A beautiful and disturbing glimpse into the world of someone who's battling with their own mind. I'm struggling to think of a game or even a piece of media that I've experienced recently where the experience has been designed to drop you right into the shoes of someone whos going through severe mental illness. Experiences like this are rarely showcased, but when they're done right they open your mind.

The game simply follows a girl trying to buy some milk and to return home. A simple task that for some can be a horror show of social and cognitive gymnastics. You're tasked with joining her on the journey to encourage her to get through the day. You're a figment of her imagination, her helper, but really you're just the part of her that's trying to cling on. For me these kinds of experiences help lift the veil on what many people have to navigate often alone and behind closed doors. I felt sad, reminded of people in my life who I know have struggled, but at the same time I felt happy for this fictional character I was interacting with very fleetingly as she encouraged herself to buy that bag of milk.

The art direction here is sublime, especially in this sequel. The splashes of red pigment against the black emptiness paints it's own picture of despair. Her pills and shadowy figures haunt many of the frames, getting under your skin just enough to help you empathise with her condition. Cleverly though in the first game she decides not to disclose what her condition is, asking that you not define her by a medical label. I really loved this approach, it provided a moment where she could take control in a world where she can't control much and make a simple yet meaningful request, and it's how I think we should approach all the people in our lives. Throughout the game you're able to give words of encouragement but often your only choice is to talk down to her which shows the sad reality that she doesn't believe in herself at all.

If you're like me you'll be reflecting on this game and its prequel for a while, it's incredibly short but it tells such a unique story. Very few games are able to deliver such an impact within a short space of time for me, but 'Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk' and its prequel will stay with me for days to come.

I played this game and its predecessor back-to-back, and this one starts right where the last one ended off, so I'm basically just gonna review them both here as a package.

As someone who can relate to a lot of the struggles the main character faces here, this game is still weird, and I love it for that. The pixel art in the MC's point of view is sometimes juuust recognizable enough that you think you can make out what it's portraying, but not quite. As if the world through this character's eyes is mostly blurred shapes, lines and a small handful of colors. The music and sound design here are insanely good, really helps the player feel the unsettling emotions that the MC is going through.

I struggle with mental illness a lot as well, though perhaps not the same type as this game's MC. That being said, I feel like a lot of what's being portrayed here fits my own experience as well - not wanting to take medication due to side effects, losing hours and hours of sleep fighting or finding my own thoughts, living in a total mess but not having the heart or motivation to fix it, parental struggles, and, most importantly to this game's story, having trouble even doing something as seemingly simple as buying milk.

Ultimately, this game's central message fits something I've heard over and over again in my time with MULTIPLE therapists: you have to learn to be kind to yourself.

That means trying your best not to bully or beat yourself up. If you want to pretend you're a visual novel character to get through something, then make the "player" be nice to you.

That means taking care of your current wants and needs, while steadily working up the courage to take the steps to improve. If you can't do something now, don't feel pressured into doing it badly - the right time will arrive when it does.

That means accepting that if you feel you've regressed, that getting back to "square 1" is still a form of progress. Falling down or behind during a marathon is obviously bad, but staying down is what causes failure. There's no shame in picking yourself back up or pacing yourself - that's how you get to the finish line.

It's not easy, but it's worth it every step of the way. So be kind to yourself, and don't let mom tell you that you can't drink milk anymore. Also wow, now I have TWO mentally ill girls wearing tops with the "no entry" sign on my list of relatable characters. Small world!