YOU MIGHT WANNA PUT THE KIDS TO BED FOR THIS ONE
I mentioned in my earlier coverage of Tsioque that point and clicks were making a comeback and adding to that particular pile of evidence is KillMonday Games’ “Fran Bow.”
Fran bow tells the story of the title character and the tragedy that befalls her family, psychologically traumatizing her and causing her to end up in a mental institution.
This is no doubt a very dark game.
It’s made clear pretty early on that some benevolent shadowy demon has something to do with her trouble as well as with what’s going on with the other kids in the hospital and it’s up to Fran to find out.
One of the core mechanics of the game is the ability to shift between the normal state of the world and a horrifyingly grotesque version. You do this by taking the hospital’s “medicine” which you’ve been treated with and in turn you’re able to see the world beneath the world and it’s a fantastic effect each time.
Rooms are completely altered, NPC’s change drastically and even your items might have a different look to them when you examine them under the influence of this medication.
The look and tone of the game overall reminds me a lot of Alice: Madness Returns and in the case of Fran Bow the art style backing it up suits the game particularly well.
There’s a free demo available on Steam to take for a spin if you so choose.
I’m extremely eager to get my hands on the full version of this game when it launches August 27th and see just how deep this rabbit hole goes.
-Kevin Ryan
Broken Glasses 