Woolfe - The Red Hood Diaries is a 2.5D action adventure platformer developed by GRIN and released on PC in 2015. The game reimagines the Red Riding Hood story as a dark tale of revenge, where the grown-up heroine wields an axe to uncover the truth behind her father's death and confront the industrialist B.B. Woolfe.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on navigating linear levels that blend side-scrolling movement with occasional depth in the third dimension for puzzle elements. Players control Red as she traverses city slums, sewers, harbors, and forests while avoiding or confronting enemies. Combat relies on axe strikes that build into combos, targeting weaknesses in foes such as tin soldiers, wolves, and other twisted fairytale figures including the Pied Piper and fairies. Environmental puzzles reward exploration and timing, often requiring players to interact with the surroundings to progress or gain advantages in fights. The atmospheric levels emphasize a city gripped by fear under Woolfe Industries' control, with Red uncovering details about her past through each stage.
Game Modes
The experience consists of a single-player campaign divided into sequential levels. There are no separate modes, multiplayer options, or branching paths beyond the main story progression. Each level advances the narrative while integrating platforming challenges, combat encounters, and puzzle sections that tie directly into Red's investigation of her father's fate and Woolfe's operations.
Story and Setting
Red leaves the safety of the forest and her grandmother to return to a city plagued by kidnappings and ruled by B.B. Woolfe through his army of henchmen. The plot unfolds level by level as she pieces together the events of her father's supposed work accident at Woolfe Industries four years earlier. The narrative mixes revenge-driven action with revelations about hidden corporate secrets, presenting familiar fairytale elements in a grim, industrialized context without any fairytale resolutions.
Is It Worth Playing?
Player reception stands at mixed, with 59 percent positive reviews from nearly one thousand Steam users. The game suits those who enjoy classic 2.5D platformers that combine straightforward combat combos with light puzzle-solving in a compact story package. Its short length and focused single-player structure make it accessible for completion in one or two sittings, though some may find the combat and level design dated by modern standards. Availability remains straightforward on PC through standard digital storefronts, with no ongoing updates or additional content layers confirmed since its 2015 launch. Fans of indie action adventures with a narrative twist on classic tales may find value in its atmospheric presentation and revenge-driven progression.
