“Do I exist?”
For such a confusing, yet captivating experience, there’s only one place to start.
The atmosphere.
The way this game lets thoughts simmer perfectly instils a mix between cozy—with the soft music, familiar environments and so on—and unnerving, through whistling silences and unmistakeably warped backgrounds. The persistent on-edge feeling made Lilith’s every word suspicious, settling me in a limbo state, perfectly reflecting the narrative’s intent: the bridge between existence and nonexistence. Still, it feels nostalgic? Fleeting, even.
The whiplash, flipping back-and-forth between baking a cake, a profound philosophical conversation, and the crushing weight of existentialism sets an incredible foundation not only narratively, but for the game’s central message. No word of a lie, I could spend another 10 hours in this mind-boggling... world; just allowing myself to get lost in deep thought with the resting concern that something is watching me.
It’s beautiful in its simplicity, and charming in its evanescence.
To usher forward, to the plot itself. The abstract storytelling of NoexistenceN is wonderful! The psychological horror breeds strong here, with complex metaphors and random blips of nonsense hieroglyphics designed solely to freak you out, making you ask questions that you and I both know have no answer. Yet, the way this game drops breadcrumbs of its message along the way is inspiring to me.
Allusions early on—presented through metaphors—become more direct and absolute as the concept of a “protagonist” gradually fizzles out, keeping the story consistent without veering too far into random hijinks.
It’s meant to feel that way as you experience it, though everything is tied together by the end in a way that makes you go, “So that’s why she roleplayed as a nurse and fed me Gobstoppers for ten minutes.” Yes, that actually happens, and yes, it’s relevant to the plot.
The entire runtime felt perfectly in line with the overarching theme—from the small to the large, from baking to philosophy—making for such a fun, yet thought-provoking experience. Let’s move on!
Now onto the soundtrack! YES. I love it... bar from the AI garbage in one of ‘em.
According to the store page, one track (which is, fittingly, the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥) used AI for some reason; though I’m assuming the rest are all human-made gemstones. Because that’s what this soundtrack is, an absolute gem. Wow, does it enhance the experience!
Once again, the themes worm their way in—even through audio. Soft piano tracks encapsulate that reflective tone, while more upbeat tracks settle us into that sweet, intentional, uneasy state. They feel so... wrong. Like there's something you can't quite put your finger on; acting as a lingering reminder that this world is not as it seems.
Anywho, a great soundtrack makes a terrible game decent. Lo and behold, it makes a gorgeous game even more gorgeous!
To close, with the meta-aspect—essentially, the closing message.
Not only do the reveals land incredibly well (and mindfully!! Don’t forget that) but they seriously dig into some abstract concepts. Concepts I’m too stupid to understand.
Defining where existence begins and ends, understanding what separates fiction from reality, NoexistenceN leaves you with something close toooo... enlightenment. It speaks directly to YOU, inviting YOU to answer impossible questions and tackle impossible concepts.
I was so blown away by this game. Words simply won’t do it justice!
I’ve been waiting for so long to find a game that invites the player themselves to solve the mystery; a mystery that isn’t self-contained, but one that defines the boundary between the game world itself and the chair I’m sitting in, at the desk I play at, staring at the monitor I can’t remove my eyes from.
Huge round of applause and a thank you to the developers for this! The NoexistenceN of You AND Me left me absolutely enamoured. Its message is bound to me like a symbiote, to the point where I can guarantee I’ll still be pondering it months or even years down the line. Let’s just hope I don’t turn into a supervillain or something. I don’t know... Venom reference, probably.
11/10 by a mile!
“Suppose three kilometres from your home, there’s a man named Mr. John. But you’ve never met him before, and for the rest of your life, you never will.
Now tell me, who is more real to you? Me, who wrote this review, yet you have never seen nor spoken to... or John, whom you never even knew existed until now?”
❽︎︎👎︎︎□︎︎ ✋︎︎ ♏︎︎⌧︎︎♓︎︎⬧︎︎⧫︎︎✍︎︎❾︎︎
📫︎ ☹︎︎✋︎︎☹︎︎✋︎︎❄︎︎☟︎︎
