Horror Tales: The Beggar Review

Certain franchises move away from the sequel and prequel idea while having a more shared universe or brand to which they attach themselves. In TV you have the American Horror Story series, running separated season narratives that stand alone, but with some overall branching and returning themes or characters. 

In games, this happens as well – think of the Oddworld universe for instance. But Horror Tales started as a saga with Horror Tales: The Wine a couple of years ago, running as a first-person adventure.

Now we have Horror Tales: The Beggar which takes things somewhere completely different, keeping the bones of the franchise strong. Let’s delve in. 

Carlos Coronado, the solo developer on Horror Tales: The Beggar seems to be full of interesting ideas and creative plans, as is shown in the new gameplay mechanics and original ideas of Horror Tales: The Beggar. 

It’s a first-person adventure where you play the beggar themselves; a genetic humanoid creature who starts the game in a prison, mentored and instructed by a floating robot. The problem is that you, for reasons unknown, broke the world. You are therefore tasked with trying to fix it, but at the same time, you are being hunted by another creature – one like you – who is trying to put a halt to your plans. 

Frankly, the story is sometimes confusing, but it doesn’t matter because the world is told through the visuals and not really the main focus. See, that is the gameplay and exploration parts of the game. 

You start off with just a few abilities like being able to run, crawl and jump. With those to hand you go about exploring the levels, discovering little nodes with bits of narrative, as new extra skills play out. The first major one you get access to is the telekinesis ability that allows you to draw objects towards you, pulling in tables or barrels that you can then move around and place to ensure you can traverse things easier. Or, if you prefer, you can hold the object, charge it up, then throw it across the room to break down barriers blocking your way or as you partake in some combat. 

Every now and then you will come to a point in The Beggar where you have to attack the other guy who is hunting you. This normally works as a boss-area battle, as you are left to chuck those charged objects at the boss before he kills you. These are good fun and as the levels move on become harder and more complex, all as another new gameplay element comes into play. 

You see, in Horror Tales: The Beggar you will also gain the ability to change the time of day. So at some point, you find yourself in the burning desert and you can change day into night, all so you can travel without harm. And in certain levels, the world will come with gravitational changes, as platforms move when you change the time of day, or doors will open in certain periods. There is also the ability to make it rain, helping flood the deepest of areas, letting you swim across. Alternatively, you can use that to put out fires. As a whole, and a combination of ideas, that in Horror Tales: The Beggar works excellently, and is good fun as you try to work through the puzzle solutions. 

Horror Tales: The Beggar looks great as well, especially in certain moments that deliver some brilliantly crafted landscapes. The world feels epic at times with the broken environments filled with intrigue and mystery. I have loved what the lone developer has made here, with some personal favourite moments focusing on the pieces of graffiti and drawings spread around the levels. 

There are no complaints with the soundscore either. It is good, providing some great atmosphere. There’s also some minimal voice-over that works fine. 

Running at just a few hours in length, Horror Tales: The Beggar is one to enjoy, especially if you are looking to be taken on an epic journey. The story is good, but the world building is stronger, as are the different gameplay mechanics that are implemented. 

There is some stuff here that I’ve never seen before and for that reason alone I am so looking forward to seeing what the next game in the saga is and what Carlos Coronado will do with the next in this Horror Tales series.