Tin tức
The Bunny Graveyard delivers cute mascot horror that will make retro gamers happy
A
Arthur Collins
Instead of the usual tropes of the genre—costumed animatronics and monsters roaming the halls of a kindergarten—The Bunny Graveyard starts its story with some visual exposition to get you into the right mindset. From the get-go, it sets the mood by having you sit at a computer to play an 8-bit style game where you chase a glowing manta ray with a gloved cursor. Then a crack opens up on the screen, and it sucks you in.
Once you’re inside, the 8-bit graphics become 16-bit, which allows for more visual detail. That’s when the title screen comes up: not as The Bunny Graveyard but The Bunny Garden. Curious. You are now that gloved hand, a cursor. You have to unravel the mystery of why you’re there and what’s going on with the other characters.
Following the story leads you to other friendly (but different) gloved hands, known as the mute Handy Pals, and a seemingly friendly bunny named Skye that employs them. But it doesn’t take long to find out that she’s clearly hiding something. Investigating the secrets leads you down some dark paths as you follow the clues and find collectibles that give you hints as to what’s really going on. Also, anyone into mascot horror games knows to never trust rabbits, especially if they associate themselves with the color purple.
While the game’s pixel-based graphics are visually stunning, they invoke a console near and dear to my heart: the Game Boy Advance. The graphics of this game ooze with style and nostalgia. Speaking of bygone eras, this game is also (not so) secretly a love letter to many iconic retro games. The Bunny Graveyard doesn’t even get going until after that first open world section with silly minigames. You’ll box in an underground fighting ring for what is essentially Punch-Out!!, go fishing in an homage to Ecco The Dolphin, and participate in terrifying stealth sequences that feel like the original Metal Gear games.
I think it’s important to note that The Bunny Graveyard—which clocks at around a couple of hours or so on its own—is only the first chapter of an ongoing story. I don’t want to spoil it too much, but there are quite a few mysteries left unanswered by the end, which leaves room for future chapters.
When looking at contemporary horror games, I believe that the designer has to emphasize lore and mystery in order to achieve any sort of longevity. The Bunny Graveyard keeps you guessing at what’s going to come next, and its apparent answers are quite surprising. It’s taken steps to become a great game series for theorycrafting and for fans of games of yesteryear.
All in all, The Bunny Graveyard offers a few jumpscares, tells a fun-yet-spooky story with cute visuals, and speaks to old gamers like me. It’s worth a look.
The Bunny Graveyard is available on the Epic Games Store.