Critters for Sale

Game: Critters for Sale

Developer: Sonoshee

Platform: PC/Mac/Linux

Download Link: https://sonoshee.itch.io/critters-for-sale

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1078420/Critters_for_Sale/

Surrealism as a definition has transformed from describing the art movement of weird imagery in the early 1920s to essentially designating something as weird or bizarre. I've had my run-ins with surreal games in the past with stuff like EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY, a game that is strange and nihilistic in presentation and tone respectively. Now let's take the strange presentation of that game and combine it with the mechanics of another game I have covered, Hell, and you get yourself one of the most bizarre and entrancing concepts I have played since restarting this blog.

Critters for Sale is a point n click game with themes surrounding the experience of death "from the comfort of your seat." The playable demo contains two out of five total playable vignettes. Each vignette centers around a different location in a different era of time, with themes centering around death and immortality amongst other themes. With multiple choices to make in this game, you must choose wisely in order to live. The game's two playable vignettes are "snake" and "goat," the first centering around receiving a text message from deceased pop star Michael Jackson to attend a club near your apartment, and the second where you traverse the Arabian Desert in Jordan accompanied by a goat and experimental hip-hop group Death Grips frontman Stefan "MC Ride" Burnett in search for a mystical cave.

Critters for Sale's presentation was what caught my eye when searching for a game to play and this certainly did not disappoint at all. The black and white, grainy presentation and nightmarish tone reminds a lot of Hell, a game I previously mentioned. The old school FMV presentation and animation seem almost next level in comparison. The atmosphere of the vignettes is otherworldly, like a strange dream you'd have at night. With casual conversations with a dead celebrity to traversing the desert with a cryptic man, this game really hits the weird factor that comes from a dream.

Critters for Sale is a strange game with a lot of potential. As of writing this, it is currently still in development and will get a full release on Steam once it is finished. I can't wait to see what else Sonoshee has in store with this game. Its presentation and atmosphere are great and I hope to see this game get weirder as time goes on.