The Cat Lady

An harrowing journey from the hell of depression to see again the stars. Not only a game, nor a novel.

The Cat Lady lacks nothing in the way of ambition, and is for the most part a tightly-knit series of scares and poignancy from a gifted writer (when it isn't getting knee-deep in impenetrable symbolism and some half-baked moments) which I'm sure you can get more in-depth info on from other reviewers. However, technical issues prove too much of a detriment to the proceedings, denying it true masterwork status. Firstly, this should never have been made with AGS, to begin with. This game pushes its capacity to the limit, causing slowdown at almost every turn, causing frustrating delayed interface response time a whole lot. The lowered resolution doesn't allow the beautiful ugly art to be viewed with the clarity it deserves. The graphics themselves aren't beyond criticism, with some truly cheap-looking character animation that puts dents in an otherwise beguiling atmosphere. There are also some problems with the voice acting (mostly not related to the actual performances... mostly) that was so obviously recorded with sub-standard equipment that you don't even need to pay attention to it to realize it's there. The compression is audible, and sometimes hard pronunciations are distorted. I know this may seem nitpicky, but just like with film you can't afford a bundle of cracks in the proverbial armour like this. Certainly not when people pay for it. You can't give indie productions a free pass; they're just as obligated to provide a smooth ride as the "professionals."

Intelligent and dark, The Cat Lady is a beautiful horror tale where you can enjoy solid characters, horror elements and a remarkable story. It's like a film, but you can help to create the atmosphere and the main character history in a way that is not usual in mainstream videogames. Do you want an advice? Play it!

Amazing graphics and original music. great game play, A well designed interface, mind boggling puzzles and a story and characters that actually brought me to the edge of tears. "This is a masterpiece! BUY IT!" Nothing else needs to be said.

I really liked it! The disturbing and minimal 2D style worked pretty well for the game's concepts. The story was well paced and has a really great message. Even though the game is creepy, I wouldn't classify it as a horror game though.