The cartoon font drew me in - looked quirky.
Like the cover of a book with a good sense of humor.
Scratchy animation, dark score.
From an unfamiliar author you would never read again.
Something about returning to a small town in her twenties. Stagnancy of middle & lower classes.
Oh, I guess I wrote this...
With the storyline being relatable in a way that I did not share with many, my interest was piqued. And with a dark but quirky undertone? I felt like I had hit the jackpot.
Very unusual, this game. Unique. Original. And for once:
Not about death!
I mean, there's death bits in it, but honestly it's more about growing up, small town living and mental health.
You're Mae, a cat (naturally). You've just dropped out of college, returning home, you're stuck walking home from the bus station because your parents have totally forgotten about you/the fact that they were supposed to pick you up today. (Finally: realistic parents in media!)
Between the mystery of why you dropped out, the rocky family dynamic and the complexities of all other relationships (and honestly just those of coming/returning home): I was sucked in immediately. I had stumbled across another 90's/early 2000's sitcom that was positively binge-worthy.
And in true Lexx-form: It wouldn't last past the first season. Worth it!
There were so many things to love about this one: the feeling of getting familiar with the town after the first few rounds of heading out of your parents' house to meet your friend(s). The cool way you could explore (jumping on telephone wires / doing a kind of cartoonish parkour with relaxed dexterity). The attitudes of these twenty-somethings toward things like jobs and monotony. Truly: all of these characters may be talking animals in leather jackets, but there was never a moment that felt unbelievable.
Let it be known, however, that at times this is the game version of Seinfeld. You will have "days" where basically nothing happens. And I know that sounds boring... and it honestly might be for you, depending. But as long as you can scope out / enjoy the ride / see the bigger picture, you'll be fine.
A lot of influencers/online fans have expressed pretty deep feelings about/for this game. Although I can certainly see why (relatability in characters / nostalgia for old friendships / complex feelings about the kind of growing up one does in one's twenties), I did/do not share such feelings. (Possibly because I am a bit older than the desired audience / the jury is out.) But!
I loved this game for how well it portrayed the stages of returning home and the many steps of "running into" people after an absence. The questions of what didn't work out, the one tired story that person just can't wait to relive with you... for the forty-eighth time. Since you were six. For how natural the dialogue is (unlike Cozy Grove: talking to the same townsfolk felt anything but tedious). For how casual yet visceral the depression of a sad little town is. The game pulls this all off so well that you might not even clock it. You'll just stop playing for the evening and gasp, recalling what your actual reality feels like in your lungs. Not realizing you had been happily drowning in someone else's.
And for those of us who have done no growing up / can't relate to small town living/returning / have no intention of experiencing a feeling whilst playing their next video game: fear not. There is an underlying greater plot line to follow / secrets to uncover.
(In between, however, there are those moments of every-day-nothing to play through. So honestly, it may not work out for you.)
This game is clearly special, clearly very cool and I couldn't be happier to have spent whatever the hell I spent on it (I don't even remember! That's got to count for something). I was all too gladly sucked into this dimension. New, intriguing and still, at times: ever-familiar. Somewhere between a fun romp and unrelenting depressive episode. Great!
Comments
Post a Comment