The Creature in My House plays around with some interesting themes but doesn’t really make good on their potential. Even for a short story, the pacing is too fast and its more interesting aspects and questions are glossed over. In place of such exploration, there are silly moments that, though good at building character, do little for the essentials of a short story. Still, the artwork and transitons are pretty neat, and the prose itself is breezy and doesn’t dwell on the unimportant. Worth checking out for its silliness and visuals, but don’t expect the story to stick or stir up too much.
Endearingly silly, purposeful in its presentation, and efficiently told.
There's a lot to like in how it's simultaneously so literal and straightforward (the supernatural premise is definitively unpacked in like 3 lines of exposition) while also building towards a concluding moment of reflection that really does create an impression of a story happening, of the protagonist moving from point A to point B. The Creature in My House may be short, but it has basically zero fat; the whimsical mayhem pushes the plot forward at a brisk pace, and the details it lingers on sketch a compelling picture of two characters going through a breakup.
A lot rests on the central monster design, and I'd say the game pulls it off. Like a lot of things in Spirit: Summoners of Áine-Chlair, it feels conceived with the art style in mind, coming off as unsettling really as a result of the dissonance between it and the visual associations – a child's drawings, or maybe scanned old-school furry art. The care put into the presentation is also just thrilling, with the lovely animations selling the sense of this creature being something living, having movements and mannerisms particular to it. In this way, the design comes off as holistically considered.
The writing is kinda to-the-point in general and not without a noticeable amount of ESL errors, but the dialogue is sharp, and shaky narration doesn't read as a fundamental flaw in such a visual piece. I don't think it will work for everyone – fair to say it's on a very specific wavelength – but I had a great time.
Comments
The Creature in My House plays around with some interesting themes but doesn’t really make good on their potential. Even for a short story, the pacing is too fast and its more interesting aspects and questions are glossed over. In place of such exploration, there are silly moments that, though good at building character, do little for the essentials of a short story. Still, the artwork and transitons are pretty neat, and the prose itself is breezy and doesn’t dwell on the unimportant. Worth checking out for its silliness and visuals, but don’t expect the story to stick or stir up too much.
Very Ghostie, much wow! 👻
Endearingly silly, purposeful in its presentation, and efficiently told.
There's a lot to like in how it's simultaneously so literal and straightforward (the supernatural premise is definitively unpacked in like 3 lines of exposition) while also building towards a concluding moment of reflection that really does create an impression of a story happening, of the protagonist moving from point A to point B. The Creature in My House may be short, but it has basically zero fat; the whimsical mayhem pushes the plot forward at a brisk pace, and the details it lingers on sketch a compelling picture of two characters going through a breakup.
A lot rests on the central monster design, and I'd say the game pulls it off. Like a lot of things in Spirit: Summoners of Áine-Chlair, it feels conceived with the art style in mind, coming off as unsettling really as a result of the dissonance between it and the visual associations – a child's drawings, or maybe scanned old-school furry art. The care put into the presentation is also just thrilling, with the lovely animations selling the sense of this creature being something living, having movements and mannerisms particular to it. In this way, the design comes off as holistically considered.
The writing is kinda to-the-point in general and not without a noticeable amount of ESL errors, but the dialogue is sharp, and shaky narration doesn't read as a fundamental flaw in such a visual piece. I don't think it will work for everyone – fair to say it's on a very specific wavelength – but I had a great time.