Try out 'Critters for Sale', an exhilarating short horror visual novel with two episodes out now

WARNING: The following article, and the game itself, may not be suitable for people with photosensitive epilepsy.

The absolutely exhilarating short horror visual novel Critters for Sale, which was originally released the first day of 2019, had its second chapter ("Goat") available for some time (Jun 2019, actually). Considering how such a hidden gem it is I was going to write about it, but Liam ended up doing it first in this GOL article.

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NOTE: Although the following article only contains minimal spoilers for the game, be careful if you scroll down the comments, as some users may inadvertently spoil you more concrete details about the plot.

It still maintains the same fever-dream like visuals, game mechanics and layout, consisting on a left HUD with some key information, a central upper section where all the images and animations are displayed, along with some point and click elements, and finally a center lower section where you see the dialogues and options to advance the story in the available directions. However, regarding the premise, now it features other characters and a different setting, but since this is one of those games where the less you know the better, I will only say that although we're only grasping the surface of the whole mystery, and while the tone of the story still keeps a personal scope, at this point it's clear that those responsible for the plot's main threat not only have enough power to influence the entire world, but also directly encompass the whole history of mankind...

And just like in the previous chapter, here there is also a character who is a person that actually exists in real life. Obviously, you'll experience the game differently depending on if you already know about this artist or not; if the latter is your case you shouldn't worry about losing some context though. That was my case as well, but depending on your choices while playing the game, you might eventually find out who he is. Obviously, consider the following links on this paragraph as huge spoilers, but if you can't resist the temptation to know, I'm talking about a secretive musician and visual artist. And just like Liam did on his moment, I also wondered about the legality of what the developer is doing, in terms of potential copyright and use of image infringement, and by doing some research I found an official response on this Steam forum thread.

Apart from all this, there is also some good news: the developer has been teasing more content on a regular monthly basis, so apparently the release of the third chapter (out of five) is imminent. I can't wait to find out what celebrity will be featured on this new instalment; I will take a guess, and state that I suspect that a famous painter, who also was the producer of one of the most legendary rock bands of all time, will eventually make his appearance on one of these upcoming episodes. Let's see on a couple of years how well my guess aged...

Finally, I must say that even if this isn't a genre that appeals to you, I seriously think you should make an exception and give this small title an opportunity. You owe this to yourself, as this is more than a game... it's an experience. Besides, even if you try all the combinations, it won't take you more than an hour to finish it, so lack of time shouldn't be a concern. Remember that it's also free, although you have the option to financially support the developer with a donation if you think the game deserves it.

So, if you decide to follow my suggestion, then you can find Critters for Sale on itch.io. There is also a Steam store page but you won't be able to download it from there.