Critically Acclaimed ‘Howl’ Arrives On Mobile

If you’re anything like us (and, since you’re reading this, we’re going to go ahead and assume that you are) you probably like to keep your ear to the ground when it comes to new indie games.

That means you probably remember seeing Howl among the games in Nintendo Indie Fest last November and slotting it into the “must play” section of your mental filing cabinet.

Or perhaps you grabbed yourself a copy when Howl arrived on all major PC storefronts and consoles in January, and you’re already fully across this inventive, visually arresting strategy game from developer Mi’pu’mi Games.

But did you know that Howl is now available on mobile?

You did? Fine, you can go.

Everybody else: gather ’round.

Published by astragon Entertainment, a Team 17 subsidiary best known for its many Simulator games, Howl is a “turn-based tactical folktale” set in a fantasy medieval realm containing werewolves.

Sort of. The wolf-like creatures in Howl are actually the victims of a “howling plague”, a devastating disease that spreads through sound, making it pretty much 100% contagious.

You’re playing as a deaf heroine who enjoys a natural immunity from the plague because she can’t hear the howls of the infected wolves. That means you’re free to roam the world in search of a cure, all while protecting the villagers who haven’t so far died or become wolves.

Plus, you need to avoid being eaten by a wolf yourself.

Howl’s gameplay is turn-based and takes place on a grid. Each stage contains enemies that you need to kill or evade. These enemies won’t move unless they can see you, but as soon as you’re on their radar they’ll take a step towards you for every action to take.

You can guess what happens when they reach you.

You have up to six moves to use per turn, and your goal is generally to reach the exit of each stage without being mauled to death.

Turns involve movements and actions. To start with, these actions include blowing wolves back with the force and killing them with arrows. But over time you’ll acquire new abilities, including Shadow Step, Exploding Shot, Piercing Shot, Vault, and so on.

Plus, you’ll unlock extra Action Slots, letting you dish out more pain per turn.

And you’ll need all the help you can get, since Howl contains a whole variety of different wolf species, some small and quick, others slow and powerful, all possessing their own unique abilities and vitality levels.

Consisting of 60 stages and four chapters–plus a world map containing secret paths–Howl is a challenging mix of turn-based strategy and puzzle. If you’re looking for an easy reference point, think Hitman GO.

Except Howl is very much its own thing, with a unique “living ink” graphical style that gives the whole game a moody, organic feel.

More than that, Howl feels like a game that you’re somehow creating as you go. Your actions become the brushstrokes that will eventually comprise the full chronicle of how a single heroine saved the world from an outrageously terrible disease.