Goetia (Hands-On) (PC) Preview

It all starts off in a creepy outdoors location, with a white glowing object floating above an ominous-looking gravestone. Extremely non-descript from the off, but as it becomes apparent that the white globe follows the path of the on-screen cursor as it is dragged along - camera in tow - a large creepy house appears in view, and interest immediately starts to rise.

Everything surrounding the events portrayed within Goetia is mysterious, though, and the story really does not present itself easily, with players having to work hard to uncover mere snippets of information, piecing together various sketchy clues that are dotted around.

It may prove frustrating at first for those wanting to know more straight away, but this is definitely the sort of title where sheer effort is rewarded and overcoming the - sometimes almost frustratingly obtuse - challenges is abundantly satisfying. The basic premise is that it is wartime, early 1940s, set in the desolate area of Oakmarsh, a place left in ruins…but was it because of the war that the entire population fled, or is something more untoward at play? Abigail Blackwood arose from the dead for a reason, and it can only be to find out the truth, no matter how shocking it may be.

In the early demo version, only limited areas of the manor are open (two outdoor sections can be accessed but are dead ends), with coloured magical force-fields blocking progression through certain walls, floors, ceilings and doors to restrict the action for the time being. Walls, floors and ceilings? Yes, being a non-corporeal being, the ghostly Abigail can transport herself through barriers that a standard character would be unable to, rather like the gameplay technique used in the Blackwell series, where the ghost partner of Joey was used to great effect for the sake of inventive puzzles. Whilst this takes a slightly different slant by only having the one protagonist, it still opens up the world to some smart ideas, such as possessing objects to move them around.

It is this concept that warrants the lack of an inventory system, since, after all, how would a ghost be able to store numerous objects upon their… (non-)person? Instead, taking charge of one object at a time is the order of the day. It needs to be remembered that by doing so it thus limits movement to simply going through open doors and up and down staircases as these 'real life' objects obviously cannot float through floors. Abigail must float around until finding a place where the item possibly needs to be used, then drop it on or use it in conjunction with something else for the (hopefully) desired effect.

At times it will prove to be a little too slow for some peoples' liking, and those used to being able to carry everything around, accessing anything at anytime, may find the backtracking to grab individual items a chore. However, anyone that appreciates the effort put into the visuals to set the atmosphere in the creepy, abandoned manor, as well as the soundtrack that gives off a fantastically eerie ambience, will be more than happy to carefully explore every nook and cranny within.

Unlocking areas, mixing objects together, rearranging ripped documents, figuring out conundrums from obscure clues - there are already plenty of familiar aspects present in Goetia. On top of that, though, there are also many elements yet to be revealed, and from the thoroughly absorbing experience so far, the final product cannot come soon enough!