In a dark Victorian setting, Gloomwood features stealth focused FPS gameplay akin to Dishonored in a survival horror world that hides valuable items in safes, locked through discoverable codes to grant players powerful items to combat against the supernatural forces that curse the land. Taking inspiration from other gothic horror environments like Bloodborne's Yharnam, the main character of Gloomwood, The Doctor, must escape past hordes of cursed humans known as the Infected while traversing through the cliffs and caves of the region without becoming a victim of monstrosities along the way. Taking heavy inspiration from games like Thief, Gloomwood creates a nuanced approach to stealth, having The Doctor's every movement and action impactful as players try to carefully approach encounters with enemies.

There may only be three available levels in Gloomwood during its early access period, yet each are flushed out with advanced enemy AI through the Infected, who can detect The Doctor through even the slightest changes to sound and light. Another glowing example of why a Thief reboot should happen, Gloomwood recaptures that intensity reminiscent of those titles, where players are constantly on edge wondering if the movement just made was worth the risk. An item called the Light Gem Ring indicates how alert the Infected are to the player in Gloomwood through color indicators, so when exploring to search for the hidden safes in each level, players should develop a familiarity with that mechanic.

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Two safes exist within the same level of Gloomwood, Croup's Fishery, the almost tutorial that serves to teach players about the base systems present. Once discovered and properly looted, players may store whatever items from the safe in their Luggage Case, their primary inventory space. However, much like inventory in Resident Evil and its remakes, items take up a certain amount of space, turning the collection into a puzzle of sorts. Players will have to pick and choose what items from the safes they are capable of keeping before moving on to other levels in Gloomwood.

Finding and Opening All Safes In Gloomwood

Every Safe Location in Gloomwood (& How to Open Them)

One safe in the Croup's Fishery level of Gloomwood can be found in the Accounting Office of the Factory Floor directly in the Fishery, while the other sits in a cave next to the building. Players have multiple options for reaching the Accounting Office, either breaking into the boarded-up elevator shaft and climbing upward, or by breaking an adjacent window while risking exposure to the Infected. Also, a guard outside that players may deal with however they choose, unlike Dishonored's critiqued Chaos system, holds a key for a door past Stairwell A that leads into the Room.

Turning off the lights in the Accounting Office show the code to the safe highlighted in green on a wall, which upon opening reveals a Revolver, revolver ammo, and a valuable Widow's Brooch. The second safe is past some wooden bridges outside the Fishery, within a cave system not too far away. The code for this safe cannot be found until the Coast Cliffside level, where a map inside the Lighthouse shows the location again and the code drawn on a sheet of paper lying on a table.

Once returning to the cave, the now unlocked safe holds one of the more powerful items in Gloomwood's survival horror nightmare, the Undertaker Pistol. Equipped with a silencer and special ammunition, players no longer need to rely on backstabbing to rid themselves of the Infected threat. In addition, the Pistol can use more than one ammo type, making it a versatile tool that encourages players to go the extra mile to find each safe in Gloomwood.