WHO'S LILA? AND OTHER WRONG QUESTIONS
about a year ago, i played a pretty cool multimedia thing called traumakt-4.sexe, and remarked that "the concept of a game where a demon takes your control of the player character away periodically is interesting and i'd love to see it explored further." a person named naomi (who is now my friend!) shot me a comment recommending who's lila. now that i've played it, i gotta say it was one hell of a trip.
who's lila has got to be the most interesting use of the ever-pervasive metahorror cliche. garage heathen created something i have been dying to see more since i played lainpsx: a mystery that you, the player, are solving, instead of some character in the story. i've always hated how mysteries tend to have this structure:
1. setup
2. suspicion and intrigue
3. investigation time
4. ending that divulges literally everything
i understand why this structure is so common. people love watching sleuths dissect crazy cases or being kept on the edge of their seats by a wild thriller, not being confused by cryptic clues. it's why columbo is so beloved! but this format always seemed pandering and lame to me. if this is truly a mystery, set up some solid clues and let me figure it out myself! who's lila uses its meta elements to make good on the promise of a mystery-solving game. it's super tight shit and i never felt pandered to in the slightest.
however, this clever bullshit would mean jack squat if the game wasn't interesting. luckily for us, who's lila fires on all cylinders. i lost myself in the sauce for HOURS. don't dismiss the visual style as some hackneyed throwback to ancient pc games; combined with the droney music and minimal sound design, it enhances your intense alienation from the characters. and damn, those are some believable characters! i replayed a couple endings just to try out the branching dialogue options, cause there isn't a single line wasted here. shoutout to the nighttime walk scene hurting my feelings.
(also, its funny to drag your guy's face around while his muscles fight you. mario 64 energy. i am adding this line later cuz i realized i didn't mention the gameplay in this video game)
who's lila is short, and by design has absolutely ZERO replay value (and i say that as a firm non-believer in games needing to offer a ng+ or hella divergences to have replay value). it's still well worth your money. go play it already.
END GAME REVIEW