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Low-key haunted fun at a carnival, November 11, 2022 The Haunted Carnival is a two-word custom parser game. While strolling through the woods you find yourself following a strange path that leads to an abandoned amusement park. Naturally, you throw caution to the wind and choose to explore. As you set foot into the park it comes alive with lights and sounds but no people. But then a gate closes and locks behind you. Leaving is going to be a little harder.
This is not a horror game. Even though the player is technically trapped, there is no sense of frantic escape. Being all alone in an abandoned amusement park may be the stuff of nightmares in some games, but in The Haunted Carnival this is an exciting prospect. No lines, no tickets, (almost) no rules. Take cotton candy straight off the cart. Its subject matter and gameplay are suitable for all ages. The map is moderate in size and the goal is to find five stars hidden around the park to unlock the gate.
What I like about this game is that while it chooses to stick with a generic amusement park setting, the puzzles are novel and creative. On the surface, the game goes for a classic approach with sights that people may recognize from their own experiences or from other depictions of amusement park and carnivals. Things like cotton candy stands, ring toss booth, animatronic (not the scary kind) boat rides, a Ferris wheel, and more. But the puzzles for these features are pretty fun. Reasonably well-clued but also gets the player to think creatively.
My favorite part were the ghost NPCs. Most appear in the middle of the game to help you or add atmosphere, such as the audience that appears at the stage. Interactions with ghosts are subtle. You do not initiate dialog. Instead, they emerge and respond accordingly as you make progress. For instance, (Spoiler - click to show) if you fix the ladder for the trapeze platform and then climb it, a ghost materializes on the trapeze. She then swings to you to grab your hands so you can reach the other platform. The ghosts seem to represent the carnival's past glory but none of it comes off as sad or depressing.
There are some rough edges. Notably, I encountered a few bugs, particularly with the Ferris wheel. For example, if you ride to top and then attempt to go north the game freezes and you must restart. In one playthrough in a different area of the park there was one case where the game decided to no longer respond to my attempts to type, also forcing me to restart. Do not let this scare you away since bugs are scarce, but they do detract from the game’s overall quality.
Other issues are superficial, particularly when room locations do not adapt to player choices. You can take one bag off cotton candy from the cart and eat it. Presumably that was the last bag because if you try to take more the game says, “There is no CANDY nearby.” And yet the room description still reads, "At the side of the path, you see a colorful cart with bags of cotton." This error only occurs if you eat the candy in any location other than by the cotton candy stand. This is ultimately cosmetic, but it stood out, nonetheless.
In conclusion, I quite enjoyed The Haunted Carnival. It opts to go light on story and instead focus on gameplay and atmosphere, both of which were cleverly done. It is not flawless, but certainty has moments where it shines. A quality piece that I would recommend.
(Final note: I use the word “carnival” and “amusement park” interchangeably, although they are slightly different. My understanding is that carnivals are more like smaller, temporary amusements parks, so take these terms with a grain of salt.)