Hand-drawn horror game Bye Sweet Carole reveals its slickly animated gameplay

A gameplay trailer for the hand-drawn horror game Bye Sweet Carole has made its online debut, showing off its classic animated film-inspired visuals. Publisher Just For Games and developer Little Sewing Machine first announced the “thrilling horror adventure” back in April. Following a cinematic reveal trailer in June, the first gameplay preview was showcased behind closed doors at last week’s Gamescom event. Now the rest of us can see how the visuals carry over to the adventure-style gameplay. 

As the trailer notes, footage comes from a “very early” pre-alpha version of the game. Complete voice acting (in Italian and English) and other final assets will be added later. I’m getting some real Clock Tower vibes from the footage so far. 

Timeless inspirations 

Bye Sweet Carole comes from Remothered creator Chris Darril. Much like Studio MDHR’s Cuphead, the developers behind it took inspiration from cartoons of the past. Instead of citing specific films, they simply give a nod to “the greatest animation movies.” Feel free to fill in the blank with your own personal favorites. There’s definitely a classic Disney / Don Bluth aesthetic to it all. 

The story finds Lana Benton trailing Carole Simmons, who previously escaped 19th century orphanage Bunny Hall. True to its name, a colony of wild rabbits has taken over, all with the power to open a portal to the world of Corolla. Don’t feel left out of this lagomorph legend, though, because you’ll also be able to transform into a bunny. 

Bye Sweet Carole is currently in the works for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. Don’t mark your calendars just yet, because it won’t be ready until sometime in 2024.