Carimara: A Gothic Mystery Redefining the Gaming Short Story

Daily Games

·

05/11/2025

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Many modern games sell themselves on huge maps that take days to cross. Carimara - Beneath the Forlorn Limbs does the opposite. It tells a complete mystery story in about an hour and shows that a short game still stays with the player.

Bastinus Rex built the title - Critical Reflex released it for PC. You play as the Carimara, a tiny figure covered in moss. A client hires you to find out what disturbs the forest around an old woman's hut.

Your only tool is observation. Each time you examine an object, the game turns it into a card. You show those cards to other characters instead of speaking. The cards trigger questions, answers or small cut scenes that push the mystery forward. The system replaces normal dialogue trees and replaces most inventory puzzles.

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The full run lasts roughly sixty minutes - the story never stretches itself thin. Players who own only brief stretches of free time still receive a focused gothic tale with a clear ending.

Early reviews call the mood “a quiet fairy-tale” plus label the card interviews “the best part of the adventure.” Several writers already rank it among their favorite mystery releases this year. They praise the run time as long enough to finish in a single sitting yet short enough to feel like one complete chapter. Because the release sold well, Bastinus Rex plans to reuse the card question mechanic in future games set in the same forest.

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