Clue me in next time you have these "genius" ideas
With Halloween approaching it was time for me to load up on some horror games for the season and I decided to start on an interesting game. The Coffin of Andy and Leyley chose to throw in a bunch of taboo topics into one game yet only one of those said topics gets everyone's attention. I am of course not here to talk about those said topics but what I can tell you is what this game has to offer in this review. That being said if you are someone who is not comfortable with extreme taboo topics, then I recommend you stay far away from this game.
Pros and Cons
Pros
A very unsettling yet very good story where your choices matter
Multiple endings for you to get
Fantastic hand-drawn art style
Cons
The game tackles these taboo topics in a very lazy way
Story/gameplay
Andrew and Ashley Graves are siblings trapped in their apartment for three months without food all thanks to a quarantine after this apparent outbreak. They must try and survive the harsh circumstances they are in, all while trying to keep themselves occupied without getting bored.
That is all I will dive into for the story, as this is a story-based game, there will be times when you will be given a choice and this can lead to a certain ending that game has. Currently, the game only has two endings but that’s because the game is still in early access. There is some light puzzle-solving but that’s really all this game has going for it.
The story is generally good though and I did like the whole mystery sort of thing that the game had. There is a lot I want to know about the outside world yet a lot of it is left out which is something I did like about the game. In all honestly, when something did come up, I was curious on where the story would go next, which kept me invested in it. It is also a black comedy as well, there are a few charming moments that are there. Andrew and Ashley are in a toxic sibling relationship. This is the game's main focus, which I suppose helps with the other themes that the game has, although I’ll get onto it, in a bit.
There are multiple game over based endings in the game for you to get, although to get these endings, you need to make certain choices that the game gives you. There are only two main endings so far but the game is still in early access so there is a chance that more can be added.
That being said, I want to talk about one of the core issues I had with the story: the character development between Andrew and Ashley. The issue I have with they two characters is that they aren’t exactly likable and by likable, they are just terrible human beings. Although that is the intent of the game, it goes onto another issue I have that I will tie into for it.
The main issue I have with The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is that there are taboo themes that the game wants to tackle, however, it does it in a very lazy way. I feel that they were just all included just to be edgy in some ways. These topics include but are not limited to cannibalism, child endangerment, child abuse, child neglect, child abandonment, parricide, murder, satanic rituals, and the most infamous one that is talked about, incest. Which are mainly shown for shock value, although. Two more episodes plan to be released so these topics may be explored more. There are also a few other themes that the game will tackle but I already listed enough of them as is.
Graphics and Performance
The art style for The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is well done, it’s one of the main things that made me want to play the game. If you ever find an artist who takes commissions and can draw in the art style for the game, I highly recommend commissioning them. I tested the game on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB, AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Quad-Core Processor 3.50, and 16 GB of RAM, I had no issues while playing and the game should be able to be run on any computer.
Final Verdict
The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is a very odd sort of game, while I myself did find the topics that the game wanted to showcase lacking. I can’t really fault the game 100% due to it being in early access. I actually think this game is pretty good, you just have to know what you are getting yourself into with what the game has. If you can manage it, then this is a good purchase 12.99 CDN.
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