If there was a need to describe this game in three words, it’d be either “cute & macabre psychosis” OR “psychotic & macabre cuteness”. It also happens to be a fantastic point’n’click, but really – let’s admit, it’s the gruesome/adorable screenshots that sell the game.

“Fran Bow” is the rare beast of adventure games (sort of like Tim Burton’s films) that combines gore, horror, implications of behavior representing the worst of humanity and all-out weirdness with an adorable heroine (having her popping pills to switch realities) and still manages to appeal to wide audience. The look of the game speaks for itself – the art style and animations are unique in one of the most chilling ways despite being hand-drawn in a sort of cartoon-ish manner. When Fran takes a Duotine pill, the reality swap is jarring, creepy and shivers-inducing at the same time. Shows you that there’s no need to necessarily employ fancy effects to bring some much-needed dread into your gameplay. A talented 2D artist can take care of that just as well.

Fran Bow, playing at home one fateful Monday night, witnesses an aftermath of her parents being SLICED (!) by what seems to be a goat-headed demon. Terrified, she runs into the nearby woods accompanied by her cat – Mr. Midnight… Just to wake up at the mental asylum with Mr. Midnight gone. Fran yearns to get out of the dreary place and find her furry friend, but it can seem an impossible task till she gets to try a newly prescribed to her medicine – Duotine. To say it shakes things up a bit is an understatement. It allows Fran an access to a different reality – the kind, it’s fairly safe to assume, no one wants to ever visit, but if that helps her to get out and find out what exactly happened – well, she’s up for it. The set-up of a game immediately gives you a glimpse into morbid, horror-filled universe you’ll be transferring Fran to solve her tragic mystery. This is a classic point’n’click game with dialogue, side quests and inventory use to progress (with a few mini-games thrown in that can be skipped), so the additional twist of switching reality from regular (the good, old “my parents have been shredded to pieces and I’m in a nuthouse” everyday routine) to a bizarre dark one, with monsters and lots of blood, puts a very interesting spin on the gameplay. As Fran progresses through a series of strange realities (switching between them is necessary to solve problems) and enters the odd world of vegetable-people and insect-people (you shouldn’t question anything at this point), there is another cool mechanic introduced – an ability to speed up time to switch seasons, as instead of morning/lunch/evening things happen during winter/summer/fall/spring in that world. This nitty-gritty of constant switching back and forth between many things consistently keeps up the element of novelty, making “Fran Bow” easily stand out amongst its peers. When you look at a little girl, pop a pill and suddenly staring at a bloody, beheaded horse with a demon head on a stick growing out of its left-over body… Well, then you know it’s never a dull moment in the game.

The story is complex, at times confusing and is open to multiple interpretations. It flows well, however, with a world(s) Fran is in. Certain things can come across a bit heavy-handed, like the developers were trying to collect a bouquet of every horror imaginable and present it here (all the kids stories in the asylum come to mind), but because nothing is stated outright and rather being hinted on with an occasional dialogue line or Duotine-fueled visualization, it still comes together nicely. The tenderness and innocence of Fran plays up surprisingly smooth into her grotesque surroundings, showed well through her guiltless comments while observing gruesome murder scenes. There is no voice-over in the game (and it would have been a VERY nice addition, however, if the budget was the reason – it’s always better without one than with a shoddy one), but the music fits perfectly with a moody, sinister compositions backed by well-chosen, quality sound effects. The atmosphere of the game is at a 100% with picture, sound and story playing in unison to support this dark, whimsical world.

“Fran Bow” is a “must” for any point’n’click lover. Actually, it will be a fantastic game for just about anyone – statement that’s supported by commercial success of the game. Looking and asking around, it’s easy to notice that people that don’t really play horror play “Fran Bow”; people that don’t really play adventures play “Fran Bow”, and people that play both – horror and adventures - most likely will have this game in their “best games ever” lists while continuing playing it over and over again. And since $15 for about 12 hours of gameplay is a fantastic value for such a memorable journey, there should be no reason for you not to try it. All these beautifully drawn dismembered adults, kids and animals simply beg to be acknowledged by any self-respecting connoisseur