Nayru kindly shared with me the beta-version of [i]The Elevator Game with Catgirls[/i], and it is exceedingly delightful to see that some advanced Kickstarter goals have been achieved and the game since attained a voice over—an incredibly good one, to boot!
Unfortunately, to my greatest shame, the full playthrough took me more than a couple of years, even though the game itself can be played in a span of several evenings. The reason for my tardiness is that I’m incredibly bad with any gameplay, so, at first, I couldn’t proceed without a guide, and then, much later, I found myself unable to get further even with the help of a walkthrough. That said, from my limited experience, I would estimate the difficulty of the puzzles needed for the Main/True Endings as medium; it’s just that I’m simply very bad at this kind of stuff and probably followed the instructions wrong at some time, because the approach that didn’t work once somehow got me unstuck later. And I am incredibly happy that I managed to get past that point! Playing [i]The Elevator Game with Catgirls[/i] to completion was a precious experience, and the game ended up being one of my favourite works of fiction ever.
After all, it contains so many things that I utterly love. PoV of being lost in an eerie, liminal space, especially when searching for someone precious you’ve parted with, someone who is out there, their current state unknown to you and the hope to find them slim. Complicated, codependent queer relationship with a darker underside that gets more and more foreboding as it emerges from the evidence. Piecing together the mystery of what had actually happened note by note, until the picture takes shape and you finally understand the place and importance of what had merely been some ominous words on a page. Unreliable Narrator of sorts—yeah, Asahi never outright deceives us, but her PoV very much hides the truth of her romantic relationship with Kirin (the truth being not a romantic nature of their relationship itself but something disturbing and sinister—I find it very fitting and fascinating that we never actually learn Asahi’s full opinion on the situation, it’s just hinted that she has her share of dark thoughts too).
It quite pleasantly reminded me of another one of my favourites—(web-)novel [i]Subcutanean[/i] by Aaron R. Reed (please, google it, its paid version has some utterly unique features, while its free version is already easily 10/10 to me), especially—mild spoilers for both the game and the novel!—[spoiler]the existence of different worlds with the different sets of the same main characters, where the PoV character gets, for some time, the “other” version of their loved one, and the liminal place connecting those worlds in a way that it’s possible to get lost on the wrong side[/spoiler].
[i]The Elevator Game[/i] is much more atmospheric, however—it might have been one of the most wonderfully eerie experiences in my entire life. Its unsettling atmosphere is incredibly rich and utterly unparalleled, and I especially love how it’s supported by the visuals, sounds (I hear the elevator chime and hum in my mind’s ear right now) and the game mechanics itself. Certain applications of the game engine’s capabilities were incredibly inventive! NoBread Studio gets more and more sophisticated with clever programming involved in creating special experiences for their players with each game. The Infinite Maze room really stood out for me, although every part of the game is nothing short of amazing.
I love how the Main/True Ending doesn’t dispel the atmosphere, leaving enough mystery to keep you intrigued and enraptured with the enigmatic anomalous locale (and people involved in its workings), as well as with the entire cat infection premise, yet it reveals enough to bring you satisfaction and closure. I think that, in large part, it is facilitated by the string of carefully crafted illustrations fleshing out the finale. I absolutely love the artstyle! It fits the story so well and truly adds to the experience.
Secret/Easter Egg Endings are mostly a bit difficult to get without a guide, yet they are extremely worth the effort, especially since they contain some of the sweetest moments in the entire game, as well as the most hilarious ones, and also the most hauntingly beautiful. I enjoyed the Flower Ending so, so much, whoaaaa! It involves the body horror and the existential horror of the most delightful kinds, and its visuals are simply ethereal, truly gorgeous.
Some Easter Eggs pertaining to NoBread Studio’s other games, namely Blankspace, went far beyond simple visual allusions. It felt really nostalgic to visit a certain room, and I love how it connects all the games into a unified universe (or, more exactly, a multiverse) where the characters continue existing even outside the frame. I wonder if I’ll get to meet some familiar faces some time in the future once more.
[i]The Elevator Game with Catgirls[/i] continues the trend of point-and-click horror mysteries with an escape room component set by Blankspace, yet feels more complex, intricate, elaborate and expansive, as well as more aesthetically advanced. It’s amazing to see the evolution, especially when it’s created by a very small team in which a major bulk of the work is done by one person. It is a treat for every mystery/horror lover, or anyone interested in dark queer fiction, and makes for a very memorable experience. I’m deeply grateful I’ve got to play it (and see the artbook delving into some behind-the-scenes details, considerations, and scrapped concepts). I think it’s going to stick with me for the rest of my life, especially whenever I’m reminded of urban legends, ethically dubious relationships and liminal spaces, which is very often.
