izigame.me

If you were to tell me that The Christmas Carol would be getting a direct sequel in the form of a Metroidvania video game featuring an action-hero Ebenezer Scrooge as he fought against steampunk goons, I wouldn't know what to say. I'd stare at you blankly, blink, and ask you to repeat that. Now, I took a course on Charles Dickens in college and read a lot of his books, so I think its an expert-opinion when I say this is not historically accurate. But by the time the first boss of the game took off his steam punk helmet, tossed aside his side cape, and began teleporting around the snowy streets of London trying to impale Scrooge while my light-keeper ghost was busy surrounding me in a ring of fire, I knew I was in for a good time.
I stumbled upon this game randomly on the Steam store and was immediately drawn in by the concept alone. Combined with the art and presentation, this looked like something very unique. Ebenezer (Im pretty sure that's misspelled??) and the Invisible World plays its insane concept straight while building off the core themes and developments in the original Christmas Carol novel by Charles Dickens. While its a little strange that Scrooge has his own private mansion, butlers, maids, etc. (you'd think he'd downsize a bit after learning the importance of generosity and whatnot), its clear as day that this is the same guy who got visited by the Three Ghosts and turned his life around. The game takes a good amount of liberties with its source material while trying to remain as true to the story's heart as it can; the first cutscene we get establishes Scrooge as a sort of "medium" who has the unique ability to see and interact with all sorts of stray ghosts across London, all of whom are bound to Earth either by their own lingering regrets and sins or refusal to move on. There's a strong sense of lingering desire in all the ghosts you meet, even enemies, and Scrooge is the only one with the ability to help them - or whack them with his cane until they leave him alone, in the case of the enemy NPCs. The idea of Scrooge also being going on a venture to teach someone else the same lesson he did is also something I didn't know I needed. Its both cool and heartwarming to see Scrooge portrayed in this way. In terms of the writing, the game doesn't miss.
As for the gameplay itself, well, its a Christmas Carol Castlevania. It doesn't try to shy away from the genre's tropes and gameplay flow, nor will it hold your hand too much. Save Points exist, and its your only way of saving your progress. Its very old-school in that regard, and while it doesnt bother me one bit, Im aware that may come across as grating for others. That said, the game's very forgiving, and while I'd get beat up by enemies often, I had plenty of health items to rely on without worry of running out.
I don't think I have to say much about the art. While I do think some in-game animations could use improvement, the hand-drawn artstyle manages to be very bold and with its own appeal and sense of design when it comes to the game's characters. The term "charming" might be overused when describing artstyle, but I can't think of a more fitting adjective (but its also 3am as I'm typing this, so that might play a factor).
If you want a Christmas-themed game to get you in the mood for the holiday, look no further. If you're a fan of The Christmas Carol, its worth it for the execution of the concept alone.