This review contains spoilers
I wasn't ever scared playing this game but there were a lot of moments where I went “Thats pretty cool!”
A lot of that is in the presentation. I grew up on the GBA, so not only am I familiar with sprites made big to make up for small screen space, it’s an aesthetic I remember my fondly. Bunny Graveyard captures that look and charm to a t. The game however boasts cutscenes with incredibly sharp compositions and directing that i don’t think any GBA game could pull off. A nice modern touch.
What also reminds me of the GBA is tha you only have two buttons and a d-pad at your disposal. This is a simple mechanics game that tests your ability to hit Z with various mini games. And the various mini games they do with them are fun! Boxing was definitely the highlight with the fishing mini-game a close second. The final round of the fishing mini-game was probably the most tense I got during my playthrough.
Cause like I said, I was more impressed by the sleek spritework and craft even during the scary bits. The jumpscares I ran into during the final act, when it goes into more modern horror game territory with stealth sections that reward failure with jump scares, the jumpscares left me more impressed and loving the effort put into them rather than any sense of being rattled by the well crafted monster that caught me.
And that can be a big issue with this game for a lot people. I never thought it was that scary, but I don’t think it’s out of any attempt to appeal to the growing mascot horror audiences. I also fear with this game being assigned this genre by some that many will assume this game has the usual worst tropes of that genre, (i.e. cheap, uninspired, just begging for lets players to lose their shit at it for videos upon videos)
Cause I think The Bunny Graveyard is anything but that. I didn’t leave game thinking “That was such a scary take on a haunted GBA game” but rather “Man wouldn’t it be cool if there were horror games on the GBA?”
And if there are any worth noting, do tell! I was five when I had my GBA, no way my parents would let me have any (if they exist).
A lot of that is in the presentation. I grew up on the GBA, so not only am I familiar with sprites made big to make up for small screen space, it’s an aesthetic I remember my fondly. Bunny Graveyard captures that look and charm to a t. The game however boasts cutscenes with incredibly sharp compositions and directing that i don’t think any GBA game could pull off. A nice modern touch.
What also reminds me of the GBA is tha you only have two buttons and a d-pad at your disposal. This is a simple mechanics game that tests your ability to hit Z with various mini games. And the various mini games they do with them are fun! Boxing was definitely the highlight with the fishing mini-game a close second. The final round of the fishing mini-game was probably the most tense I got during my playthrough.
Cause like I said, I was more impressed by the sleek spritework and craft even during the scary bits. The jumpscares I ran into during the final act, when it goes into more modern horror game territory with stealth sections that reward failure with jump scares, the jumpscares left me more impressed and loving the effort put into them rather than any sense of being rattled by the well crafted monster that caught me.
And that can be a big issue with this game for a lot people. I never thought it was that scary, but I don’t think it’s out of any attempt to appeal to the growing mascot horror audiences. I also fear with this game being assigned this genre by some that many will assume this game has the usual worst tropes of that genre, (i.e. cheap, uninspired, just begging for lets players to lose their shit at it for videos upon videos)
Cause I think The Bunny Graveyard is anything but that. I didn’t leave game thinking “That was such a scary take on a haunted GBA game” but rather “Man wouldn’t it be cool if there were horror games on the GBA?”
And if there are any worth noting, do tell! I was five when I had my GBA, no way my parents would let me have any (if they exist).