you enjoy mysteries, and have a moderately high frustration threshold – or no qualms about playing adventure games with a walkthrough – Goetia promises to be a memorable experience and absolutely worth picking up at the sale price.
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