Tales of the Black Forest

Such a beautiful game. The art style isn't the best, but it makes up for that with the story. Definitely worth playing.

First game bought on steam. Finished this a few months ago. Really like the art and the story that is inspired by real tragedy, it gives a lot more emotion to the story when you know people really died when it happened.

CON: my fingers couldn't move any faster than the final boss 3 panel pursuits. repeated almost 15 times just to pass the last door

PROS:
1. Doable puzzles;
2. Easy menu, inventory and movement;
3. Classic pixel game on Japanese Yokai and Deity lore;
4. Cute cats;
5. Bgm musics are spot on the thrill moment!
6. Easy-to-get achievements.

Extremely well-made game

Fun. Faraway. Artsy. Vintage. Lightfooted. Graceful. All in a way not seen from global culture in a long time.

This game makes me feel the same way reading books had when I was a kid.
The same novel fantasy, dreamy storytelling, interspersed mythology and the distinct fuzzy and warm feeling of being transported to some of the furthest landmasses relative to you, or mayhaps even otherworlds.
A game to get spiritually and mentally lost in, surely.

Having played RPGmaker titles since the late 90s, I was rather started to enlighten that this game was released in 2019.
The feeling of a far older story from a far more pure time is captured perfectly & seemingly without effort, all this rendering such a title timeless <3

The pixel-art herein is gorgeous, especially as one from a Forest-nation myself.
I see a lot of my own home in this art direction and some of the religious/mythological points.

The game is clearly a labor of love to the genre and beyond ^-^
I highly appreciate anything that can make me feel so young and carefree again, at least for a time.

I'll be thinking lots on my youth now.

It's actually a fairly good game but towards the end it became very difficult to follow the dialogues and the story as they weren't very well developed.
I appreciate the style of the game, but some of the graphics and certain aspects of the gameplay felt rather strange and uninteresting.

The story was pretty good. I loved the pixel art style and actually got goosebumps a couple times playing. Overall a good experience!

Another RPGmaker game i love. the story is amazing although short its fufilling and enjoyable all the way through

The music too was perfect for the scenes if relaxed or emotional not much brain usage is needed as the puzzeles are pretty easy with some short chase sequences.

It can get pretty depressing its not really a bad things tho for me seeing alot of great rpgmaker games use our emotions as a driving factor.

not much horror is here just a little creepiness but its still worthwhile playing wish there was a continuation but im also happy with this ending

i wish they also published the soundtrack or provided links of the music but overall it was amazing

I started this game and finished half of chapter 1 and stopped playing it as I couldn't vibe with the game's visuals, horror settings, the story and the music. I tried playing the game from the start again after a few months and I must say, this is a very good game.

Visuals : Visuals were solid. The whole game is 2D pixelated art. Overall solid 9/10.
Music : The music was also on point. If you were walking in a forest at 2 am, the kind of sounds you would here - that is what you would here while playing the game. And when the story kicked off, the background music was in the same tone of what the story was trying to convey. 10/10, in my books.
Length : Took me around 5-6 hours to finish the game. For a casual player, it is perfect. 10/10.
Game play : Since the main focus of the story is the game, the movement was smooth and the small puzzles spread across the game were very good. Difficulty wise, the puzzles were straight forward and easy. For a casual player, this is good. 8/10.
Story : The main selling point of the game! The story is dividing into three chapters focusing on someone or some event. The story is non-linear but wraps up nicely in the end. Solid 9/10. Docking one point off because of the last secret note in the end? What was that? Oh man, why put it there? It was a nice surprise but would have loved to explore that aspect a little more.

Would I recommend the game? Absolutely, if you are a causal player or someone who likes short stories with minimal mini games sprinkled across the game.

我可以忽略故事里又烂又坏的老登，以及结尾对主角“拥有‘爱人的勇气’和‘被爱的自由’“这一仓促的人物定性，因为迭代百合糖还挺香
这个剧本感觉如果不是以像素avg形式呈现的话也许不会收到这么好的效果，美学因素和冒险玩法 （捏吗真是惊险刺激的人妖/人鬼追逐战但还是相对友好） 一起掩盖住了剧情的bug。但总的来说还是值得推荐，是能打好煽情牌的选手
最后，原来不是我一个人在游戏里截不了图（doge

I love this game, good story, wonderfull art. Worth it!

vibes are so good here

Great Game and story telling.

I think the English translation could use some work, but overall the story is comprehensive.

Music was solid.

Ending of the story didn't have many twists to it, but that's not a bad thing.

Short but good. Not much gameplay, apart from some easy puzzles and some short chase sequences, so the main focus is in the story and characters, which are fine.
An enjoyable game that lasts between 5-7h and for the price is totally worth it.

Sincere RPG game that tells a story about human progress, relationships, and the stories we tell ourselves.

Although this is labeled as horror, this is a walking simulator with minimal horror elements and a focus on narrative storytelling. I just wanted to make sure that your expectations are aligned for a great story rather than a horror experience.

No issue with the controls or the gameplay; this is a linear experience where your decisions are more or less guided by the game. You won’t make big mistakes when you play. You can focus on enjoying the story and the music.

There are three chapters and an overarching storyline. Each chapter focuses on a different map and story progression for you to figure out what happened to the main character and the town we find ourselves in. I would say that each chapter takes about 2 - 3 hours each so you can finish this around ~7 hours max.

Worthwhile game!

beautiful and touching game. i wish there were more horror elements though

It`s deeper than you think, darker even.
The story and characters are unique, thought some stories are too short and unfinished for me.
Worth a price, worth a time, 7-9h game with reading, seeking and running-away (sometimes hard) with some simple puzzles. Mystery, history and religious themes really good-written.

Great story. Definitely worth the play

I love pixel art work and classic RPGs (FF, Chronotrigger, etc).

BUT

What a shit game this is. The gameplay is repetitive, it's poorly written, and the game itself drags out ad nauseam. Waste of time and money. Not sure why it's reviewed so highly. I'd give it 3-4/10

Great game. Story got me fairly emotional. I also really enjoyed the music a lot.

Cute, little RPGMaker game involving Japanese mythology that's focused on story over puzzles. Contains some horror elements, wholesomeness and most importantly - cats. If you're interested in the game, the price seems alright even off discount.

класс

peak

The only real ""downside"" to this game is that there’s not a ton of game, just a few puzzles here and there but if you know that going in, you’re in for a short and (quite) beautiful ride. The characters and their stories do all the heavy lifting, and they do it pretty damn well.
The soundtrack fits, the achievements make sense and are easy to get and the whole experience just feels right. Honestly, I’d rather play a short, well-written game like this than slog through some massive world mess with a half-baked story

now i go bed bye bye

Almost a perfection of an indie game !
This game has an amazing story (based off true events) with some cool plottwist at the end too. Make sure to get both endings as they are really worth it! The character design and soundtracks are amazing as well.
Sadly, I had some heavier lags after entering chapter 3. It was still playable though just affected my gaming experience a little. :/

A touching indie mystery game with a generous topping of Japanese mythology. The translation is sometimes clunky but the game definitely ranks as one of the better RPGMaker horror games.

Very nice experience, very little gameplay. Tales of the Black Forest is a relatively short suspense adventure game. Despite the horror tag, I don't feel like there's much horror in it. The translation style can feel wonky at times, but it's perfectly understandable and the story is pretty well-written, so it didn't bother me much. The game involves a mix of Japanese mythology and real happenings from recent history, which make the experience very interesting.

the story and characters are really captivating. I recommend it strongly!

good

A short fun horror adventure game. Definitely recommend for its price.

Short game with a great story and fairly easy puzzles/ chase sequences.

i really really liked this game, speacialy towards the end
ngl the start was very slow for my liking but then it started to pick up the pace and started to be very enjoyable! besides that i have no complaints
good story, good characters and great art style

ye

Short and sweet. Not much of a game besides a few easy puzzles and some extremely short chase sequences, and even then, it just sort of takes you by the hand through all of it. Story and characters carried tho - really nice, softly twisted fairy tale vibes. Looks good too. The world could've been bigger tho, I can pretty much map it out of top of my head. In the end still very enjoyable, mainly story-driven experience.

very fun game! There's even cats <3!!

emotional rollercoaster
cute pixel cats
8/10

This is an amazing game. The pacing is excellent, I never get bored while playing the game. The tutorial is clear, you wouldn't miss anything if you just follow them (although I wouldn't laugh at you if you used a guide once or twice. Didn't know you can outrun those foxes), the world is full of things to interact, and the stories told are related to what we care about. The BGM usage is appropriate, and if you ever get a game over screen, the BGM played is different depending on what killed you. It took me some 9.6 hours to finish it.

This is a horror game, but it isn't like you are mostly alone, or only with one other person. You meet a lot of people, and a lot of nice people too. It has healthy amount of variation of themes of the area (for an 8 hour game), you will be in many places.

The dialogue isn't wordy, it is straight and clear. That's not to say that there's no mystery at all, I can say that there's something mystical in it.

I think the characters and the story are relatable with the current generation. I won't say further on this because I am worried that it might spoil the fun. I will say that I'm moved by many of the characters though.

At the beginning of the game, the tutorial will mention Easter Eggs. I do suggest following the tutorial's recommendations to go back and talk to previous characters. By the way, when you get to your apartment in town, you will be able to snuggle under the kotatsu when Kiritani leaves her spot. That's not really important, but that requires another sprite expression. The creator paid attention to the details.

TL;DR Just play the game. It is fun enough that I spent 4 nights thinking how to write a brilliant review to do the game justice. I feel like other reviews summed it up better though...

细腻的笔触，动人的故事，朴实的情节，却透出专业的文字工作者的韵味，基本功是真的牛掰

bittersweet and mysterious little RPG. Music was delightful and i liked the complexities of the story.

rather than horror, this game bombed me with emotional story. VERY NICE GAME GOT ME SO INVESTED (almost got me teared up), hidden gem.

A lovely game with a lovely story. The aesthetic is so cute and I enjoyed all of the different characters and environments. Short but sweet with only four chapters and some interesting, creepy twists.

The vibe and the well written story of this game made me like it, i wish it was longer because i really enjoyed it. 100% would recommend playing it! (pls make more games like this)

This game is a hidden gem! Great story, atmosphere and characters!! A horror rpg with a well made story and lots of cats to go around.

I was crying when playing the game. Although the atmosphere was a little bit heavy, I don't consider this is a horror game at all, instead, the story and the dialouges of the characters are really moving. All the characters have the past, the dark side that they need to left behind in order to move forward. I can somehow see myself right now when playing this game and therefore be unable to hold back my tears from bursting out.

10/10, the dialouges is a bit text-heavy, but it's worth reading.

good game

if you're search a pixel game with a little bit of horror and with a good story, this game is good for you, i really like it and the story is very good

This game is so cool! I wish these so called "women" creatures were real...

A short interesting story that takes place quite back in time, I absolutely love the story, the powers are actually interesting as it's just supernatural, nothing out of the way, just an unnatural ability you posses without a clear origin, as of now at least

The game-play is easy, it's quite simple to realise what you must do with the given tasks and hints and there isn't a real punishment for not doing different things which is kinda a turn off as it makes the story linear, but it's interesting nevertheless and I can see effort put behind the world

The character design is top notch, both the sprite and the 2D characters moving around the world, they're a mix of cute and adorable at times, especially the fox kid, so cute!

Overall the game is a 8/10, nothing over the top but definitely not bad, there is much potential in this game and I'm more than happy to explore all the content it's about to come

I had an absolute blast playing this game.

very nice