IN CELL

☀️

IN CELL is one of the most unusual visual novels I have come across, mainly because it is much more interested in starting an uncomfortable conversation than telling a traditional story. The game presents an uncensored discussion about modern relationships between men and women, mixing serious topics with memes, dark humor and deliberately provocative material. I found it difficult to treat like a normal visual novel because its main goal seems to be making me think and react rather than simply entertaining me. The gameplay itself is extremely straightforward. This is a linear visual novel, so there are no choices or branching paths for me to control. I mainly read through the dialogue and let the conversation unfold. That makes the writing the entire experience, which means the success of the game depends heavily on whether I find its ideas interesting enough to keep reading. I found the presentation deliberately abstract. There are no conventional developed protagonists in the usual sense, with men and women instead representing broader perspectives on the subjects being discussed. That choice makes the game feel more like a long argument or social commentary than a character driven narrative. Sometimes I appreciated that approach because it keeps attention on the ideas rather than individual personalities. The writing covers a huge range of uncomfortable subjects, including sex, loneliness, politics, violence, racism and online culture. I liked that the game is willing to go into areas that most games would probably avoid, even when some of the material is intentionally crude or exaggerated. There is also plenty of meme style humor mixed into the discussion, which gives the experience a strange combination of seriousness and absurdity. My biggest issue is that the writing can feel extremely heavy handed. Because the game is intentionally built around provocative material, there are moments where it feels like it wants a reaction more than it wants to develop a nuanced argument. The lack of choices also means I have little control over how the discussion progresses, so whether I enjoy it depends almost entirely on how much I connect with the author's perspective. Still, I think the game deserves some credit for trying something very different. It is not polished as a conventional narrative adventure, but it has a very clear identity and it commits completely to its subject matter. I also found the mixture of dark humor and serious discussion memorable, even when I did not agree with everything being presented. Overall, IN CELL is a provocative and highly unusual visual novel that I found much more interesting as a conversation piece than as a traditional game. The writing is deliberately controversial, the presentation is abstract and the lack of choices makes it more of a linear thought experiment than an interactive story. It will definitely not be for everyone, but I appreciate that it takes risks and commits so strongly to what it wants to discuss. Rating: 6.3/10

Игра 'IN CELL' — это настоящий подарок для любителей мрачных, атмосферных инди-хорроров. С первых минут погружаешься в гнетущую, клаустрофобную атмосферу одиночной камеры, где каждый шорох и скрип вызывает дрожь. Простой, но продуманный геймплей, построенный на исследовании и решении головоломок, не дает заскучать, а постоянное ощущение присутствия чего-то необъяснимого держит в напряжении до самого конца. Визуальный стиль, несмотря на кажущуюся простоту, создает неповторимое ощущение заброшенности и упадка. История подается тонко, через найденные записки и окружение, заставляя игрока самому достраивать картину происходящего. Не стоит ожидать от 'IN CELL' экшена или скримеров на каждом шагу, это скорее психологический триллер, который играет на нервах и заставляет задуматься. Определенно стоит внимания тех, кто ценит глубину и атмосферу в играх.

As u can guess from the name, its a loser game lol