Originality is always something I appreciate in the games I play, and Mi’pu’hi Games’ self-described “turn-based tactical folktale” Howl is certainly a unique beast. Set in a medieval fantasy world plagued by a curse that turns people into wolf-like beasts upon hearing their howls, players will take on the role of a deaf prophet on a quest to find both a cure for the curse ravaging the land as well as her brother in the midst of the chaos. Armed with nothing but a crossbow and a handful of powers, it’s up to players to outsmart the legions of beasts standing between the Prophet and her goals and ultimately write a happy ending to this harrowing horror story.
The game’s fairy tale inspiration goes beyond a surface-level aesthetic and truly influences every aspect of Howl. The game’s “living ink” artstyle is its most immediately striking feature. Every character and environment in the game looks hand-painted, and the animations make the game feel like a moving painting. The narration that accompanies players throughout levels adds to the feeling that Howl is more of a playable story book than it is a standard turn-based strategy.
If Howl is trying to be a playable story book, then its unique combat system makes players feel like the authors of that story. In levels, players have a scroll that they can use to plan their moves and attacks. Each turn is made up of six moves the player and enemies can make, and you must carefully plan out your strategy around your own limited moveset and resources, your predictions of what the enemy might do, and any environmental hazards that you can use to your advantage. At the beginning of each level, players have 3 arrows they can use to kill most basic enemies, a push ability that can push back enemies two tiles, and three special moves that can be used on the second, fourth, and sixth move of a turn. Arrows, while powerful, are a limited resource, meaning that the game forces you to get creative with your other abilities to kill enemies and clear levels. You can use the push ability to push enemies into obstacles or other enemies, a smoke bomb ability to shield yourself from an attack, or a fire arrow on your last turn to deal massive damage and create fire obstacles for any wolves adjacent to your target.
The enemies are appropriately dangerous. The prophet can only survive two hits, and any hit you take prematurely ends your turn. Fortunately, the beasts of Howl are also predictable, with enemies always going for the quickest path to the player character and usually moving horizontally as they do so. So, half the fun of the combat system is the trial and error of anticipating enemy behavior and manipulating them into positions where you can take them out.
Howl’s levels offer a great deal of replayability through its two currencies: prophecy points and beast skulls. Prophecy points can be gained through completing a level in a set amount of turns or by saving the occasional person that might pop up in a level before they’re turned into a beast, and they can be used to upgrade your abilities. Skulls are gained through killing enemies, and they are used to unlock new paths in the world and for unlocking new special abilities. Both are crucial to your progression, but it is also difficult to get every prophecy point and skull in a level on one run. So, should you face a difficult challenge or find yourself curious about a certain pathway on the map, you are incentivized to go back to previous levels and improve at how efficiently you can plan your strategies to either succeed as quickly as possible or to hunt as many beasts as you can manage.
Howl is a fantastic turn-based fantasy tale. Its art style is unique, and its combat is challenging in a way that makes it a joy to figure out and, hopefully, master. If you’re a fan of unique turn-based strategies or stylistically unique games, then I have absolutely no reservations about recommending Howl.
I give Howl a 9/10.
Howl is available for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. Howl will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Epic Games Store on January 23, 2024 and can already be pre-ordered digitally.
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Related: Reviews by Josh Freeman
I love games and love talking about games. Some of my favorites include action games (both 2D and 3D), metroidvanias, roguelikes, shooters, and Indies.
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