Laugh Track

Laugh Track is about the horror of being trapped in an 80s-era sitcom. Depending on how you play that game, you either help these four kids navigate this hell, or just make things even worse. Let me just say upfront that I adore these kids (and hamster). The game does a nice job getting you to know them over the eight episodes. They feel like real people who are being subjected to this sitcom world. Even some of antagonists are enjoyable, despite their cruelty. I do admit the game can be a little heavy-handed at times with its campiness. I'm totally into that, but I could see that being a turn-off for some people. I think that's the point though; we rule out some of these things happening as sitcom antics, but it's really horrible stuff. Which is what makes this world such a horror. It's an interesting idea and I'm glad we got to explore it in this game.

Laugh Track continues Fiction Factory Games' knack for turning the standard visual novel format into an actual *game* and I love it. While most visual novels are content to just tell you your objectives and give you dialogue trees that can help you to find the way to those objectives through them, the "ratings" in this game gives you a fun complication to try and balance against the comedy and horror of the story. Add to this the fact that different outcomes and objectives are beautifully balanced against each other, and each one is weighed against the morality of the situation in the story, and you get something that invites replayability and still never quite makes you sure what to do. If your goal is to get one more lightbulb in the ratings with only two more chances for lightbulbs, is it better to make something psychologically crushing happen to your main characters *now*, or is it better to save it for closer to the end of the story when the events might be a little safer but also more mentally taxing for the characters? Add to this that the different "episodes" of the TV show act a bit like different levels that can be mixed and matched and it feels like an advancement of the (already pretty solid) Heist system from the Penny Larceny game earlier. Plus hey, the game is free, so you can try it and see if you like it, and then maybe go support the devs on Patreon, so you've literally got nothing to lose. Tune in to Laugh Track!

Writing this review after completing the game, it's an amazingly well written parody and commentary on current events, one where it doesn't really shy away and sugar coat issues, it's artwork is great and it's gags land on their feet, especially giving the player control of the gag and still pulling the rug from em for a few laughs, after playing this I am 100% looking into their other games, if you want a quick, free, and hilarious time while also discussing heavy political topics, I highly recommend Laugh Track.

I recently finished my first playthrough, with what I felt was the "true" ending for me. [spoiler] I got the "evenly split ratings", which led to the teens being saved, and linked this world to the wider Fiction Factory universe! [/spoiler] I've gone back to have another go at "The Shadow Over Cyberspace", to see if I've missed some context with the overarching plot here. So, this review is for FFG's overall library, as well as for "Laugh Track" itself. :) I love how all the Fiction Factory's games are linking together! All the games are weaving in and out of each other's stories in really cool ways, and it honestly feels really validating to see how much current event references are in this one. It's a difficult time in the world, both in North America and the world at large. But one thing I've noticed: Stephan Gagne always writes characters, stories, and real-world event references with such empathy. Whether it's creating an ensemble of diverse characters with fleshed out backstories and identities; or not shying away from examining things as they are, but always acknowledging there's still a path forward. There's a good amount of humour in Laugh Track, but it never undercuts the seriousness of the subject matters the story tackles. Rather, the satire and sitcom comedy balance the cosmic horror really well! I won't spoil which one, but there is one part late in the game that genuinely made me stop for a bit to just, digest what I was reading. My first game of theirs was Arcade Spirits; I absolutely loved it! Though I'm a fan of all their games, Laugh Track is probably my favourite one now (on par with Arcade Spirits 1 & 2). It's both their most ambitious title to date, and their most technically impressive. It's been so awesome seeing both how they push the envelope with every succeeding title, and the evolution of how they adapt the visual novel genre. It's clear they have a lot of passion for their work at every stage - it's very inspiring! :D I'm very excited to see what they do with their future games!

Oh wow. Exeeds expactations. Good visual novel. 5/5

The concept for this game is amazing. However, the execution of that concept is... iffy. I struggled to get through the dialogue in this game. My spacebar certainly had its work cut out for it, with how much I was skipping over different parts of the game. It feels cringe, forced, and artificial. Perhaps, considering the themes of this game, that may have been purposeful. But even for a sitcom it's just horrible. The political commentary is handled with all the subtlety of a thermonuclear bomb. I don't necessarily disagree with the message that the developers of the game are trying to communicate, I just think that a lot of people have gotten the same thing across with a lot more finesse and intelligence. The best part of the game were the times where the game let me intervene in the plot of the episodes. The Hero vs. Outsider sort of dynamic was also a really good idea on the part of the devs. I might finish this game, just because they've got me kind of invested in what happens next. However, I don't think it's worth the storage space to try it for yourself.

Incredible game, I'm doing a project on cosmic horror right now and stumbled upon this. Being a fan of another game of theirs, Shadow over Cyberspace, I was worried this wouldn't be able to match how much I loved that but it really exceeded my expectations. Not only is the story amazing but the gameplay is interesting and it touches on a lot of relevant political issues. The horror and comedy mix perfectly into a beautiful example of cosmic absurdity and its free so there's really no excuse not to play it. Thank you FF for another banger