Hauntii is a narrative-driven puzzle game where you play as a ghost that can possess the various NPCs and objects around you. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Hauntii Review Overview
What is Hauntii?
You wake up as a ghost, alone in a world of shadows. You have no recollection of your past, no knowledge of where you are, and no goal to strive for. Before you are paths bathed in light and your only guide is a celestial being who you can barely communicate with. Hauntii is a game of discovery, adventure, and self-reflection done in a way that doesn’t sacrifice the narrative for its gameplay. The result is an immensely satisfying game where you can feel the plot progression despite the puzzle and combat sections.
Hauntii features:
⚫︎ Intriguing puzzles
⚫︎ A wonderfully visual story
⚫︎ Beautiful and almost mystical art style
⚫︎ A sprawling map with tons of interactions
⚫︎ Audio that evokes depth and distance
⚫︎ Puzzle-based combat
 Steam Store |
TBA |
 PlayStation Store |
TBA |
 Microsoft Store |
TBA |
 Nintendo eShop |
$19.99 |
Hauntii Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 The Silence Speaks A Healthy Mix of Puzzles and Combat Narrative is Nicely Paced Amazing Audiovisual Design |
Unhelpful Map Friend Depth Is Hard To Judge |
Hauntii Overall Score - 88/100
Hauntii is an extraordinarily charming and memorable title with exceptional worldbuilding and character development despite the two main characters’ inability to properly communicate with each other. It also has a memorable art style and visuals that pair exceptionally well with its immersive sound design. Gameplay-wise, it’s a well-balanced mix of combat and puzzles where the latter is integrated with how well you can perform in fights. Overall, Hauntii is akin to the class valedictorian who scores high in every subject without fail.
Hauntii Story - 9/10
Bearing witness to the relationship development between two characters who can’t communicate with each other is such an endearing experience that is only possible with Hauntii’s well-balanced narrative and gameplay. It allows the writers the freedom to write a vivid picture of the game’s world through the dialogues and interactions between characters. Not only that, they could make the story as engaging and intriguing as they can without worrying about how it will fit in the standard framework of game-based storytelling.
Hauntii Gameplay - 8/10
Being a narrative-driven puzzle solver is a difficult shoe to fill. The story’s pace can easily take a hit depending on the puzzle's difficulty. However, Hauntii’s puzzles are not only very accessible but also tasteful enough to make their lack of difficulty unnoticeable. The use of possession mechanics also allows combat and puzzles to take place simultaneously. It could use some work to make them stand out, though, as there are a few puzzles that are practically invisible until you start actively looking for them.
Hauntii Visuals - 9/10
Hauntii’s visual style is both charming and symbolic. Its use of monochrome and mastery over the art results in breathtaking sceneries that take advantage of human imagination. The hand-wrought characters are also endearing despite their lack of defining features. Unfortunately, it isn’t perfect, as some puzzles suffer from the color scheme’s inherent lack of ability to project depth, particularly on closer views.
Hauntii Audio - 9/10
With audio that ebbs and flows with the events on screen, Hauntii’s sound design is excellent in portraying large distances. This is especially true for its ability to depict depth, a factor that directly aids its visuals’ imperfect ability to do so. On top of all that, its choice of keeping most characters silent while providing unintelligible diction to those who do speak only enhances the game’s almost mystical disposition.
Hauntii Value for Money - 9/10
It’s quite frankly nuts that they’re selling such a great game at just $19.99 (Switch), but here we are. Not only is it incredibly cheap for what it offers, but it’s also very affordable. Considering the amount of puzzles and collectibles it has, the replayability is also great. But I would argue that it’s the kind of game that’s absolutely magic only on your first playthrough. And that’s perfectly fine. That magic is special not because it's always there but because you had the honor of witnessing it.
Hauntii Review: A Silent Gem
If you have ever imagined what life after death would be like, then chances are that you’ve used the common religious interpretations to shape your image. And if you’re a good boy or girl, you’re likely somewhat excited about the prospect. However, what if the trials and tribulations don’t end when you kick the bucket?
Hauntii presents a grim afterlife of eternity where our problems regarding social anxiety, skill issues, and dental health are gone.
… Or are those just my problems? Anyway, instead, the problems that our ghostly selves have is far more sinister. Yes, it's more sinister than not having the skill to finish Sekiro. And that is transcending eternity... or simply pursuing normalcy and safety in a world only barely touched by light. What makes it even worse is that there are things that watch you from the darkness, threatening to drag you deeper into the abyss.
Kind of like social anxiety, now that I think about it.
At first, the game barely makes any mention of any of these. It starts with a tutorial where almost every mechanic in the game already exists without giving you much of an explanation. Hence, it’s entirely possible to wander into the darkness (which you will), find out that it doesn’t kill you (instantly), and assume that it’s just part of the normal background. If you do, then you’ll be treated with one of the best acrophobia triggers monochrome games can provide as the darkness eventually drags you into its large, pitch-black maws.
Fortunately, you’re special in the world of Eternity. Assuming that you’ve escaped the few ways to die in the first half of the prologue, you’ll find yourself stranded and pulled into the abyss anyway. After that, you’ll meet the one true companion who will accompany you through most of your trials in Eternity.
Biblically-accurate angels be like
Most of your following efforts will be directed towards the centralizing character that is your Eternian companion, a race as old as time that guides ghosts such as yourself (I mean your character) to transcend to a higher plane of existence. However, your relationship with that particular Eternian exceeds that of merely being a lost soul and a heavenly escort. At the very least, without spoiling anything, the game heavily implies that.
This implication is purely visual, however. Your Eternian companion can’t speak English, unlike your fellow ghosts that roam Eternity. Instead, she speaks using a set of runes that, for the sake of immersion, nobody could understand. Funnily enough, she seems to understand that there’s a language barrier, so she often resorts to using her halo as a projector to deliver messages using imagery. But the resulting silence between her and yourself somehow creates an even more vivid and colorful relationship.
The way the game’s puzzles and combat, which are usually the main culprits that ruin a game’s narrative pace, somehow manage to not affect the delivery while still being enjoyable is worthy of praise as well. However, some of the puzzles tend to be repetitive, while some can’t even be seen unless you look hard enough.
At the end of the day, though, Hauntii is still a game guaranteed to haunt you with its quality. While it’s certainly not the kind of title you’ll revisit, at least soon after your first playthrough, it’s still undoubtedly a gem of the silent kind that you’ll enjoy.
Pros of Hauntii
| Things Hauntii Got Right |
|---|
|
The Silence Speaks A Healthy Mix of Puzzles and Combat Narrative is Nicely Paced Amazing Audiovisual Design |
The Silence Speaks
There’s barely any dialogue in this game, all things considered. In fact, the vast majority of dialogue will come from the NPCs, with your playable character often choosing to remain silent. Meanwhile, your partner can’t even communicate properly due to her using the language of their race that nobody could understand.
But this isn’t a handicap at all, frankly speaking. The main character, for one, manages to avoid the death trap many silent characters fall into, which essentially makes them a mannequin with a backstory. This is all thanks to how expressive the character is and how the writers cleverly implicated the character’s thoughts into the NPCs’ dialogue.
Even your Eternian companion, despite the language issues, is safe from this trap. Not only does she possess the same expressiveness as the main character, but she also moves in such a way that provides an idea of her temperament. However, she does take the backseat for most of the game, and you’ll only get to learn more about her during the later parts.
A Healthy Mix of Puzzles and Combat
Hauntii’s main attraction to its gameplay is the character’s ability to possess the objects around them. Some are functionally useful, such as the bugs on the trees and wandering passive NPCs, while others are just there for the fun of it, like the hills with cuckoo clocks on them. This ability is inherently combat-oriented, as many of the things you can possess have abilities that allow them to deal with enemies as well. This allows the game to mix the combat and puzzle sections seamlessly.
Doing so allows the normally tedious puzzle sections to be an exciting affair as you attack enemies and solve puzzles at the same time. In fact, most boss fights tend to follow this line of thought.
More importantly, the gameplay is designed to be quick and accessible. This does wonders for the game’s narrative, as instead of throwing a wrench in the writing, it doesn't interfere with the pace of the story at all.
Narrative is Nicely Paced
Hauntii’s ability to deliver its incredible story without the weight of mind-numbing puzzles and combat allows it the freedom to put together a well-meaning plot and a cast of intriguing characters. In fact, I would argue that the gameplay even adds to the narrative and worldbuilding, as many areas have stories to tell with how they are named and what the finer details look like. Heck, even the collectibles you obtain have their own meaningful names.
Amazing Audiovisual Design
Just like butter and bread, Hauntii’s visuals and audio are meant to be with each other. The reason why they work so well with each other is because they’re directly complimentary. Each of them paints an imperfect picture of the world of Eternity, and only when they are viewed together could the magic happen.
But that’s not to say that neither of them are good on their own. The artstyle is delightfully pleasing on the eyes, and were obviously handcrafted with love and passion. The sounds, meanwhile, can evoke a wide range of emotions from the listeners, as well as allow them to directly interpret size and scale with their dynamism.
Together, Hauntii’s visuals and audio can not only display an event but also paint an entire world.
Cons of Hauntii
| Things That Hauntii Can Improve |
|---|
|
Unhelpful Map Friend Depth Is Hard To Judge |
Unhelpful Map Friend
While you’re provided with a map early on in the game, it doesn’t really provide you with anything other than determining the general location of an area and your completion rate. In a way, its helpfulness in your navigation efforts is similar to looking at the map of America as you plan on crossing to another state; you’ll know the general direction of where you need to go, but you’ll have no idea how to get there.
The issue lies in the map’s inability to expand specific areas. You only have a bird’s eye view of Eternity. This means exploring every area requires memory, time, and a lot of guts, especially since some areas are only accessible by traversing over darkness, which, let me remind you, can get you killed.
Depth Is Hard To Judge
While Hauntii’s mastery over lights and shadows can somehow communicate depth over large distances, it suffers when there’s not enough depth to make distinguishing line thicknesses easy. This creates instances where judging the distances quite difficult, especially in mid-air.
The sections of the game where you possess ladybugs to jump across trees are especially aggravating since your distance from a tree front to back can only be reliably determined by using the shadow on the ground. But what if you’re too far up or the tree is on dark soil? Guess that’s out of the picture, and sometimes quite literally.
Is Hauntii Worth It?
Worth The Boatman’s Fee
Playing Hauntii is an incredible game that offers a balance between its aesthetic appeal, story, and gameplay, with all factors being of very high quality. You’d be missing out on a well-made game for the low price of a cent short of 20 Benjamins if you’re not willing to nab it yourself.
| Steam Store |
TBA |
| PlayStation Store |
TBA |
| Microsoft Store |
TBA |
| Nintendo eShop |
$19.99 |
Hauntii FAQ
Can you possess enemies in Hauntii?
Most of the time, the answer is no. You can, however, possess passive NPCs that can damage you.
Do you need to gather every collectible in Hauntii to clear it?
You only really need enough to pass the gate for every story-driven barrier. The game has enough to go around.
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Hauntii Product Information
 |
|
| Title | HAUNTII |
|---|---|
| Release Date | May 23, 2024 |
| Developer | Moonloop Games |
| Publisher | Firestoke |
| Supported Platforms | PC, Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4 |
| Genre | Adventure, Puzzle |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone |
| Official Website | Hauntii Website |
