i think more games should have sad middle aged women as protagonists this is genuinely one of the most interesting game concepts ive ever played
The greatest game I have ever played in my life and most likely will never be topped.
surreal
This is an interesting yet a quite bad game.
The game leaves a strong first impression, the idiosyncratic art style and asset utilization hails unease, not to forget the impudent soundtrack which I can't decide whether it was bold or laughable... or both?
I love indie devs and I appreciate the efforts they make, but because of that I can't pin all and every technical or artistic error on lack of means as it insults devs that produce quality that surpasses what millions of dollars couldn't buy. Despite my curbed expectations, the game lacks polish so badly you could read braille off this shit. They tried to bite much more than they could handle, and that negatively affected the good components as well.
The writing comes off as a teenager's Wattpad submission, the puzzle logic dejects you, the environment throws you off at times for no reason. I have more to say but I won't be bothered.
Lowering your roof is better than propping it up boards.
The game leaves a strong first impression, the idiosyncratic art style and asset utilization hails unease, not to forget the impudent soundtrack which I can't decide whether it was bold or laughable... or both?
I love indie devs and I appreciate the efforts they make, but because of that I can't pin all and every technical or artistic error on lack of means as it insults devs that produce quality that surpasses what millions of dollars couldn't buy. Despite my curbed expectations, the game lacks polish so badly you could read braille off this shit. They tried to bite much more than they could handle, and that negatively affected the good components as well.
The writing comes off as a teenager's Wattpad submission, the puzzle logic dejects you, the environment throws you off at times for no reason. I have more to say but I won't be bothered.
Lowering your roof is better than propping it up boards.
Not a fan of the art style, the controls can be a bit clunky, and the delivery can get a bit heavy-handed as well, but I enjoyed every single interaction with Mitzi and found her to be one of the better secondary characters in a video game.
A tense adventure game that will haunt your dreams. Perfect, down to every last minute detail.
I loved this game! The style was unique, the story was interesting, and it made me feel some things I didn't expect it to. Definitely don't underestimate this game, It's 100% worth it.
One of the few indie games that should have gotten more recognition but gained more of a cult following. Heavy dark themes of depression, loss and suicide.
-the only scary parts if your not able to handle blood, body horror or any of the mature themes above
-the art style reminded me of old 2000s pc games online but i started to grow closer to it the more i played
-soundtrack fits perfectly with the overall theme
-the voice actor for Susan Ashworth, Lynsey Frost, deserves an award, she really killed it
-one of those games that I thought about for a long time after finishing it
-my fav scene was when Minzy was having a heart to heart talk with Susan on her balcony, the reason why she came to Susan in the first place. her whole story broke my heart + was read out very well by the voice actors
- i wish i could get amnesia and replay this game all over again
-the only scary parts if your not able to handle blood, body horror or any of the mature themes above
-the art style reminded me of old 2000s pc games online but i started to grow closer to it the more i played
-soundtrack fits perfectly with the overall theme
-the voice actor for Susan Ashworth, Lynsey Frost, deserves an award, she really killed it
-one of those games that I thought about for a long time after finishing it
-my fav scene was when Minzy was having a heart to heart talk with Susan on her balcony, the reason why she came to Susan in the first place. her whole story broke my heart + was read out very well by the voice actors
- i wish i could get amnesia and replay this game all over again
dialogi nagrane tosterem skradły mi serce, ulubiona depression game
The Cat Lady is one of the most unique and moving games I've ever had the experience to play.
Extremely dark and emotionally heavy with its story telling and handling of themes.
Extremely dark and emotionally heavy with its story telling and handling of themes.
Despite all of its clunk, garbage controls, cheesy plot twists, graphics that look like old flash game, poor sound quality and whack of voice acting... it is still one of the best things i've ever played.
an indie game about... about... ABOUT... DEPRESSION!!!!!!!!!!!! :OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
This review contains spoilers
man the level where you don't know where susan's things are, but you need to make like. a cup of tea or smth. and she loses more and more energy as she can't find the milk and other items and has a breakdown if she can't make it before her energy runs out is still the best representation of depression in videogames
i remember some horror sequences well still
i liked the grim tone of the game and i thought the graphics, however limited, matched it. yeah the walk animation / speed kinda irked but not too bad
susan and mitzi's friendship was great but the susan lesbophobia moment is still so funny kdfjdfs
i remember some horror sequences well still
i liked the grim tone of the game and i thought the graphics, however limited, matched it. yeah the walk animation / speed kinda irked but not too bad
susan and mitzi's friendship was great but the susan lesbophobia moment is still so funny kdfjdfs
One of the most unique and interesting experience in gaming for me. Absolutely loved this.
Probably a very good game for what it's trying to do, and more so by 2012 standards, but it's just not for me, I'm afraid. I admire the atmosphere, the deliberately ugly visuals, and the story the game is attempting to tell, but old-school point-and-click (granted, that phrase doesn't apply literally here since there are no mouse controls, but it's the same sort of inventory puzzle-focused design) adventure games aren't my cup of tea to begin with, movement is painfully slow, and there's just too much technical/UI jank here resulting from being built on an ancient engine. Maybe I'll just skip to Lorelai, since at least that one is built in a modern game engine instead of AGS
Everything about this game is just amazing.
The story hits right on the spot and it has one of the best OST I ever heard in a game.
But it is not a game for everyone considering it's long novel aspect.
The story hits right on the spot and it has one of the best OST I ever heard in a game.
But it is not a game for everyone considering it's long novel aspect.
A really interesting game at the time. So unsettling. Really shows that not all horror games nowadays need to be 3d first person jumpscare galore fnaf baits
Just try a little harder guys.
Just try a little harder guys.
people who were depressed in 2012 understand
devastating.
One of the most interesting games I've played, gives you many insights on people with depression and suicidal ideas.
A phenomenal game with some minor issues that were largely fixed in Burnhouse Lane
(BacklogBeat’s Game Club - April 2024 nomination)
This one’s going to stay with me for a very long time, I think. Some of the best depiction of depression I’ve ever seen in a game. The game kinda suffers on the gameplay side as some of the puzzles are…a little out there but man is the storytelling super effective. Can’t wait to check out this guy’s other games out.
This one’s going to stay with me for a very long time, I think. Some of the best depiction of depression I’ve ever seen in a game. The game kinda suffers on the gameplay side as some of the puzzles are…a little out there but man is the storytelling super effective. Can’t wait to check out this guy’s other games out.
A brilliant point & click psychological game about depression and mental issues, very touching and great. Super recommended
My favourite game EVER.
Extremly disturbing, but important.
Extremly disturbing, but important.
Tackling on mental health issues is a move most videogames aren’t touching with a ten foot pole. Unless you have first-hand experience dealing with this stuff (Games like Hellblade do it well because psychologists and neuroscientists were involved, for example), it’s easy to mess up and unintentionally stereotype and disrespect those that have to live with it. That’s why it’s so common to make the subtext do the heavy lifting when these themes come to light. It’s a move some might find cowardly, but it’s comprehensible.
Now The Cat Lady isn’t the least bit afraid to wear its themes of depression and suicide. Right off the bat it starts with its protagonist, Susan Ashworth, reading her own suicide letter before overdosing in sleeping pills, surrounded by the stray cats that keep her company.
It might feel heavy-handed at first, but it treats it how it should: without euphemisms, cutting out the bullshit; this woman is fed up with the world and is trying to kill herself to stop the pain she has been drowning in for so long. This is empathetic; it shows how she is feeling without beating around the bush.
Empathy IS what makes this game so good. This is an adventure game that’s bloody and gritty, there’s instances of fetishist serial killers, cannibalism, healthcare violence, dead babies; hardcore edgy death metal shit, but it doesn’t feel unwarranted. It channels the darkness of Susan’s past and present, mirroring how she feels on the inside.
That aspect is very interesting, because the line between what’s fact and what’s fiction here is very blurred. There are both supernatural elements and navigable dreams, and it often jumps between them and the actual world, making you question whether or not what’s happening is true, false, or something in between.
This surrealism works quite well here, for the abstract allows for abstractions; raw emotions flow out of the characters and are made form. This also is an interesting way of subverting expectations; the jumps between “this is just a dream” to “OH SHIT THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING” make this an engaging and thrilling psychological horror experience.
This is all communicated through a Lucasarts-like aventure game, that works like a point-and-click but it actually presented like a 2D side-scroller. This is because it’s important to show the protagonist and her interactions, since it’s such a character-driven game. The camera is also used against the player, as it allows for the game to hide things that are in her field of vision, which works as a tool for creating suspense and horror.
The puzzles are standard Lucasarts and King’s Quest stuff, requiring lateral thinking in a mixture of common sense and thinking outside of the box to be solved. Unlike these games, however, they involve stuff like giving drugs to a heroin addict and killing a kidnapper with poison gas. Fun stuff.
Visually, it’s very singular. It mashes these semi-realistic pre-rendered backgrounds with black and white hand-drawn characters that look weird but still very much human; and they do come to life through the excellent voice acting (that does suffer from poor audio quality… it’s a budget game). As a vehicle for showing what it needs to show, it’s perfect. I actually finished the game in love with its style.
The soundtrack is amazing. The horrifying footstep sounds and music brings the scary moments to a whole new level, whilst most of the game is this alternative rock album that helps paint the picture and intensify the feelings it’s trying to convey so well. There’s sad, hopeful, and even badass moments that are dictated by how good the accompanying score is.
Susan is like that. She’s sad and lonely and charming and badass. A tough old lady. Through the trials she overcomes and the bond she creates with this lovely young woman that was also dealt a bad hand in life (but nonetheless teaches her so much) makes her grow a lot, and is a big symbol of hope for me.
Through this deep dive into her past, present and future (all at the same time) I was able to learn about myself and about people, and is something I can’t recommend enough for those struggling with themselves. It’s heavy, but beautiful. Isn’t that how life is?
Now The Cat Lady isn’t the least bit afraid to wear its themes of depression and suicide. Right off the bat it starts with its protagonist, Susan Ashworth, reading her own suicide letter before overdosing in sleeping pills, surrounded by the stray cats that keep her company.
It might feel heavy-handed at first, but it treats it how it should: without euphemisms, cutting out the bullshit; this woman is fed up with the world and is trying to kill herself to stop the pain she has been drowning in for so long. This is empathetic; it shows how she is feeling without beating around the bush.
Empathy IS what makes this game so good. This is an adventure game that’s bloody and gritty, there’s instances of fetishist serial killers, cannibalism, healthcare violence, dead babies; hardcore edgy death metal shit, but it doesn’t feel unwarranted. It channels the darkness of Susan’s past and present, mirroring how she feels on the inside.
That aspect is very interesting, because the line between what’s fact and what’s fiction here is very blurred. There are both supernatural elements and navigable dreams, and it often jumps between them and the actual world, making you question whether or not what’s happening is true, false, or something in between.
This surrealism works quite well here, for the abstract allows for abstractions; raw emotions flow out of the characters and are made form. This also is an interesting way of subverting expectations; the jumps between “this is just a dream” to “OH SHIT THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING” make this an engaging and thrilling psychological horror experience.
This is all communicated through a Lucasarts-like aventure game, that works like a point-and-click but it actually presented like a 2D side-scroller. This is because it’s important to show the protagonist and her interactions, since it’s such a character-driven game. The camera is also used against the player, as it allows for the game to hide things that are in her field of vision, which works as a tool for creating suspense and horror.
The puzzles are standard Lucasarts and King’s Quest stuff, requiring lateral thinking in a mixture of common sense and thinking outside of the box to be solved. Unlike these games, however, they involve stuff like giving drugs to a heroin addict and killing a kidnapper with poison gas. Fun stuff.
Visually, it’s very singular. It mashes these semi-realistic pre-rendered backgrounds with black and white hand-drawn characters that look weird but still very much human; and they do come to life through the excellent voice acting (that does suffer from poor audio quality… it’s a budget game). As a vehicle for showing what it needs to show, it’s perfect. I actually finished the game in love with its style.
The soundtrack is amazing. The horrifying footstep sounds and music brings the scary moments to a whole new level, whilst most of the game is this alternative rock album that helps paint the picture and intensify the feelings it’s trying to convey so well. There’s sad, hopeful, and even badass moments that are dictated by how good the accompanying score is.
Susan is like that. She’s sad and lonely and charming and badass. A tough old lady. Through the trials she overcomes and the bond she creates with this lovely young woman that was also dealt a bad hand in life (but nonetheless teaches her so much) makes her grow a lot, and is a big symbol of hope for me.
Through this deep dive into her past, present and future (all at the same time) I was able to learn about myself and about people, and is something I can’t recommend enough for those struggling with themselves. It’s heavy, but beautiful. Isn’t that how life is?
Originally I planned to make at least another playthrough to unlock the other endings, but I don't think that the game itself is very encouraging in that sense. Overall, though, it was pretty enjoyable. I liked the fact that unlike many other games that focus on similar themes, this one feels like an actual game, even though the mechanics are pretty simple. Visually speaking, it is pretty good, the characters feels like they are made of paper and both they and the ambience manage to transmit and aura of frailty and decay. The story itself can't be called exactly original (same goes for the characters), but at least it gets the job done, and in this type of product I guess that's a win.
On one hand, Cat Lady is a unique and interesting labor of love. On the other, it's dull, ugly, boring and amateurish. The whole thing feels like something a very talented moody teenager made in the late-90s. There's potential here for sure, but it's got a long way to be realized.
The story is easily the strongest element. It's unique and told quite creatively, but it never really quite gets where it wants to be. Sometimes it goes to painstaking lengths to develop characters and situations, while other times it just drops stuff in with no explanation at all (ie, the Carpenter). It's hard to say more without spoiling, but suffice it to say, the story-telling is uneven.
The acting is solid and the writing not bad. Puzzles are mostly straightforward and easy - there were only a few times I was stumped for more than a minute or two. The bigger gameplay issue is that you'll spend far more of your time sitting and listening to dialogue than you will actually playing and problem-solving. I don't mind a game that's more interactive fiction than game, but there are many, MANY long stretches of time that have you staring at a near static image on the screen while VERY long conversations play out. Conversations in which you'll only have a minimum of interaction every once in a very great while. At the very least, change up the camera angles. Move things around. Make the visuals dynamic. Make something, ANYTHING happen on screen.
The other huge problem is that what does happen visually is terrible. This is simply one of the ugliest games I've ever played. I'm very sympathetic to budget limitations, and the fact that the game is going for a depressed, muted tone, but Cat Lady is about as visually miserable as a game can get, and has some of the most laughably bad animation I've ever seen.
Ultimately, this is a weak game that's not strong enough on story to justify its gameplay issues. There's a lot of ambition and potential here, but it just doesn't work.
The story is easily the strongest element. It's unique and told quite creatively, but it never really quite gets where it wants to be. Sometimes it goes to painstaking lengths to develop characters and situations, while other times it just drops stuff in with no explanation at all (ie, the Carpenter). It's hard to say more without spoiling, but suffice it to say, the story-telling is uneven.
The acting is solid and the writing not bad. Puzzles are mostly straightforward and easy - there were only a few times I was stumped for more than a minute or two. The bigger gameplay issue is that you'll spend far more of your time sitting and listening to dialogue than you will actually playing and problem-solving. I don't mind a game that's more interactive fiction than game, but there are many, MANY long stretches of time that have you staring at a near static image on the screen while VERY long conversations play out. Conversations in which you'll only have a minimum of interaction every once in a very great while. At the very least, change up the camera angles. Move things around. Make the visuals dynamic. Make something, ANYTHING happen on screen.
The other huge problem is that what does happen visually is terrible. This is simply one of the ugliest games I've ever played. I'm very sympathetic to budget limitations, and the fact that the game is going for a depressed, muted tone, but Cat Lady is about as visually miserable as a game can get, and has some of the most laughably bad animation I've ever seen.
Ultimately, this is a weak game that's not strong enough on story to justify its gameplay issues. There's a lot of ambition and potential here, but it just doesn't work.
First time I played I couldn't finish it. I stopped at the pest control chapter, was playing with my grandma who had terminal cancer at that time so it got too close to home to keep playing it... As a suicidal person, like Susan herself, and battling with this invisible desease I can connect with every single aspect of this story, the way it was composed, the enviroments and characters, and the love of my life Mitzi, like they nailed everything from a point and click perspective, the puzzles are interestings and mostly fun to go with, the references are great, I just can't get enough of it. I feel like I missed out by taking such a long time to finish this one, but I love it.
Visually striking and emotionally difficult. You need to be in the right headspace to play it, but it's worth experiencing for what it is and what it tries to say.
This review contains spoilers
I usually start out my reviews by giving a general statement about the developer, some thoughts about this game, etc. The truth is with this one I really can't do that, because to me this is more than a game, this was an art piece. I mean don't get me wrong, it is a point and click game with puzzles, and gameplay wise you go through all of that stuff that feels kind of weird to get used to but makes sense once you do it. I'm going to be honest, I used a guide because the truth is I was told by people that it was a heavy game and I wanted to experience it without too much frustration over my suckage of puzzles because I suck with them. I'm gonna post a guide, but I'm sure there are others around as well:
https://the-cat-lady.fandom.com/wiki/Game_endings
It's solid for the most part but there are multiple endings. I'm not gonna tell you about the game's plot to be honest because this game deserves your time and it's a really heavy game. Gonna throw out a trigger warning that this game does talk about and show stuff like depression, suicide, mental illness, the male gaze, etc; there's a whole laundry list to unpack here and it does it all well and has you thinking. Instead all I can really tell you is how I felt, as someone who does deal with depression and anxiety and frankly thinks that life sucks sometimes.
It was highly visceral, poignant, and honestly relatable in a lot of ways. The whole game has you fight through Susan's mental well being while also dealing with some of the worst people in society that you could ever think of really, mixed in with warped and macabre imagery and a soundtrack that's honestly great (buy the album by the way); I legitimately think that it's on par with Silent Hill 2 in just how sad and depressing it can be, with several times where I was stunned at how thoughtful and sincere the writing. Susan struggles through this game, not only just to die but even just to go through her day; in Chapter 3 you literally spend your time trying to avoid things that would help trigger Susan and upset her in a place where EVERYTHING will remind her of her past, which is easier said than done with anyone who deals with that stuff in real life. I know a lot of people and even myself to a lesser extent also deal with that stuff and when you end up caring for a well written character like Susan (and later Mitzi as well) you WANT to make sure that she's ok. But that's what depression is, a constant struggle in which you will always fall down but you have to pick yourself back up and deal with the aftermath of it, and a lot of people can't do that but that's the point; and that's a lot of what Susan deals with. Trauma from her past, the creeping male gaze of people who want to potentially/will try to harm her even; there's multiple times where I squicked and cringed at some of the dialogue here, and for all the right reasons as this game is written really well. I think for me what really hit me and made me tear up was the final part, where spoilers if you give Mitzi the gas mask, you come back alive for the final time and confronting the final antagonist; Mitzi aims a gun at the last parasite, The Eye of Adam, with the intent to kill. Her whole backstory being that her boyfriend Jack died after Adam encouraged Jack to kill himself, and now she planned on killing him. As Susan tries to talk her down from killing him (as there are Oxygen tanks everywhere and they would all surely blow up except Susan who could come back to life) Mitzi says "I might as well kill him, it's not like I have anyone to live for!", cue the silence and one line: "I care about you". I'm gonna be honest, I don't know how to explain it well but it hit me like a pile of bricks, and it felt validating to hear such positive thinking. Now this is the Golden Ending, themes might change depending on your route but honestly to me this felt cathartic and even validating for someone who feels like sometimes no one really cares about you. It has a lot of moments like these, a couple of comedic moments sure, but a lot of moments where you're rooting for Susan and her friend Mitzi throughout their struggles. I'll even say I was f u c k in rockin out when in Chapter 4, you finally shoot the wife of the Pest Control parasite, who is himself an awful human being, with a gas mask and a shotgun after she burnt out Susan's eyes with bleach and blamed you for trying to "steal" her disgusting, pervert serial killer husband. It really knew how to make me feel in certain situations, and honestly it's too long to even really put here because again there's a lot to unpack. The only thing I could complain about plot wise is how [spoiler] they focus a bit on Joe Davis during Chapter 6, he's the main protagonist of the previous dev's game and the next game/remake Downfall, and some fan service is cool but having been aware of it beforehand it kind of felt like it was just sort of teasing a bit for the next entry, and that's cool I guess but felt kind of weird cause I never played that game and only really remembered a bit when I looked it up later.
The soundtrack is amazing and really fits with everything going on; though don't expect Akira Yamaoka, expect some somber pieces of music, some really tense tracks and maybe a mid 2000s I don't know what to call it sad rock song or two. But to me it fit perfectly for what the game was going for, and I couldn't complain about it. The voice acting can range between great and kind of off mic quality/accent wise but truth be told I wasn't bothered about it. The art style is freaky as hell, depressing and haunting even but beautiful at the same time.
I guess if I had any final thoughts to put down it would be this: again, this is an Art Piece of a game, one that I'll be straight up with you I won't be playing any time soon or possibly ever again. It's depressing as hell, deals with various themes, and with it's content alone this game to me personally stands out as timeless in a sense. But like The Heilwald Loophole, I'm gonna be thinking about this for a long time and will most likely give the developer's next two games Downfall and Lorelai from the Devil Came Through Here trilogy a shot. I don't know how to recommend this game to you, nor in which mental state to play it in; but if you even have a vague curiosity about the game or you want to play a game that tackles serious issues then yeah I would recommend it 100 percent. If I have anything to add later I'll do it in post but honestly I don't really know what to say other than two things:
As of the time of this review there's about 17 hours left for the Steam Spring Sale and it's like 3.39 so buy it.
if you're ever having feelings of depression or suicide you're not alone, and to please reach out for help wherever you need to because life is a struggle and there's no shame in how you feel. My apologies if this wasn't written the best as with everything this is free form but I'm not really sure how to go about it and worse comes to worse if I can better explain I'll edit the review later.
From Steam Reviews: https://steamcommunity.com/id/gamemast15r/recommended/
https://the-cat-lady.fandom.com/wiki/Game_endings
It's solid for the most part but there are multiple endings. I'm not gonna tell you about the game's plot to be honest because this game deserves your time and it's a really heavy game. Gonna throw out a trigger warning that this game does talk about and show stuff like depression, suicide, mental illness, the male gaze, etc; there's a whole laundry list to unpack here and it does it all well and has you thinking. Instead all I can really tell you is how I felt, as someone who does deal with depression and anxiety and frankly thinks that life sucks sometimes.
It was highly visceral, poignant, and honestly relatable in a lot of ways. The whole game has you fight through Susan's mental well being while also dealing with some of the worst people in society that you could ever think of really, mixed in with warped and macabre imagery and a soundtrack that's honestly great (buy the album by the way); I legitimately think that it's on par with Silent Hill 2 in just how sad and depressing it can be, with several times where I was stunned at how thoughtful and sincere the writing. Susan struggles through this game, not only just to die but even just to go through her day; in Chapter 3 you literally spend your time trying to avoid things that would help trigger Susan and upset her in a place where EVERYTHING will remind her of her past, which is easier said than done with anyone who deals with that stuff in real life. I know a lot of people and even myself to a lesser extent also deal with that stuff and when you end up caring for a well written character like Susan (and later Mitzi as well) you WANT to make sure that she's ok. But that's what depression is, a constant struggle in which you will always fall down but you have to pick yourself back up and deal with the aftermath of it, and a lot of people can't do that but that's the point; and that's a lot of what Susan deals with. Trauma from her past, the creeping male gaze of people who want to potentially/will try to harm her even; there's multiple times where I squicked and cringed at some of the dialogue here, and for all the right reasons as this game is written really well. I think for me what really hit me and made me tear up was the final part, where spoilers if you give Mitzi the gas mask, you come back alive for the final time and confronting the final antagonist; Mitzi aims a gun at the last parasite, The Eye of Adam, with the intent to kill. Her whole backstory being that her boyfriend Jack died after Adam encouraged Jack to kill himself, and now she planned on killing him. As Susan tries to talk her down from killing him (as there are Oxygen tanks everywhere and they would all surely blow up except Susan who could come back to life) Mitzi says "I might as well kill him, it's not like I have anyone to live for!", cue the silence and one line: "I care about you". I'm gonna be honest, I don't know how to explain it well but it hit me like a pile of bricks, and it felt validating to hear such positive thinking. Now this is the Golden Ending, themes might change depending on your route but honestly to me this felt cathartic and even validating for someone who feels like sometimes no one really cares about you. It has a lot of moments like these, a couple of comedic moments sure, but a lot of moments where you're rooting for Susan and her friend Mitzi throughout their struggles. I'll even say I was f u c k in rockin out when in Chapter 4, you finally shoot the wife of the Pest Control parasite, who is himself an awful human being, with a gas mask and a shotgun after she burnt out Susan's eyes with bleach and blamed you for trying to "steal" her disgusting, pervert serial killer husband. It really knew how to make me feel in certain situations, and honestly it's too long to even really put here because again there's a lot to unpack. The only thing I could complain about plot wise is how [spoiler] they focus a bit on Joe Davis during Chapter 6, he's the main protagonist of the previous dev's game and the next game/remake Downfall, and some fan service is cool but having been aware of it beforehand it kind of felt like it was just sort of teasing a bit for the next entry, and that's cool I guess but felt kind of weird cause I never played that game and only really remembered a bit when I looked it up later.
The soundtrack is amazing and really fits with everything going on; though don't expect Akira Yamaoka, expect some somber pieces of music, some really tense tracks and maybe a mid 2000s I don't know what to call it sad rock song or two. But to me it fit perfectly for what the game was going for, and I couldn't complain about it. The voice acting can range between great and kind of off mic quality/accent wise but truth be told I wasn't bothered about it. The art style is freaky as hell, depressing and haunting even but beautiful at the same time.
I guess if I had any final thoughts to put down it would be this: again, this is an Art Piece of a game, one that I'll be straight up with you I won't be playing any time soon or possibly ever again. It's depressing as hell, deals with various themes, and with it's content alone this game to me personally stands out as timeless in a sense. But like The Heilwald Loophole, I'm gonna be thinking about this for a long time and will most likely give the developer's next two games Downfall and Lorelai from the Devil Came Through Here trilogy a shot. I don't know how to recommend this game to you, nor in which mental state to play it in; but if you even have a vague curiosity about the game or you want to play a game that tackles serious issues then yeah I would recommend it 100 percent. If I have anything to add later I'll do it in post but honestly I don't really know what to say other than two things:
As of the time of this review there's about 17 hours left for the Steam Spring Sale and it's like 3.39 so buy it.
if you're ever having feelings of depression or suicide you're not alone, and to please reach out for help wherever you need to because life is a struggle and there's no shame in how you feel. My apologies if this wasn't written the best as with everything this is free form but I'm not really sure how to go about it and worse comes to worse if I can better explain I'll edit the review later.
From Steam Reviews: https://steamcommunity.com/id/gamemast15r/recommended/