Back in the ancient past of the late 20th century there was a real push towards games emulating animated films. While this was generally more a matter of marketing spiel than anything substantial, the true pioneer of this approach was the classic (albeit terrible) Dragon’s Lair, a game which used the beautiful animation of Don Bluth to stitch together gameplay that was more akin to a lengthy QTE than anything else. The timeless nature of this approach means that the original game still holds up visually to this day. Modern gaming has taken a turn towards hyper-realism with the increase in processing power, so Bye Sweet Carole stands out as much as Dragon’s Lair did, for different reasons.
You can’t discuss Bye Sweet Carole without beginning with the aesthetics. The animated style – far more reminiscent to me of Don Bluth than the comparisons to Disney that are being thrown around – is stunning and gives the game a truly unique character which feels deliberately at odds with the darker and more sinister aspects of the game. Characters and backgrounds are memorable and distinctive, whilst enemies flow in a creepy and sludgy way. The level of detail is admirable and the relatively compact world becomes easy to navigate and explore.
Music and voice acting are also strong here, with a fully voiced script and music that is both atmospheric and emotional, perfectly fitting the game’s touching narrative. While you can skip the dialogue (useful for when you have to rewatch scenes after deaths) it is well worth letting them play out the first time – there’s even an achievement for doing so.
The story of Bye Sweet Carole feels like a true coming of age (or bildungsroman as we call it in the literary trade). The titular Carole is absent from the game, with the plot revolving around her best friend, Lana, attempting to discover how she disappeared, and eventually coming to terms with life without her. This is an emotional story of friendship, grief, and loss that is made even more interesting by being wrapped up in the context of the early 20th century suffragette movement. The shifts in expectations and hopes for young women during this time provide a crucial backdrop to the events.
So far, so glowingly positive, and I would definitely recommend playing Bye Sweet Carole for all the experiences described above but the gameplay is a bit more of a mixed bag.
The ‘survival horror’ tag applied Bye Sweet Carole is somewhat misleading, as what we have is more of a classic point and click adventure game mixed with some underwhelming platforming and stealth horror sections. The adventure side of things is well designed and features some really nice puzzles that offer enough challenge to keep your interest without becoming frustrating. The exception to this is a late game puzzle involving time travel and growing a seed, where the dialog prompts led me to believe that the game had broken – a sentiment shared by many in the Steam forums. You’ll spend the game exploring the interior and surroundings of Bunny Hall looking for keys, switching levers and using your ability to change into a rabbit to navigate tight spaces. Progression is well paced and this part of the game remains enjoyable throughout.
Where the game falls down, however, is in the platforming and stealth parts. Lana feels quite stiff to control and it is very easy to slip from a platform and die. Her rabbit form is far more nimble, though, and to be honest I switched to it whenever I was able to. Then there are numerous ledges that require you to balance using the left stick that go on for too long, whilst instadeath stealth sections often feel more random than designed. The latter are very common, although many can be avoided by simply running away. You can hide in lockers and hold the left trigger to hold your breath, but this mechanic is never particularly engaging and feels tacked on.
The biggest issue for me, however, was the enforced stealth sections that reminded me of Dragon’s Lair for all the wrong reasons, as they felt arbitrary as to whether you would be spotted or not. These were generally being preceded by unskippable cutscenes, which made me resent them even more. I think the idea of blending adventure and action is an interesting one, but the balance here is just off.
