Indie Video Game Highlight: Fran Bow

Point and click adventures were the shit back in the infantile days of gaming. When computer processing power was a limitation such gameplay became one of the only few ways that game of quality and play-ability could be manufactured. While it offers less liberal game-play I do enjoy a good puzzle game done in this manner ( Point and click's allow you to be more immersed in a story-telling experience ). Add that with a horror element, you got me throwing money at the screen. Ladies and gents, let me present to you Fran Bow.

Gameplay demo and commentary form the ever entertaining Jesse Cox

Below is the game description via the KillMonday team ( The Dev Team for the game)

"Fran Bow is a Horror Point and click game that tells the story of Fran, a young girl struggling with a mental disorder and an unfair destiny. It is a trip to the deepest and darkest side of human psychology, delivered through blood and tears.

After being witness of the gruesome (and mysterious) loss of her parents, found dismembered at their home Fran runs away into the woods, together with her only friend: Mr. Midnight, a black cat that Fran had previously received as a present from her parents. In the forest, Fran loses senses and when she recovers, she is at Oswald Asylum, an oppressive mental institution for children, with no trace of Mr. Midnight.
After having a dream about her beloved cat she decides to escape the institution to find him and go back to aunt Grace. Aunt Grace is her only living relative who she is very fond of.

Nothing comes easy for Fran. There is also a strange creature, Remor, who wants to prevent Fran Bow from going home at any cost. But she is determined to find her cat, return to aunt Grace and together find out who is responsible for her parents murders."

Watching the game, you would notice the very innovative feature of imaginary realms and reality. By taking some kind of pill, Fran Bow is able to see the hellish realms in the hospital. This adds a new dimension of puzzle solving  and horror to the game ( meaning there are two layers to see in every room ). The medication aspect of the game does create a higher level of difficulty and intrigue to the puzzles and does instill a sense of paranoia ( at least in me) that the twisted imagination realm might soon displace Fran's reality. There is not much to say about the gameplay cause come on, what else are you going to say about a point-and-click game other than you point and click around the screen for clues. I will say it is immensely addicting and fun though.

There never seems to be an IGH where I do not croon about the art sense of the game. Let's face it, visuals to some degree, make or break a game. I'm happy to say that the world in Fran Bow is both murky and depressing. The hand-drawn characters and settings really drive the point in that you are playing a bizarre and twisted game. If i were to compare this game visually and story-wise, I would say that Fran Bow greatly reminds me  of Alice: Madness Returns ( One of my favorite games visually, sonic-ally and story-wise ). In both games, both characters are committed into mental asylums and both characters have to to deal with monstrosities and aberrations not off this world.

The game is still in an unfinished state but it looks really polished from what I can observe. Fran Bow is ambitiously trying to reach multiple platforms ( Linux, Mac, Android, IOS and Windows). If you like what you see why not give them a hand at funding here and vote for their game on the GreenLight. For more information, screenshots and bios on the creator please click here.

This is Alex Plum delivering you the latest installment of your Indie Game Highlight. Have a great day everyone and do not forget to look both ways before crossing the road we call life.