Woolfe: The Red Hood Diaries
A side-scrolling hack and slash retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
Woolfe: The Red Hood Diaries is a side-scrolling platform hack and slash game from the Belgian independent studio GriN Gamestudio, which both developed and published it. The title launched for Microsoft Windows on 17 March 2015. Funding came from several sources: the Flanders Audiovisual Funds contributed €60,000, the PMV Culture Investment provided additional support, and a Kickstarter campaign raised $72,139.
The game’s development was troubled. Planned versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were eventually scrapped. On 10 August 2015, producer Wim Wouters announced on the studio’s website that GriN Gamestudio had closed down and filed for bankruptcy. He attributed the collapse to poor sales and negative reviews, which left the studio in massive debt and unable to fulfill the backer rewards promised during the Kickstarter campaign. The cancellation also ended work on a planned sequel, *Woolfe Volume 2*.
Later, on 21 October 2015, Rebellion Developments acquired the Woolfe intellectual property. Rebellion stated it would deliver the outstanding Kickstarter backer rewards, which began shipping on 4 November 2015.
Critics largely received *Woolfe: The Red Hood Diaries* with average to negative reviews. It holds a Metacritic score of 55 out of 100 and a GameRankings score of 51.69%. IGN Spain was more positive, rating it 7 out of 10. Arcade Sushi gave it 5 out of 10. GameSpot rated it 4 out of 10, calling the concept derivative and unfavorably comparing it to *Akaneiro: Demon Hunters*, *The Path*, and the *Alice* series, while also criticizing the dialogue, story, combat, enemies, and length. Hooked Gamers (4.2/10) and CGM (4/10) shared similar criticisms.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Woolfe: The Red Hood Diaries
- Developer
- GriN Gamestudio
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
- Released
- 17 March 2015
- Genre
- Platform, hack and slash
- Modes
- Single-player
- Director
- Wim Wouters
- Designer
- Steven Melis · Bruno Lebrun · Filip Van Mieghem
- Programmer
- Jelle Voet · Baptiste Deboutte · Yana Roggeman · Bas Bergfeld
- Artist
- Davy Penasse · Steven Melis · Bruno Lebrun · Filip Van Mieghem
- Writer
- Yasmin Van de Werf
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Woolfe: The Red Hood Diaries was partially financed by the Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (Flanders Audiovisual Funds), which supplied €60,000, and the Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen Cultuurinvest (PMV Culture Investment). Additionally, it was funded through a Kickstarter campaign that raised $72,139. The game initially launched on 17 March 2015 for Microsoft Windows through Steam, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions still in development. Those console versions were later canceled, leading up to the complete close-down of GriN Gamestudio and the cancellation of the planned sequel Woolfe Volume 2 on 10 August 2015. On that date, Wim Wouters, producer at GriN Gamestudio, published an announcement stating that the studio had closed down and requested bankruptcy, citing poor sales and bad reviews that put the studio into massive debt, as well as the inability to provide backer rewards promised to Kickstarter supporters. Following the shut-down, on 21 October 2015, the Woolfe IP was acquired by Rebellion Developments, who announced they would deliver the Kickstarter backer rewards. The rewards began shipping on 4 November 2015.
Reader's Guide
Woolfe: The Red Hood Diaries is remembered primarily as a cautionary tale in independent game development. The game was largely met with average to negative reviews, holding a score of 55 out of 100 on Metacritic and 51.69% on GameRankings. IGN Spain was more favorable, rating it 7/10, while Arcade Sushi gave it 5/10. GameSpot rated it 4/10, calling its concept derivative and comparing it unfavorably to Akaneiro: Demon Hunters and The Path, which also explored Little Red Riding Hood, as well as Alice and Alice Returns, which expound on Alice in Wonderland. GameSpot further found fault in the game's dialogue, story, combat, enemies, and length. Hooked Gamers (4.2/10) and CGM (4/10) shared similar sentiments. The game's legacy is defined by the studio's bankruptcy and the subsequent acquisition by Rebellion Developments, which fulfilled the Kickstarter backer rewards that GriN Gamestudio could not. The cancellation of the sequel Woolfe Volume 2 and the console versions marked the end of GriN Gamestudio's operations.
Did You Know?
- GriN Gamestudio closed down and requested bankruptcy on 10 August 2015, canceling the sequel Woolfe Volume 2.
- Rebellion Developments acquired the Woolfe IP on 21 October 2015 and began shipping Kickstarter backer rewards on 4 November 2015.
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