The Macabre Journey review - "A charmingly dark adventure"

• An eerie gothic world
• Challenging boss battles
• Potions can be hard to find

Go on a gothic adventure in The Macabre Journey, a new mobile adventure from indie developer Bio99. You play as Victor, a man searching for his love, Elenor, after she disappears.

At first, there’s nothing too odd about Elenor’s disappearance. However, every soul you meet speaks in riddles that suggest there is far more to the story.

Solve Puzzles to Find Your Love in The Macabre Journey

In his search for his beloved Elenor, Victor will face various puzzles. Discover the correct notes to play on a piano or rearrange statues to open doors. Other puzzles include winning carnival games and uncovering patterns. If you find yourself stuck, look around for any nearby notes you can interact with, as they often offer a helpful clue.

From a haunted graveyard to a twisted carnival, The Macabre Journey offers an eerie atmosphere throughout. Part of what makes these environments so effective is that they are greatly devoid of life.

There are a few NPCs you’ll run into who’ll explain your next objective. Still, most of the time it’ll just be Victor and a few enemies. However, the vacant world adds to the eerie ambience; at times, it feels too empty. Fleshing out environments a bit more would breathe more life into each level.

Potions can be scarce, and in Souls-like fashion, used potions don’t return to your inventory if you die mid-battle. This means you’ll have to learn your enemies’ attack patterns to outsmart them. Alternatively, you can make an in-app purchase to add potions to your inventory using either real money or earned in-app currency, though such currency is hard to come by.

The Macabre Journey Features Challenging Combat

Victor wields a sword to slice and dice his foes. Basic enemies can easily be disposed of with a few good sword thrusts or a well-aimed spell. As you progress through your adventure, you’ll come across dark spirits that you cannot attack head-on. For instance, you can collect alarm clocks and use them to lure dark spectres away from your destination or light fires to banish them. While straightforward and familiar, the combat system provides a fun challenge.

Beyond your basic attack, you have access to three special abilities that require mana to use. Leap forwards and unleash a devastating melee attack, summon an electric shield to surround you, or unleash a red wave of pain. While mana regenerates, it does so slowly, so be sure to use your spells wisely as you won’t always have mana potions to rely on.

The Macabre Journey consists of multiple acts, each culminating in a boss battle. You can’t just hack and slash your way through boss battles like you can some foes. You’ll need to pay attention to your surroundings and use them to your advantage.

The Macabre Journey is a Charming Little Adventure

You may need to weaken a boss before you can fight them head-on. For instance, the Puppeteer can rewind time and regenerate health. But suppose you take out the conspicuous hourglasses surrounding him first? Boss battles are very entertaining and offer a significant challenge. 

The Macabre Journey is a simple yet challenging and unforgiving gothic adventure. You’ll collect objects, solve puzzles, and battle spirits, skeletons, and other foes as you discover the truth behind Elenor’s disappearance. 

The controls are intuitive, and combat is fast-paced and challenging. However, the scarcity of in-app currency, combined with how potions used in a failed attempt at defeating a boss are not returned upon respawning, makes this adventure frustrating at times. Still, the eerie aesthetic, tricky puzzles, and an intriguing, if not overly in-depth, narrative make The Macabre Journey well worth checking out.