Stealth mechanics is simplistic, instructions are sometimes unclear. Considering the game’s price $19.99 for just 3.5-4 hours of gameplay with a handful of slide-show cutscenes, it feels expensive.

I finished the Monastery area, about 1/3 of the full game before I stopped. Normally I prefer to complete a game, but here the sneaking methods are repetitive and limited. The boy can throw rocks to distract guards at first, later swapping to a noise-making toy, but it functions identically aside from the range. Hiding spots (vases, bookshelves, coffins) are just change of skins of the same mechanic. Puzzles often boil down to pulling or pushing boxes and ladders in various locations (library, garden, tomb), again with nothing but skin changes. Later levels just add enemies to slow you down, but don’t change the experience.

The mother character uses a sling to break barrels and locks, but the game doesn’t explain this upfront. When I first encountered a glowing lock, I assumed I needed a key, only to discover later that the sling breaks it. Similarly, crucial objectives like activating bombs lack clear instructions. If you miss the one at the start, too bad you have to backtrack all the way across the map.

Finding your way can also be frustrating. As the boy, I often wandered back to places I’d already visited. When playing as the mother, the map felt larger with little clarity on where to go. Maybe the Devs want you to fully explore to find extra rewards like cheering up children, but this doesn’t feel like a meaningful reward. If I knew certain paths were pointless I would have skipped them.

As a stealth game, I expect responsive controls. Most actions are fine, but interactions with boxes and ladders are awkward, you must stand at just the right angle to interact, which can be frustrating when guards are nearby.

The gameplay is too repetitive, though perhaps the experience would be shorter than 2 hours without this padding. Overall, I rate the game negatively: it feels overpriced for its lack of creativity and repetitive mechanics. At $9.99, I might give it a positive, but $19.99 is too much for what’s offered.


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