Locked Up

At A Glance

Released: 3/31/22
Reviews: 61, net very positive, as of 7/2023
English Reviews: 7
Localized in: English/Russian
Had Publisher: No
Majority of reviews:
Russian ~83%
English ~10%
Simp. Chinese ~3%
Price: $3.99
Review report:
Negatives: All English reviews were positive, seems the ending wasn’t enjoyed by a majority, short, not very original
Positives: Spooky story, unsettling, depicts anxiety well, art and music were nice, story was good overall for players

Gameplay

Kinetic visual novel (As such, there is no gameplay beyond text progression and reading)

Music

Upon game start music is melancholy, depressing
MC turns on radio after nearly crashing the car, plays rock (Calls it upbeat pop)
Mentions artists that may exist in real life

Sounds

Art

Writing

MC stops for mushrooms near the entrance, finds very little
MC says gas gauge looks ‘good enough’ (in horror, this is never good enough)
While driving a new road is spotted that is covered by grass and leaves, untainted by hunters or drivers
Gets to new area, darker, lifeless, quiet, describing what the place feels like
MC says herself they are far away from any towns
While collecting shrooms the dog bursts into the leaves
Comes back carrying a galosh
Wet, and seems recently used, but forest hasn’t been explored in years
MC returns to car but it’s broken
May have been foul play, music changes
No phone service either, unable to call for help
Night approaches
They sleep without issue until dog begs to go outside
Morning comes and repairs on the car go poorly can’t fix
No more food, MC cooks shrooms and eats them
MC starts to panic on another night and runs out of the car
Forces the dog to come with her
Can’t stand the hopelessness
Back in the car, MC thinks the dog is possessed and forces it outside after she’s bitten
Dog appears to turn demonic
MC is losing it, dehydrated, starving, only had mushrooms (some rotten)
The next morning it rains, MC falls out of the car, too weak
Some transformation begins to occur
Dog is found, but MC can’t speak, only wheeze
Barely able to walk, and has blurry vision
In epilogue, a couple is driving through the rain
They hit MC, but she is still alive
MC slaughters couple and looks like a shroom monster
Unresponsive to pain

Scare Factor

Going further in, seems to notice someone nearby but quickly brushes it off
Nothing is shown
MC picks some shrooms in a clearing, digs further and sees a human ribcage
Music changes, distorts, still sounds a little too active for horror, but enjoyable nonetheless
Head has been removed from the bones
Dog has a problem with the bones, barks
MC finds another galosh nearby, belongs to the corpse?
Rounded out the mystery of the galosh very quickly and nicely
MC arrives at a large hole, unnatural, dog doesn’t like it
Appears to be a makeshift graveyard
No pictures of it directly shown, but explained thoroughly through text
Overgrown, bones protruding, ripped clothes everywhere
Dog leaves to go pee in the night and doesn’t come back when called, gets tense
Dog returns dirty and wet from the forest eventually
MC tries to walk back to the main road and gives up on the car, but a thick fog brings her around in a circle
Even though she only walked straight
Tries walking the other way and the same thing happens
Girl runs into some creature in the forest at night
On the 3rd night, a corrupted moose stares at MC in the headlights
MC has mushrooms growing on the skin, begins cutting and tearing them off while bleeding

Extra

Overall

The story kept me interested, and ended on a depressing note seeing the main character become fully corrupted
Art was very nice, and goes to show you can have plenty of detail with a grayscale color palette

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