Bye Sweet Carole by developer Little Sewing Machine and publisher Maximum Entertainment—PC(Steam) review written by Natasha with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Dear Readers
It is with great joy that I am here to announce our next review. This sweet, yet disturbingly haunting experience might not be for the weak of heart. Things aren't always what they seem, but if your curiosity pulls you towards the truth, then perhaps there is still some hope for our readers. Now sit back and I hope you'll be here with me till the end.
Your ever loving Reviewer
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Once Upon A Time
We jump into the world of Bye Sweet Carole, a classic look on a Disney-style tale, with a dash of horror. Our protagonist, Lana, is at an all-girls boarding school called Bunny Hall. A little bit of an introvert, she tends to keep to herself, but she wasn't always this secluded. She used to hang around her dear friend Carole, a smart and daring individual, who has mysteriously gone missing these past few months. However, ever since Carole left, strange things have been going on. A strange rift seems to have opened up and is now merging into Lana's world, bringing forth dark creatures and sticky black tar that seems to be slowly engulfing the land. Scared and confused, Lana does her best to traverse these strange intertwining lands. Will she be able to survive the dark presence that pursues her? And why does all of this seem to involve Carole?
There Was A Batch Of Characters
How can you have a story without a full cast of memorable characters? The inspiration does seem to stem from older Disney-style designs, like Steam Boat Willy, Snow White and The Black Cauldron. Mix that in with a pinch of princesses, bullies, bad guys and talking animals and you have yourself the gracious list below:
Lana Benton
Our main Heroine who is on the look-out for her missing friend Carole. Don't let this damsel fool you. She will stop at nothing to help those in need.
Mr. Kyn
Our main Villain of the story who wants to take over the Kingdom of Corolla and will drown anyone in his dark tar to get what he wants.
Carole Simmons
Lana's best friend who had a strong passion for stories and adventure. She fears nothing and will push to show the world a change for the better.
Mr. Baesie
A tall strange man that appears in times of need to aid Lana. He owns an even stranger power that allows him to be nearly invincible, but only nearly.
Amanda
A sweet girl who just transferred to Bunny Hall, but tends to get tangled up in all that is happening around her.
Vicky
Our residential bully who loves to pick on the weak, like Lana and Amanda. She, and her group of female companions, love to cause trouble.
With Beautiful Colours
If there is one thing I appreciate the most about this game, it is its beauty in the details. The old-school hand drawn animations just bring out the nostalgic feeling of my past childhood. An art form that I hope never dies out. Everything from the expressions on the characters to their movement is seamless. Even the background doesn't lack in details. Every environment definitely sets the tone for the game.
Cunning Strategist
As for the mechanics for the game, it's pretty easy to grasp. Movement is straight forward, moving along a 2D side-scrolling view. There are moments when you'll either have to kick something or climb, or interact with nearby objects. Investigation is key to finding clues and objects you need to proceed. Some will even have you combine them to progress further in the story.
But the most unique ability is the transformation. You'll have to transform in order to squeeze into certain areas. What is it that you turn in to? Well, let's just say you won't be 'jumping' to conclusions in this form.
There is also a tag team swap out mechanic. During certain chapters you'll find that you'll have to control two characters in order to advance the story. The other character will have certain advantages and disadvantages from Lana.
Fighting isn't your goal here, so you will find yourself running from enemies often enough. While running from enemies you can escape them by hiding in select locations. Your screen will tell you how obvious your presence is. Red means run, while yellow means hide. If you're lucky enough to hide away don't forget to hold your breath or you might just be discovered!
And Fixer Uppers
With it's current streak of positives, I do have some negatives to point out. The first and foremost of the issues I had was certain interactive objects becoming unavailable to interact with. This was the most glaring. It would completely stop me in my tracks and cause me to restart from the beginning. The VERY beginning. Which set me back a few hours of gameplay.
Other notable glitches would be loading screens not loading and enemies getting stuck in the environment or my character falling through the floor level.
The final issue that seems to be a bother is the sensitivity of the staircases. There were many moments when I would run from the enemy and somehow get redirected with a staircase. When I want to run forward the game controls will have a different idea of what forward means and somehow end up going up or down.
Now most of these issues can be fixed with a simple update. If they could polish these few inconveniences the game would run a lot smoother.
The End
To conclude, Bye Sweet Carole is an intriguing tale of adventure and suspenseful moments. If you're looking for a classic take on 2D animated fairy tale then maybe this lovely game is your calling. I'm happy to give this game the sweetest score of 7.5 out of 10. Now remember: if you see a rift open up in front of you DON'T GO TOWARDS IT! You might just end up in another land... Unless you're into that kind of thing.
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Dear Reader
Thank you for your utmost patience and ever recurring visits. It brings me great joy to continue this journey of relaying our future plays together. I look forward to our next review.
Your ever loving Reviewer
Score: 7.5 / 10
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