Anna MirabellaSchrodinger’s Catgirl is a mystery visual novel with point-and-click elements in development by Spider Lily Studios. Follow Lemi and Leon as they venture into an abandoned mansion to solve the suspicious assault of a young woman. Will they find the truth, or something more than they bargained for?
A review for this game was requested via the VN Game Den review request form.
The demo of Schrodinger’s Catgirl sets the scene for a very intriguing mystery plot. The game gives a short introduction to the characters and the situation before plunging us straight into the action with an investigation.
The investigation is presented as point-and-click segments. Things you can investigate are highlighted. By clicking them, a scene will play between the two protagonists. The option to replay the scene before moving on is a nice addition for people who may have missed something or found a new clue.
Once you investigate something, a piece of evidence is added to your journal. From your journal, you can combine evidence to draw bigger conclusions and try to piece together some of the puzzle. All of this is presented to the player with a short and sweet tutorial which isn’t too invasive or verbose to click through.
Players can navigate their way through the mansion by clicking arrows that appear on the screen. They’re able to visit and then revisit different rooms as they find more information. As there is a lot of evidence to be found, it adds the challenge of trying to find which facts go together.
Lemi and Leon are a comedic duo that complement each other well. They have a lot of banter and understanding between the two of them. However, it left me wondering if I was supposed to know who the tag team was, or if the game would eventually give me more information about the relationship between the two and ultimately the setting. Because of this, the dynamic between the protagonists in Schrodinger’s Catgirl makes the game feel more like an addition to an already established series where the players are familiar with the duo.
The demo of Schrodinger’s Catgirl has a lot of content. While only an hour of playtime, it does show off a good amount of gameplay mechanics and hints at more that’s to come. There is a lot of evidence already, which makes me hopeful for the kind of work players will need to put into solving the mystery in the full version of the game.
The sprite art in Schrodinger’s Catgirl resembles sketches. I really like this style, since it gives the game room to throw in some more lighthearted content between the heaviness of the mystery. The sprites change poses and expressions often, which adds immersion to the game. The finishing touch is the upbeat audio that plays as you progress through the text.
The Verdict:
Schrodinger’s Catgirl has a lot to love. It creates an intriguing mystery for players to solve, all the while keeping the game mechanics immersive and engaging. My biggest gripe is that I couldn’t access the menu until it was unlocked in the tutorial (so lowering the game’s music was a hassle at first).
If you fancy yourself a challenging mystery, you can play the demo for free on itch.io or Steam. The game is on Kickstarter until September 17.
Aeriel
