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Fran Bow
9 hours playtime
18 of 18 achievements
#23 | Fran Bow
I’m not a fan of horror at all. I actively avoid horror movies, TV shows, games, etc. (Except The Walking Dead, if it’s still considered “horror”. Also slightly irrelevant: season 7 premiere destroyed me. WHY ;___;). That said, I decided to give Fran Bow a chance because all I’ve been hearing about it are good things. And the visuals seem kinda cutesy, so they can’t be that bad, right? It seems I have made the right choice.
Fran Bow is a creepy point-and-click which (thankfully) doesn’t rely on cheap jumpscares as a horror tactic, yet the entire game still gave me an unsettling feeling. Fran Bow (the protagonist) is a little girl with a mental illness, and she sees things that others can’t. She brought me to places I didn’t want to go… and gave me feelings I didn’t like. I think it should be mentioned that there are triggers for suicide, substance abuse (kinda), depression, and rape. I might have mentioned elsewhere that I enjoyed it, but the more I think about it, the more I feel that “enjoy” isn’t the right word. Fran Bow isn’t a game you enjoy. I don’t actually quite know how to feel about it, but it’s definitely a great game.
One thing I really liked about the gameplay is the pill mechanic, which allows you to view the world in an “alternate reality”, which added a lot to the creepy factor of the game. So effectively you get to explore the same scenes twice, and you have to switch between both realities to solve the puzzles. Also, which is real? Or are they both real? In one of the chapters, instead of pills you get to switch between the four seasons, which was nice too.
A huge part of the story is left open to interpretation, which I have a love-hate relationship for. On one hand it’s interesting to read all the theories about it and form one myself, but I also really, really want to know what the creators thought happened. Do the five realities exist? Are Itward, Palontras, Remus, etc, real? Did Fran Bow kill her parents? Answers we might never know. D:
Scavenger hunt progress: A Bloody Weapon, A Body (in an Awkward Position, A Terminal, It Has More Than Two Eyes, The Massacre. (I’m aware there’s more than 4, I’ll remove one by tomorrow.) There’s potentially also Garden Equipment, The Writing on the Wall, but I didn’t use those.
I think I’ve mention it in Discord that I don’t like horror stuff too. Great post, that screenshot is creepy as fuck. You definitely intrigue me for this game and I will check it out.
Why the fuck I’ve red the spoiler tag, thats the purpose of the spoiler tah….. stupid me.
Sorry for the spoilers D:
Nice review :) I’m into Horror games too but this one got my attention! I might buy it someday (or won it :D)
Great review! I really found the game super interesting (I’m not much into scary game but i don’t mind creepy (unless it involves clown, then count me out)) especially in the way it presents mental illness.
But… what about cute clowns like in Dropsy? :P
Also I don’t really consider these reviews, it’s just me vomiting out words about what I think. In fact I think I’m a terrible reviewer.
First of all let me clear this up… There is no such thing as “a cute clown”. None. But especially not Dropsy. God that one is creepy and I wouldn’t touch the game with a ten foot pole. Nu-uh. Come on, a depressed clown who creepily hugs people?
Then again, I questionned your judgement when you said “is the walking dead even considered horror”. :p Not enough gore and zombies for you to fall in the horror category?
Aww Dropsy will be sad… He just wants to make you happy :D
I figured it should be horror, but I don’t know anymore :P I actually had a recent conversation with my friend about that, and we eventually decided that it’s not horror. O: There’s definitely gore (which isn’t scary), but the main focus isn’t about zombies anymore, they’re just sort of a background thing now. So, yeah, not horror-ish I guess.
All I see when I look at Dropsy is…
Nuff said.
I see your point for TWD. Then again in the show, the horror comes from the humans so… brace yourself with Negan, you’ll be served with your weekly dose of horror. maybe not in episode 2 I conceede.