Goetia is a 2D “Victorian mystery” adventure in which you play as the ghost of a young girl named Abigail, who's haunting the abandoned English village of Oakmarsh. It's been awhile since we last heard about it, but I strongly agree with Mr. Sykes' assessment of the premise as intriguing, and so I'm quite happy to see that it's now out on Steam. I like the launch trailer, too.
Abigail's full name is Abigail Blackwood: “The name of a manor and the family that lived within. A perverted and mad lineage, a clan whose final members devoted their life to mysticism and fanatical experiments,” the Steam description explains. Abigail's rise from the grave comes 41 years after her death, and while she has no idea what's befallen the village in which she lived or the fate of her family, “Obviously somebody is keen on seeing me lift the veil on what happened in Oakmarsh—to what led to the downfall of Blackwood Manor.”
Goetia will have 115 rooms to explore, according to the trailer (Steam puts it at “over 90”) spread across five “vast and diverse areas,” including ruins, woods, caves, and the village itself. There are puzzles to solve and secrets to discover, and as a ghost, you can walk through walls and explore the world however you see fit. Also exciting, at least for me, is the promise of a “progressive rock” soundtrack. A spooky ghost story backed by the musical stylings of ELP? Count me in!
The PC version of Goetia is available on Steam for $10/£15, and because it supports Steamplay, buying it on the PC will also net you the Mac version, expected to be out within a week, at no extra charge. If you want to get a taste of what it's all about before taking the plunge, a free demo covering the first hour of the game is available at playgoetia.com.
