cich: Don't let the language barrier stop you! Google Translate will save those who lack the ability to speak one of the bestestest languages out there, and I'd read your review too :D
Novotnus: Knowing you don't need Google Translate,
here it is! : )
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF Novotnus REVIEW
There are five in the morning, by the computer screen through the last lines of credits, the final musical motif stops headphones. For a while you will need to get up, get dressed and go to work. Go on foot, I have a lot to think about. I know that the passing old cemetery I will feel uncomfortable and that along the way I notice more of the dark ends than usual.I also know that the story, in which I was involved will be with me for a long time.
The protagonist of the game is a certain Susan Ashworth, tormented by depression forties, for which the only joy is caring for a group of homeless cats. We meet her shortly after it swallowed up a handful of sleeping pills. Neglected for the heroine is spinning her before your eyes, falling voice reads a farewell letter addressed to all and for anyone keen eyes black cat watching Susan, when this slip into oblivion. Here begins the player's role as the cat lady who will not die so easily data. In the nightmarish world on the border of life and death is waiting for the mysterious Queen of maggots, which is for Susan task: before the heroine will be able to experience the longed-for peace, must return to the world of the living and confront the beings called parasites. Who are these beings, why chose Queen Susan for their executioner, who with colorful characters that appear in Susan's life are trustworthy, and who wants to hurt her-we'll find out during the game.Susan is subjective, and we see it not only in the way in which the story is told, but also the manner in which she perceives the world.
Reality as seen through the eyes of the Cat Lady is gray, dirty and repulsive-world devoid of any hope, inhabited by the sad, ugly and generally hostile people. Slightly different presents alternative realities to which we come at the time of the death of the heroine (in several points of the game is inevitable) or extreme emotional tension. The world of the dead is a collage of the nightmare of apnea, narkotycznej vision and crazy characters who get there.The graphics of the game is a combination of photography, painting and 3D prerenderowanego. This combination works surprisingly well, building a surreal atmosphere, which probably will not powstydziliby like David Lynch or Alejandro Jodorowsky. The characters moving in this reality are reminiscent of carefully constructed paper puppets and blend well with the dark world, which they reside.It is said that a good soundtrack is the one you never notice.
This statement is certainly not true in the case of The Cat Lady – music plays a very important role, to the point that some sequences reminiscent of the rather short clips than cutscenes in the game. I didn't think that I like such a solution until I caught on the fact that loading the game, to once again see a phenomenal scene where Susan brings back cats playing the piano. It's hard to complain about the podkładających actors voices in the game – especially well is Frost in Furthermore Lynsey Susan-older, suffering from depressed woman with great regret to all over the world is not a typical character of a computer game or a character, with whom it is easy to relate to. A combination of excellent workshop writer with talent actresses made it very quickly liked Susan and I started to take care of her,
I wanted to happily reached the end of the dark adventure.Home support is an important aspect of the reception of the game, but even the best graphics and sound effects will not save weak product plots or giving satisfaction. Fortunately, the story and the problems with which we will face during the games were well thought out and executed in a manner surpassing more than one production of the AAA. Especially in the point and click adventure games it's hard to create a mood of terror and allow the player to maintain this tension – it's hard to feel the fear of przeczesując screen in search of a cursor object the size of a few pixels, without which we will move on.
Similarly, the voltage may destroy the repeated indefinitely escape scene, where one false move ends with death and form since the beginning of the sequence-driven (known primarily from the Sierra Classics) or difficult puzzle cut us enough to prysło the suspension of disbelief. The Cat Lady solves these problems in a very simple and effective way. Not uświadczymy here or a bit of the infamous "pixelhuntingu" is a character using the keyboard to move only on the X axis (as in the classic platformówkach 2D), and every object, with which we enter into interaction highlights automatically when only Susan will be close enough. The puzzles themselves are diverse and well connected to the narration – in the real world we will get out of the hospital ward for the would-be bombers, escape from the hideout of a serial killer ... or jam with another common artistic figure lead very n SOMETHING MISSING HERE?
In addition to the problems which we must resolve to push forward the action in the game also appears a few optional tasks-classical solution of the riddle brothers showing the way, recreating the facts from its earlier call or are Susan before breaking after a very difficult day. We can solve these tasks or not – if you do not succeed, the story goes on (screen Game Over here is completely absent). These tasks are not needed-affect our perception of history and character. I felt really ready when I could not take care of Susan so that difficult day ended for her outbreak of hysteria caused by the minor, everyday nuisances, which I could not avoid.There is no way to skip the form with which we will meet. Exquisite, psychiatrist, gothka, disguising the dark secret, mysterious creature of the underworld or a pair of dog catchers-all are well written and are appropriate. A bit off only one of our opponents, who appears out of nowhere, fulfills its role in storyline and dies almost on their own request, leaving us wondering where came and why just appeared on our doorstep.Speaking of forms it is important to mention the same Susan-who is?
Why is this, what is? What led her to targnięcia to your life? Answers to some of these questions will be announced in the course of the game, part of the finds themselves. What was childhood and how composed her relationship with your parents? We can decide about it during a conversation with a psychiatrist. How starts her day? The bowl of cereal or coffee and cigarette? It's up to the player. If your illness other blames? When the city can keep the legend tells, the seriousness of the mortuary can suffer fantasies? These small choices do not affect gameplay, but allow us to better identify with the heroine.
The Cat Lady is the horror very postmodern-infused with posoką slasher is mixed with great written thriller psychological and existential threads, and all this is spiced with plenty of surrealism and the uncanny. Adult, very emotional story hidden behind lots of uncompromising gore should satisfy any lover of horror virtual
Bloodygoodgames: That's why I'm not that interested in it at the moment. Too many years spent in non-profits dealing with people's 'real life' problems. Gets incredibly depressing and don't really enjoy that kind of game in my free time.
cich: The game is great and I enjoyed it a lot, but judging from your descriptions, it's quite clearly not for you, BGG.
The story of The Cat Lady is extremely connected to the reality. It may do some gorey stuff here, and some abstract stuff there, but in the end it's all about depression and life. It's grounded in dirt and loneliness. And, again, that makes it quite exceptional and interesting, but also clearly not for everyone as it's the exact opposite of what you're looking for :D I mean, there's definitely hope to be found in the game, but it gets worse before it gets better.
I've also written a review some time ago if anyone's curious:
shameless linky.
Nice reviews guys, cheers :)
Paragraph formatting is mine, just to break up the wall o' text bing gave me.
