…nothing special

So, let's talk about …nothing special. It's this short VN about being locked in a room by a mysterious girl, and the title is kinda lying because it's actually wild. This is Pempille's first game, and you can totally feel that raw new creator energy, but in a way that works so well for the story it's trying to tell.

The whole vibe is claustrophobic and messed up. You're stuck, this girl brings you food that's… not great… and the whole time you're trying to figure out her deal. The writing does a fantastic job of building a tense icky atmosphere. It's not just about the gross stuff tho, it's the way she talks. She'll say things that sound completely unhinged one second, and then suddenly she'll drop a line that actually makes you stop and think «Wait, she's not entirely wrong there ». It makes the whole dynamic way more interesting than just «crazy person does crazy things».

The art and sound are a major part of the experience, and get this, the characters use Live2D models.   It's the first time I've ever seen that in a VN and it works surprisingly well in my opinion. Instead of being static images, they have this slight movement that makes everything feel more alive or unsettling. Paired with the sound effects, especially with headphones like the creator suggests, it makes everything feel so much more real. It's clear a lot of care went into making you feel as uncomfortable and trapped as the main character.

Also, there's even a Genesis port! It's a stripped down version tho, it has no sound and the graphics are static and obviously downgraded, but the fact that someone went through the effort to port the full game with both endings is just awesome. Major respect for that.

Download

So you're thinking about diving in. The room is waiting, and she is too. If you're ready to see what's on the other side of that door, pick your poison below. But why not start with something a little different? Try this Genesis port first. It's like a weird silent film version of the whole thing, you can get one ending here and then jump to the PC version to see the other. It kinda makes the PC one feel like a high quality remake, which is a neat way to experience it all.

Once you're done, if the whole situation got under your skin, think about tossing a few coins to the creator. It helps her make more stuff that gets in your head like this. I'm sure she'd appreciate it.