The Cat and the Box

With some hesitation, I would recommend this walking-simulator to anyone that likes an experimental narrative. It takes about 3 hours to finish, but make sure that you find the credits - it's not very clear where the ending is. This review is going to be somewhat vague, I don't want to say too much about the mechanics. In order to set the game to fullscreen, press ESC and then press F. I like how the 3D world has a Matrix-like design, very unique look, and immersive atmosphere (it even has some platforming). You always respawn in a hub area that allows you to select several stages with different objectives. Most of the time you just have to find something to interact with in order to progress. The objectives can be a little cryptic, I had to blindly guess the solution a few times. However, I think that confusing exploration is part of the charm here. There are a few technical problems, some of the stages run very slowly, probably because the game was not programmed that well. I wish ...

Really neat experience I picked up on a whim. The use of ascii art lends its self to this ethereal atmosphere where you're never quite sure what you're looking at or where you are. Unfortunately I don't think I will finish it as it jumps from walking simulator (I don't use that term derisively btw) to very difficult, frustrating part that comes out of nowhere. Anyway, for the price I still enjoyed my time with it, Edit: Ended up pushing past the difficult bit after countless tries and got credits. I still think that part will detract a lot of people from getting the full experience as it almost did me. I still think the whole thing is a really cool atmospheric and sombre experience worth checking out.

3/10 While I have to commend developer Eli Schroeder for attempting something that I've never seen before, I found the game pretty unplayable. I couldn't tell where I was going or what I was looking at with the graphical style the game employs. The stage was set for an interesting tale, at least going by the cat and beings that I interacted with, but in addition to the problems I just mentioned, the game does not provide much direction to the player. Beyond having difficulty figuring out where I'm actually going, bigger questions emerge, like "where am I even trying to go?" and "why?" A few other reviewers seemed to be more adept at orienting themselves, or at least more tolerant of confusion, so perhaps my opinion is a minority one.

This game is so unique that I can't help but recomend it. It can be a little abstract and confusing, and occasionally offensive to the eyes but it makes up for it with amazing atmosphere, originality, and concept

Keep in mind you might not like this game. I just so happen to enjoy walking simulators. It can be a bit frustrating at times, due to the graphics, but this game does what it strives to do and it does it well. I look forward to Eli's potential next project.