Gloomwood looks to carve out a name for itself in the stealth genre with its unique, gun-based combat and Victorian aesthetic. Players are trapped in a cursed city and need to find their way out, all the while protecting themselves from the disfigured, not-entirely-human inhabitants that dwell within its walls largely through the use of their cane sword, traps, and firearms.
4 Shotgun
As mentioned above, Gloomwood is, well, a stealth game. And while players aren’t required to actually approach Gloomwood’s campaign like they would a typical stealth game and can certainly handle enemy encounters in a more direct way if they wish, doing so is definitely not the easiest way to play the game.
So, while the shotgun does pack a punch, it’s easily the least intuitive choice for players working their way through the game’s campaign. It definitely has its strengths and is worth using from time to time, but it’s not really a viable choice as a primary weapon in Gloomwood.
3 Revolver
While easily a more viable option than the shotgun, Gloomwood’s revolver is still less than ideal to use as a primary weapon as a result of it still being fairly loud.
The revolver’s saving grace is its effectiveness at both closer and longer range, especially in scenarios where the player has already been detected by enemies and is no longer attempting to dispose of them through stealth. Generally speaking, though, Gloomwood does heavily favour stealth kills and takedowns of enemies and, as such, the revolver is somewhat limited in how viable it is for much of the game’s campaign.
2 Cane Sword
More or less the trademark weapon of the game, Gloomwood’s cane sword is versatile and deadly accurate at close range. It deals respectable damage and also allows the player to perform stealth kills by approaching enemies from behind.
It seems fairly apparent that the game was more or less designed to be played in this way. Stealth kills are a highly effective way of navigating Gloomwood’s different areas while being in as minimal danger as possible. With this in mind, it’s hard to beat the cane sword for its versatility and efficiency.
1 Undertaker Pistol (With Silencer)
Not only does it pack an enormous punch, but Gloomwood’s ‘undertaker’ pistol also comes equipped with a silencer. This is a truly lethal weapon that lends itself to just about any play style and allows players to utilize a combination of stealth mechanics with firepower for deadly results.
The trickiest part about the undertaker pistol is actually managing to locate it. It can be found in the game’s Croup’s Fishery stage in a cave to the side of the building, which the player needs to swim out to. A safe located inside the cave can be found containing the undertaker pistol.
Gloomwood is available now on Microsoft Windows via Steam Early Access.
More: Best Stealth Games That Turned 10 In 2022, Ranked
