Howl Review (PC)

There’s a creepy shadow standing right ahead of my character, while a couple of beasts are preparing on the edges of the level, ready to jump in as soon as they detect me. I have already used confidence to make sure my hooded hero can act six times during her turn. So, I’m building my plan around a careful approach and then an arrow shot, followed by a sprint toward the exit flag.

The prophetess takes three short steps and reaches the shadow, which turns into a hungry monster. The arrow destroys it, which is great, and none of the other beasts gets close enough to attack. The problem is one of the monsters has three hit points and is harder to kill. I need to decide whether I want to get to the exit and bag some extra confidence or if the better idea is to clear the level and take the skull bounty with me.

I have plenty of arrows and the option to undo if I make a bad move, so option two it is. A complicated ballet of waiting and pushing means I kill the bigger monster using the Force power and an arrow and end up next to another shadow. It becomes a creature and slashes away one of my health hearts. I kill it and exit the level, already thinking of how I can improve my performance.

Howl is developed by Mi'pu'mi Games GmbH and published by astragon Entertainment. I played it on the PC using Steam. The title is also offered on the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 5, and the Xbox Series X and S. The game combines turn-based tactics, an intriguing world, and some complex boss battles.

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Players are taken to a low fantasy world with Early Middle Age touches, players as a young deaf prophet. She is uniquely protected from a plague that’s transmitted when monstrous creatures howl, turning humans around them into more beats. She is accompanied by a narrator that offers more lore and personal details as she explores more of the world.

The story has four chapters, and I was surprised by how well it flows. The writing is a little poetic, a little dreamy, and just horror enough to create an interesting and immersive atmosphere. Our heroine isn’t too expressive, and it can become a little weird to hear the narrator’s lines over and over when replaying a battle but, overall, the story is good and enhances the gameplay.

Howl’s mechanics are turn-based, with a focus on careful planning and judicious use of special abilities. Most map locations feature an exit flag and a host of enemies. Ideally, our heroine will take down all opponents, avoid taking any damage, and do it all in the foreseen number of turns (later she will also try to rescue survivors before they get turned). Killing opponents nets players skulls and confidence is gained by completing a level as close to the turn limit as possible.

The turn-based structure means when players move, so do the enemies. Initially, only a few tools are offered to deal with them: limited arrows, a push that can knock them back, the ability to wait on a tile without moving, and a Force power that can only be activated as the fourth action. More special abilities are unlocked as gamers make progress and they can also be upgraded using confidence.

The game’s heroine can only take two hits, which makes it important to carefully consider each move she makes. Hover over an enemy to get an idea of how it will act and try to create situations where two or even three can be eliminated with one attack. Many levels appear deceivingly easy only to then discover how hard it is to exit in time with a full back of skulls.

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Howl also features an Undo option, which can itself be upgraded to cover more turns. Players who want to have more info about enemy moves can also turn on Assist mode. It makes the game easier and is perfect to eliminate frustration, especially when tackling the tougher boss fights.

The puzzle of each combat encounter is very satisfying to solve. I initially moved forward as far as possible using just the arrows and Force, while buying the full complement of moves. Only once I spent half an hour failing to defeat the third area boss did I return to older nodes, gathering extra skills and confidence and then spending to unlock extra abilities.

Replaying levels can be a little underwhelming, especially when it’s hard to find a perfect solution quickly. When I had to do it, I relied on Assist mode to give me an advantage, which is probably what the developers want gamers to do.

Howl’s style stands out, using what developers call a living ink approach. Both the combat maps and the world look like a painter from the early XX century was creating a canvass that was constantly evolving based on player actions. Our heroine and her enemies don’t use a lot of animations, but each conveys details about their personality and their intentions. The entire game is beautiful to look at and gives players a lot of visual info if they activate Assist mode to make everything a little easier.

The sound design is equal to the graphics in terms of quality. The actor delivering the voice over is great, adding emotion while creating stakes for the player. Combat sounds are decent, and the soundtrack underlines the tension of each choices during combat.

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