#his company throughout the game idk man it felt real somehow

[oh-no-dume]

video games these days make me feel more than real life, sheesh

[spudthecat]

My Thoughts on Fran Bow

Where do I begin? Well, I guess let’s start with my overall opinion of the game. A+++!!! I absolutely loved this game, and everything was pinpoint; it all meshed together beautifully to create memorable haunting scenes, characters, and stories. The music, the art style, the gameplay mechanics, the characters, everything. Purrfect!

This game, to me at least, was so damn unique. The main gameplay mechanic, the center focus that set it apart from other similar games (at least to my knowledge), was the Duotine, red pills that allowed Fran to see the Ultrareality. This allowed the puzzles to be even more complex and interesting (thought still not too complex as this is a story-centric game) as every room and area was basically two rooms and you were required to switch to and from the Ultrareality to progress. And even when Fran didn’t have access to Duotine, the game maintained its core mechanic, an example being the season clock in Ithersta where there were FOUR variants of each area, one for each season. Not only did these mechanics add a sense of uniqueness to the game, they also made it all the more ominous, with screams echoing and macabre scenes appearing after Fran would take a Duotine pill.

Now I guess I’ll tackle the characters. I loved them! Well, except the ones I hate (looking at you Dr. Oswald and Aunt Grace). Fran, Mr. Midnight, and Itward are my particular favorites, and it’s so interesting that there’s a lot of allusions to Alice in Wonderland with these characters, Fran, Mr. Midnight, and Itward being Alice, the Cheshire Cat, and the Mad Hatter respectively. I even noticed some Wizard of Oz references in Ithersta, with Fran, Mr. Midnight, and the Great Wizard being well, Dorothy, Toto, and Oz, respectively. Even the overarching goal in Ithersta alluded to the Wizard of Oz. Fran wanted to go home, and in addition, she wanted to be human again (just like how the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow were seeking human aspects). 

Anyways, I’m getting off topic! Fran was such an adorable, yet at times creepy, character that somehow fit in to all this madness while at the same time was out of place (and I mean that in a good way). We get to know Fran on a personal level since we’re exposed to everything little quirky thing she says when you interact with something and we even get to control some of her actions (which I’m not really sure if they have a long-term impact). By the end of the game, I came to adore Fran and felt like I was on this journey right beside her, so much so that I related to her situation, her madness, sorrow and loneliness. Mr. Midnight was such an adorable kitty! I loved his proper personality, always being polite despite all the horrors going around. He was also your only companion throughout most of the game, the only consistent company Fran had on this adventure, and I don’t think Fran would’ve made it without him. I loved Itward when I immediately heard this theme! It fit him perfectly. And I loved how badly the game tried to make you think Itward was going to harm Fran, but he never did. He was one of her closest allies. I loved and really related to his eccentricity, and I really enjoyed his gentlemanly attitude. It was kinda surprising to learn that he came from the Fourth Reality, the reality of death, though I suppose death is not necessarily an evil idea. It is but natural. Now, I would write more about these characters, but this is already getting too long.

The music for this game, although simple, was phenomenal! It masterfully set the mood with each provoking an emotional response from me, a tinge of sadness, a sigh of relief and safety, a fearful and anxious squeal, and so on. The music really stuck with me, and I mean all of it, including the minigames’ music, which are actually pretty good in and of themselves. Like, I really don’t know what else to say here. The music was just fantastic, and each piece was memorable and some of them were just so damn peaceful that I could fall asleep to them. A++!

I guess one last thing before I end this monster of a post is something that I’m still struggling with to figure out. Was any of this real? Did any of it really happen? Was Itward real? Was Remor real? Is Mr. Midnight dead? Was this just all within the maddened mind of Fran? Was she laying in a bed in an asylum the entire time? Idk, and I like that I don’t know. I’m glad that the ending was really ambiguous as providing too many answers would’ve ruined the ominous feeling of the game. The game is based in supernatural worlds with supernatural elements so an ambiguous ending makes sense, as not everything can readily be explained. In addition, throughout the game, Fran is seeking the truth behind, well, a lot of stuff, though mainly why her parents were murdered, and despite a shocking reveal, it’s still unclear if that’s what really happened. There’s multiple stories and theories here, and that’s a part of the charm of the game. I guess we can’t stop seeking the truth, cause when we do stop...what’s the point of well, anything I guess?

In the end, I for one, would like to adventure through the Five Realities of Essential Existence and the Ultrareality, a macabre journey that I would fear and enjoy at the same time, a thrilling experience to remember for the rest of my life.