Ghost of a Tale - Review

Ghost of a Tale - Review

Review for Ghost of a Tale. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 13/03/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 12/03/2019 The version for Xbox One came out on 12/03/2019

Almost two years after the test in Game Preview, we return to talk about Ghost of a Tale on Xbox One but this time in its entirety. From 12 March 2019 it is in fact possible to buy and play the full version of the work of SeithCG - aka Lionel Gallat - which from the world of animation cinema has launched itself into the videogame industry practically alone but later availing itself of the support of over 1000 supporters on indiegogo.



Ghost of a Tale - Review

It's been about 18 months since we discovered Ghost of a Tale on Xbox One and we were delighted with the potential of this title. From its apparent proximity to the souls titles, to the simplicity with which it is easy to perish, one soon realizes that SeithCG's work has a decidedly more stealth soul but, above all, old-school Action RPG. We can immediately say that on a graphic and gameplay level the weight of these years of waiting has made itself felt but, thanks to a massive Lore behind the events of the minstrel Tilo, the player is transported and immersed in a great and compelling story .

Goodbye my beloved

The legendary Warrior Rats were the only ones able to stop the unstoppable advance of the Green Flame, a force as mysterious as it is devastating, capable of consuming any creature that stands in front of it. Of those events remain the songs of the minstrels and the memories, as well as the overwhelming power of the Rats over Pangeia.



In Ghost of a Tale we will not play the role of a rat but the little mouse Tilo, captured together with his wife Marna because they are accused of being rebels. Tilo is neither a fighter nor a revolutionary, he is instead an honest minstrel disciple of the famous Master Lewlin. However, awakened alone and confused in a fetid cell of Fort Derovin, he will have to overcome his fears and bring out all his courage to find his beloved and freedom.

Ghost of a Tale - Review

The romanticism of the story of Tilo is undeniable and not only for the search for the lost beloved: the little bard hides between the strings of his lute and between the notes of his songs, a recent tragic past but also a willpower such as to make immerse the player in the search not only for lost freedom but above all, in the answers to the many questions initially posed with no solution.

Ghost of a Tale Lore is one of its strengths: the game world created by SeithCG apparently seems very small and confined to the walls of the fort, but it soon becomes clear that the literature of this title is much more complex than one might believe. There is in fact an important care in the dialogues, in the documents and also in the songs of the minstrel. All this is also available to those who do not know English thanks to theexcellent localization work in Spanish and 5 other languages ​​by Level Up Translation.


Ghost of a Tale - Review

Lights and shadows

In terms of gameplay, we had mentioned it in the opening words, Ghost of a Tale uses a strong initial stealth component. As it is logical, the little mouse can do nothing against the physical power of the rat and must therefore exploit its peculiarities: speed, cunning and stealth. These are the watchwords if we want to ensure that little Tilo is able to move within the walls of Fort Derovin without being hunted by the guards.


Fortunately, among the many enemies we will also have a few but precious allies who, in exchange for favors, will help us in our aim. The title is articulated through a whole series of main and secondary quests correlating with each other which, as in any self-respecting role-playing game, will reward us with more energy and new skills. The latter will be in part rather disappointing because they are not all useful in the same way.

Ghost of a Tale - Review

However, after the first stages of the game, the stealth component will take a back seat, and specifically when the main quest will lead us to disguise ourselves as a guard. In this way we will be able to walk, albeit slowly due to the weight of the armor, undisturbed by the fort. The fact that rats can be fooled so easily is justified here by their stupidity, cited by the various NPCs with whom we will have relations and it seems almost unbelievable that a race capable of saving the world will find itself totally dull. The almost total stupidity of the rat guards is reflected in the gameplay, even if in a definitely unwanted way: artificial intelligence, as we had already noticed in the Game Preview phase, in fact leaves much to be desired.


In particular, if discovered it will be very easy to escape from the guards and, on several occasions, it will be sufficient to turn the corner and hide in a basket to make our pursuer retrace his steps. Of course, if you want to unlock all 20 game objectives, it will be necessary to never be spotted by the Rats, however on many occasions it will be enough to run fast and throw yourself somewhere safe to be able to easily avoid our enemies.

Ghost of a Tale - Review

In addition to this, we encountered some obstacles during the exploration phases, as already happened in Game Preview, where some bugs inherent to the collision system led us to annoying graphic loops that can only be solved by restarting the title. For this reason, it will be good to save frequently, as also suggested by the messages being loaded, not only to avoid risking in case of having to repeat long phases of the game in case of death but also to escape any, albeit sporadic, blocking bugs.


While these gameplay flaws may discourage most, Ghost of a Tale is convincing thanks to the many quests, the well-characterized characters, the deep and well-curated Lore and, above all, due to the many discoveries that can be made during the game: Forte Derovin hides many pitfalls but also many secret passages, treasures and touches of class scattered between the walls and outside them.

Ghost of a Tale - Review

On a graphic level the work done thanks to the Unity graphics engine is discreet but is affected by the years that Ghost of a Tale carries on its shoulders, and on consoles they feel too much. Despite this, the excellent work with the play of light and shadow and the attention to detail in almost all game environments is undeniable, with a winning color choice that returns the sense of adventure and at the same time of melancholy that transpires from the affairs of Tilo.

In support of the fair graphic work we have a very nice OST but unfortunately it has not been exploited properly. The melodies of Ghost of a Tale are well-curated, epic and impactful but they only accompany the player for a short time and only when venturing into new game areas. A more constant and more focused presence would have done justice to the musical quality of this small but effective soundtrack and would have facilitated certain “slower” game phases.

If you love adventure, discovery and an inspired storytelling, then Ghost of a Tale is a title you absolutely must immerse yourself in. If, on the other hand, you are expecting an Action RPG with challenging game mechanics, massive character customization and complex stealth phases you will not find something satisfying in SeithCG's work. We had defined it as a small videogame miracle because it was born from a single developer and without a doubt we do not intend to take back the nice words spent, however the long gestation time that was necessary before seeing the finished product was made, in part, to feel on the graphic side. Despite this, and the regret for not seeing a marked improvement on artificial intelligence, the wait for Ghost of a Tale has ultimately paid off.

► Ghost of a Tale is an Adventure-indie-RPG game developed and published by SeithCG for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 13/03/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 12/03/2019 The version for Xbox One came out on 12/03/2019

add a comment of Ghost of a Tale - Review
Comment sent successfully! We will review it in the next few hours.