Prepare for madness
Nothing is scarier than the horrors that our minds can conjure and this game takes liberty in exploring this concept. Fran Bow is a very promising horror game that does not rely on the usual tropes found in scary movies. Expect grim flashbacks and mind tricks when playing this game.
A living nightmare
To get you started, the game shows you what happened to the protagonist of the game. The girl, named Fran, is left traumatized after witnessing the death of her parents who have been dismembered inside their house. Horrified, she runs into the woods and passes out. When she wakes up, she finds herself inside a mental institution that houses kids who have had similar traumatic experiences like her. The horrors she experienced do not end after the gruesome murder of her parents. It continues to hunt her in the form of hallucinations, which will be shown to you through brief flashes. We will have to warn you to be prepared because the surroundings will suddenly change. For instance, in the middle of Fran’s consultation, the clinic suddenly transforms into a messy and bloodied room with heads falling from the ceiling. Another creepy thing about this game is the way the characters act and talk. Aside from Fran, who is evidently trying to shun everyone away from her, other children also talk in dark and morbid tones.
There is, of course, a lighter side to this game so that it is not overwhelmingly depressing. In Fran’s attempts to escape the facility, and perhaps reality, she enters many different and weird worlds. These new places are not shrouded in gore, death, and a haunting past but rather, you might observe that they look right out of a fantasy book where towers rise up and past the clouds. Needless to say, the game will take you on a very bizarre adventure.
Leading the way
The game’s mechanics are pretty easy and it really just anchors itself to its interesting plot. All you have to do is choose between dialogues in order to determine the course of the game. The fun thing is that playing Fran will let you interact with the craziest and scariest creatures you will ever encounter. Can you imagine talking to a head, with empty eye sockets, that is hanging from a dead tree? You will get to speak with a lot of the game’s weird characters in your quest to escape the facility.
A unique horror game
Fran Bow is definitely a very unique and interesting game. Its graphics and visuals are eye-catching and effectively sets the mood, which makes Fran Bow’s gameplay to be engaging. You will find yourself invested in the game’s plot, making you spend hours trying to help Fran escape the asylum.
