Gloomwood, a Steam Early Access immersive sim that nails the feel of games like Thief and Dishonored, has just had a colossal Halloween update while the game is on sale. Gloomwood comes from Dillion Rogers and David Szymanski, with the latter responsible for Dusk and Iron Lung, so if this is the first you’re hearing of the stealth game, that should tell you it’s in good hands.
The free All Hallows update dropped for Gloomwood on Friday, October 27, and adds new weapons, areas, improved enemy AI, and even seasonal pumpkins to the stealth game, and the team has a lot more planned before it comes out of early access.
Gloomwood is such a good immersive sim that part of me wants to recommend waiting for the full release, but since I have no idea how long that’ll be I’ve got to recommend you pick it up now. Even if we are waiting a while, this is one of those games that it feels great to consistently come back to as the early access period goes along, and the game is on sale.
In the update you get the Flashbomb, which can help you blind enemies for a kill or even sneak away if they’re a bit too much for you. The enemies in Gloomwood are tough, and while you can go on a killing spree if you time it right and have a deep understanding of the combat, the Flashbomb sounds like it’ll be the perfect tool when you’re accidentally spotted.
The Market District now has loads of its interiors open, which should help the game world feel more alive. You can even sneak across rooftops and find new ways into buildings, which gives Gloomwood the Dishonored vibe I’m looking for. The interiors will also give you an idea of what the future area of Cathedral Row will look like.
Huntsman are the main enemies you’ll find in Gloomwood, and their AI has been improved as they can jump, climb, and even throw their axes at you. You can now parry this throw with a bullet though, so it’s fine.
There are also subtitles and seasonal pumpkins in Gloomwood now, so you can get in the mood for spooky season. As I said up top, Gloomwood is already a game with a brilliant skeleton, and it keeps getting more and more added to it over time. So while you might want to wait for the full game to emerge, you’ll still have a phenomenal time with the early access version.
You can find Gloomwood in a Steam sale at 20% off until Thursday, November 2, so expect to pay $15.99 / £12.39 until then. So you’ve not got that long to dive into the game at this price.
If you want a little something that Gloomwood takes inspiration from the best old games on PC will have what you’re looking for, or you can take a look at the best FPS games instead.
