If creepy monochrome graphical adventures are your bag, then you might want to check out Critters for Sale, which is set to launch this June on Steam.
This point and click adventure by developer Sonoshee is based on North African and Middle Eastern folklore. It uses a rather trippy-looking 1-bit aesthetic to convey its twisted horror themes (via Bloody Disgusting).
The adventure is split up into Snake, Goat, Monkey, Dragon, and Spider. The first chapter is currently available for free on the developer’s itch.io page. The game definitely has David Lynch vibes, with underlying themes of spirituality and the occult.
Sonoshee gives the following description of the game on their itch.io page, which is pretty vague when it comes to any kind of synopsis:
“Critters for Sale is a compilation of 5 short stories: Snake, Goat, Monkey, Dragon, and Spider. All of which occur in different eras and locations, touching on themes like time travel, black magic, and immortality.”
Using lower resolution graphics is a great way to divert the player’s focus away from all the tribulations of fancy visuals. It leaves them to focus on things like underlying themes and metaphors. Games like the indie RPG World of Horror pull this off extremely well, along with classics like The Eternal Castle.
For fans of point and click adventures, Critters for Sale looks like it’ll be right up your street. It seems to be reminiscent of games like Phantasmagoria, with the game’s trailer making the whole thing feel strangely like an FMV game (even though it’s not aesthetically).
The game is set to launch on Steam on June 3rd, but if you don’t fancy waiting until then to be scared bit-less, then you can check out the game’s first chapter for free either on Steam or itch.io.
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Featured Image Credit: Sonoshee