Fran Bow
Developer: Killmonday Games
This is a cute game about a child and her adventures, so why are there red splashes everywhere?
As deceptively packaged psychological horrors go, Fran Bow is pretty much up there. You’ve been warned. The titular character, Fran, has suffered quite a bit. Having witnessed her parents' violent murder in front of her, she flees into the woods with her black cat, Mr Midnight. She’s found collapsed by Dr Marcel Deem, who takes her to a mental health asylum.
Dr Deem prescribes her some new medication to aid her recovery. When Fran takes them, the world around her transforms into one of violence. Her visions are nightmarish reflections of the real world, filled with all manner of horrific creatures. One of those creatures compels Fran to escape, and seek out her Aunt Grace and missing cat. Beyond the asylum is the land of Itherstra, where even more fantastical things await.
There’s absolutely no getting around how disturbing the subject matter in this game can be. It is deeply macabre and can be very upsetting at times. Whilst the game doesn’t always spell out exactly what’s happened, especially regarding the children, it’s easily inferred. The fact is almost everything in this game is a personification of someone’s trauma, though it’s not always clear if they’re real or all a part of Fran’s imagination. In fact, the answer to that gets even muddier the deeper into the game you get. Even Fran herself can be a little unsettling, with her extremely upbeat and positive manner in the face of the darkness she encounters.
The game is a point-and-click adventure with much the same associated gameplay. The player moves Fran from room to room, interacting with the environment to complete puzzles. Fran can also use her medication to move into the dark world, which often reveals the solution to the problem. There are plenty of people to interact with, along with a few creatures later on. Initially, Fran will be talking to other children in the asylum and encountering their traumas.
Fran Bow is presented like a paper cut-out, with gorgeous hand-drawn graphics. The characters move like their limbs are attached with pins at the joints. The whole thing has a slightly Victorian-era feel, and they’re well known for their love of the macabre. Cutscenes have little to no animation, and are largely black and white, except for all the red paint. They’re equally as creepy as everything else. As you might expect, the background music ties up the whole affair with a chilling score. The jump scares are also accompanied by suitably unsettling noises.
Despite the horror nature, Fran Bow is incredibly charming. The well-crafted horror gives way to some deeply psychedelic moments and a very unique presentation of traumatic mental health. Will you love it? Yes. Should you question why? No. Some threads are best left un-pulled.