Review: Bye Sweet Carole

Bye Sweet Carole is a horror adventure game that is entirely hand-drawn in the style of classic Disney movies. It has been in the works for about four years, which seems reasonable, considering how time-consuming it is to draw every frame by hand in the style of Dragon's Lair. The gameplay is inspired by an old Super Nintendo game called Clock Tower, but its plot, themes, and overall vibe resemble a more obscure point-and-click adventure game called Tsioque. Although Bye Sweet Carole is classified as horror, it is not particularly scary and is made to appeal to the Disney Princess crowd, which has a tepid relationship with horror. A better description of the game's genre would be "psychological thriller," which tends to be reserved for movies and books, even though many games fit this genre as well.

Bye Sweet Carole tells the story of Lana, who lives in a Gothic-inspired orphanage called Bunny Hall in Victorian England. She spends the majority of the game chasing down letters written by her best friend, Carole, that she believes contain hints to solving her mysterious disappearance. The game's puzzles involve collecting key items that Lana must use to escape various traps that confine her within the depths of Bunny Hall while outrunning nightmarish monsters that will go away if she ducks into tight spaces and holds her breath. The historical aspects of the game, such as the Suffragette movement and the pressure to find a suitor, feel disjointed from the supernatural elements, which include girls turning into bunnies and Studio Ghibli-like creatures, such as Mr. Baesie, a friendly life-sized doll that can remove its head at will. This dichotomy foreshadows that the gameplay elements might not take place in the real world.

Of course, the biggest selling point of Bye Sweet Carole is the artwork, which looks exactly like a movie from the Disney Renaissance. Lana is intentionally designed with classic Disney Princesses in mind and is informed by Mr. Baesie that she is the missing princess of a faraway kingdom called Corolla, which the villainous Mr. Kyn wants to steal from her. Most of the game uses a dark color palette, which makes the occasional bright pink elements pop. I particularly enjoyed the border that appears around items are added to the inventory, which contains birds resembling the ones from Cinderella holding a bright pink ribbon and spools of thread. Every time the player dies as Lana, the birds carry her dress back onto the stage, which magically turns into her. Lana uses her pink hair ribbon to transform between her bunny and human states, which unleashes a blast of bright pink sparkles across the screen. One chapter takes place at a formal ball where Lana wears a beautiful princess gown, and there's even a dancing minigame.

This game is challenging, but not too frustrating. There were a couple of times where I got stuck solving a puzzle, but I always managed to find my way out without needing a guide. It helps that there are only so many items in the inventory at one time. Chances are good that if you find something new, it will unlock another area. Conversely, if an area is locked, you probably just need to find the next available item. Running away from monsters is nerve-wracking, but not too stressful since there are plenty of places to hide in just about every room. There are a few key points where players are required to use stealth tactics and will die instantly if they reveal themselves at the wrong time, but this doesn't come up often enough to be a hindrance. There are also a couple of easy boss fights during the climax. The animated cutscenes alone could probably work as a linear movie, but the gameplay element adds an opportunity to connect with Lana on a deeper level.

Since it came out in 2025, Bye Sweet Carole contains a few heavy-handed messages about feminism and the patriarchy, which I could take or leave. The main story is learning what happened to Carole, but the political themes are tied into it. The game takes place at the beginning of the Suffragette movement, which is interesting from a historical perspective, but doesn't affect anything from the actual gameplay, which makes the overarching message less prominent when you're busy dodging ghouls and finding missing cranks. Lana is more interested in friendship than romance, which is fine, as a recurring theme is her refusal to grow up. There was only one scene where the anti-patriarchy message got oo heavy-handed. There is also a queer romance hinted at, but not expanded upon, which fits neatly into the main story. Overall, the themes of grief, loss, and tragedy are woven into the plot much better than the political messaging, thanks to some surprising twists during the game's climax.

Bye Sweet Carole is a visually stunning and charming horror-adventure game that blends elements of classic Disney animation with a unique narrative and challenging puzzles. While its themes of feminism and the patriarchy feel somewhat heavy-handed at times, they are woven into the story in a way that feels organic, if not always impactful. The game's real strength lies in its beautiful artwork, engaging gameplay, and metaphorical storytelling that explores Lana's inner demons. If you're a fan of point-and-click adventure games or are simply looking for a game with a unique art style, Bye Sweet Carole is definitely worth checking out, especially if you're in the mood for something a little dark.