Critters for Sale

Critters For Sale is an upcoming visual novel, point-and-click, horror adventure game that will be released to PC. When released it will be the second title developed by Sonoshee, what is interesting is that Sonoshee is actually a single-person, which makes the entire project more impressive from the get-go. With a release date set for June 3rd, not much is known about the project aside from its nature, with an enticing marketing tag line that states “Experience Death From The Comfort of Your Seat”, the title seems intriguing to say the least.

A complete departure from the hyperkinetic, frantic shooter, which debuted Sonoshee as a developer, Critters For Sale is an entirely new path. A mixture of point-and-click, psychedelic-horror and visual novel, the title tells the story of the unnamed, or anonymous character that helped shape the untold story of modernity as we know it.

A 5-Chapter Trip

If research didn’t show that everything we see, play, hear, and touch was conceptualized, developed, designed, and made by a single-person I wouldn’t put it past me to say it was a small indie developer team, yet Sonoshee clearly put a lot of effort and heart into the game and it shows. For starters there’s much to be said about the aesthetic of the game, which certainly won’t please all players, but is original and unique, mixing art with videos bring the game alive and compelling on its own.

What seems to be the most interesting thing though is that through very simple, pixelated and point-and-click adventures the title tries to approach fascinating themes such as black magic, time travel and immortality. Those topics through unnerving scenarios, well-written narrative, exotic characters and a choose your own adventure style make for a creepy yet compelling game at glance.

Everything stated comes from experiencing the first of five chapters of the game - since the demo only had one available version. Critters For Sale has five chapters: Snake, Goat, Monkey, Dragon, and Spider. While little is known about the other chapters the pixelated, creepy imagery shared through social media will surely resonate throughout the game.

An Eerie Game

There are some things that need to be mentioned before you jump into the world created by Critters For Sale, for starters this game is meant for a more mature audience. The topics, dialogue and themes will probably be lost on younger gamers. While the game portrays itself as telling horror stories, it isn’t extremely scary, yet there is some strong imagery of guns, violence, demons, and other things not suited for kids. Finally, the black and white pulsating color can be triggering for people with seizures or that suffer with flashing lights. The first story felt short, but offered multiple endings and resolutions. By being short and interesting, replaying the story was enjoyable, and simple enough. My favorite part is surely the ambience created by the imagery, but especially the original soundtrack.

Summary

Critters For Sale looks, and plays like a very enjoyable unnerving game. Well crafted imagery, ambience, dialogue and music make playing the game unsettling and fun at the same time. If you are a fan of point-and-click games such as Wolf Among Us, The Batman, Heal, or other story-telling games you will probably enjoy Critters For Sale. While gameplay isn’t groundbreaking, you should come for the universe, characters and witty narrative delivered by the game.

PROS:

• Great Soundtrack
• Creepy Ambience
• Witty Dialogue
• Very Replayable
• Original Aesthetic
• Interesting Characters
• Multiple Endings

CONS:

• Mature Themes
• Unfriendly For People With Seizures or Other Conditions
• Flashing Light and Music Can Get Repetitive