Hey friends! It’s been a while. I have been living the “mature student” life, but I’m back! And today we’re going to talk about Bye Sweet Carole! Let’s jump right into this one!
What is Bye Sweet Carole?
Bye Sweet Carole is a narrative-driven horror adventure that comes to us from developer Little Sewing Machine and publisher Maximum Entertainment. The game was created by Chris Darril, the mind behind the Remothered series. You play as Lana, and are following the trail of missing girl Carole Simmons through a dark, hand-drawn world. But despite the world’s beauty, there are secrets hidden beneath Bunny Hall Orphanage.
Bye Sweet Nostalgia
Bye Sweet Carole is very much a style over substance game, in my opinion. The core idea is there, and is decent enough. Nothing new, but decent. However, there is a lot of back and forth. Almost everything is simplified to the point that in some areas it’s “baby’s first puzzle game”. Slightly odd description, I know, but that’s the best way to put things into words.
The gameplay is pretty basic. Exactly what you would expect for a 2D game. There are moments where it could be smoother, especially when jumping, but it’s not the worst. A tad on the janky side. Although I’ve always been partial to a bit of jank, so that’s not necessarily an issue for me.
Audio design is actually quite nice. It suits the vibe of the game without being overpowering. Everything is just right, and I found in moments where I needed to lower the sound level, things still felt balanced.
The art is by far the best part of this game. The style is perfectly reminiscent of classic animation and brings me back to the old days of Disney. It blends nostalgia with beauty, clean lines and solid colour palettes.
A Parting Word
Unfortunately, nostalgia can’t make up for the shortcomings almost everywhere else. While there are decent concepts, the execution just isn’t there. I do think that with maybe a bit more work, Bye Sweet Carole could have been a great game. At the moment, it’s mid. Nothing special in either direction. But I do really love the art style. I just wish the rest of the game was up to the same standard.
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