Spooky Tales feels like stepping into the horror anthology shows of my childhood

My formative years were spent watching things that shaped my tastes to this day: Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Tales from the Crypt… I think it’s safe to say that there’s a reason I enjoy things on the dark and twisty side even now. Still, I’ve never seen a game that perfectly encapsulates the vibes of those TV shows, at least until I played the Spooky Tales demo. 

This horror story anthology by Liminal Road takes the concept of those beloved childhood horror shows and puts you firmly in the middle of the story, handing over control. With a twisted undead narrator who is charming yet arrogant and PSX graphics that you can’t help getting nostalgic over, Spooky Tales has easily been put on the top of my must-play list. 

Gallow’s Reach seems lovely

The opening scenes offer the lovely experience of being entirely belittled and mocked while poor Garreth is just trying to get a boat. We meet a man who seems particularly worried about the cleanliness of his ship’s deck and making sure it remains stain-free.

Then there’s another, more concerning character: Silas, who initially seems more worried about his pocket watch than his son, who apparently drowned while wearing it. He thankfully goes on to explain that he got the watch back after his son died, but oh boy, that first impression is hard to get rid of. 

Perhaps the most memorable character we meet within the bar is the bartender, who has a frankly magnificent beard and moustache combination. He’s also a wonderful if somewhat creepy storyteller, regaling us with the tale of a poor soul named Otis Carter, who apparently made some terrible decisions and got all but obliterated by a decomposing whale.

Yeah, I know, Gallow’s Reach is absolutely bonkers. Don’t even get me started on the dock’s resident dad joke aficionado or the drunk sailor who thinks his mother-in-law has shapeshifted into a judgmental seagull. 

Here fishy, fishy

Once you’ve managed to get a boat, you head out to sea to catch fish using only a vague sense of direction, a single harpoon, and a lot of hope. You’re not alone, though. You’re soon joined by a shark that seems intent to follow the boat and a seagull that tries to steal your fish. 

The seagull did look a little judgy while it sat on the deck of the boat and watched me trying to drive it to the next fishing spot. Seagulls sound like they’re laughing at you, too, which definitely doesn’t help. Honestly, I started having a lot more sympathy for the drunken guy on the dock and his mother-in-law theory by this point. 

Eventually, I was blessed with a huge haul of fish in one place, but it took me a lot longer than I care to admit to realize that something… fishy (sorry) was going on. I was far too excited to finally be making catches with my harpoon to notice that maybe a large number of fish shouldn’t be swimming in a perfect circle around the boat. 

That, combined with the sudden disappearance of the seagulls who may or may not be shape-shifting in-laws, should probably be an indicator that everything is not right in Gallow’s Reach. Then a fish that definitely shouldn’t be there shows up on deck, and someone knocks on the window when you try to get home. 

On a boat that should only have you on it. No further spoilers, go play!

A nostalgic anthology

Okay, I’ve gone way off on a tangent about the story featured in the demo, but in my defence it's all I have to go off at this point, and it is undeniably excellent. The point I’m trying to make is that Spooky Tales is both brilliantly funny and absolutely terrifying. This is just one part of one story that will feature in the finished game.  

There are set to be four stories in total: 

• The Abyss-Borne, which features in the demo

• Rineko, which is all about a high-school occult club

• Golly Soda-Pop, which follows a ghost-hunting TV crew

• Pepperoni Johnson, which centers around a home invasion nightmare

I already know that, if the other three stories follow the same pattern of dark humor and terrifying scares, I’m going to be obsessed. 

Spooky Tales truly feels like I’m sitting down with a blanket and a cushion to watch my favorite horror anthology series all over again, except this time I’m right in the middle of the action in a way that makes it impossible to turn away. The humor lulls you into a false sense of security before the horror takes hold, and the perfect balance between the two is incredibly satisfying. 

There isn’t a release date for Spooky Tales just yet, but I know I won’t be alone in impatiently waiting for news. The demo is incredible, and I highly recommend you go play it on Steam right now. I mean, you heard the man…