Welcome to The Attic. Five days before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for Mama…

Furbies. Remember them?

They are clearly the inspiration for Tattletail, which takes this often annoying toy to new heights in the form of a horror game. It was only a matter of time before someone decided to do this. However, it took much longer than I expected. So, was it worth the wait?

A young child awakes just a few short days before Christmas morning, and he decides to sneak down to the basement to peak at what he’s getting. Lo and behold, it’s a Furby! Er, I mean Tattletail. After interacting with the toy for a bit he wraps the present back up and sneaks back into bed.

From then on, each night gets crazier and crazier leading up until Christmas Eve night, which is simply bonkers. I don’t think I’ve ever used that word before, but it’s fitting here. I don’t want to spoil the craziness, though, so I’ll leave it at that. Every night became scarier as well, but that’s a one time thing, and I’ll explain that next.

Tattletail, while not terrifying, is still very effective at building tension. That is, the first time around. From the second play-through on, you know exactly what’s going to happen and when, so it really takes away from the tension or fear. For example, when you’re wandering the house, the game will warn you when you’re making noise. This occurs when you’re sprinting or shaking your flashlight (which needs to be shaken to operate). You’ll also need to keep your little friend fed, brushed, and charged, or they’ll get loud and pester you until you fix the problem.

Is that you, Mama?

But the problem is, through the majority of the game you can run around as you wish and there is absolutely no chance anything will happen to you. There are only a small number of times where you need to be quiet. Once you’ve realized this, the game loses any and all tension. Sure, horror games lose some of the fear the next time around, but to lose it all is a real shame. Also, once you realize how often you can sprint around in the game, you spend a lot less time in it. Steam had me clocked in at 2 hours after my first run, and after my second play-through, it still has me at 2 hours of game time.

Let that sink in. I’ll wait.

Tattletail is quite cheap, however, so I wouldn’t worry about this too much. I’m still happy I chose to buy it, and they recently added (free) DLC, Kaleidoscope. How often does that happen? I really appreciated this addition because I feel like I got even better value for my money. In case you’re wondering, I will absolutely be reviewing that soon!

I will say that one of the night’s festivities drove me insane, as it has “hide and seek” games where you have to find another Tattletail (where did it come from?) while avoiding Mama. Oh yes, I haven’t explained Mama yet. She’s a larger, terrifying version of Tattletail, and she’s the one you must avoid at times. Or else! Be prepared for a lot of sudden, in-your-face screaming, a la Five Nights At Freddy’s. Mama goes nuts when you make noise at the wrong times.

One of my favorite things in Tattletail is actually the music. As each night begins we are met with a blank title screen telling us which night it is and how long it is until Christmas. During these parts, this amazing, retro music kicks in that reminds me so much of Stranger Things’ superb score.

Overall, I absolutely recommend you check out this little horror game. It’s a fun experience for its $4.99 price tag.

Stay scared,
Dark Princess