Mediterranea Inferno (2023)

I really like the presentation of this game. The art style is super consistent, and the merge with the 3D feels really nice and looks great! Music fits great as well.

A COVID-type narrative, probably one of my first games that I've played that really has it as a cornerstone in its storytelling, weaving the coming-of-age self-discovery into the frame of growing and aging those crucial developing years inside of isolation. I like that the LGBTQ theme is something that is integrated into their world. It's not these aspects that create the characters' suffering, but rather the isolation and the pressure from the outside world and their families, not to mention the pressure and expectations they put on themselves and their friend group.

It's an excellent melange of intrigue, surrealism, self-discovery, and love. Although it wasn't really enough for me to be invested enough to replay the game. It asks you to replay to get the full story, as it's how the game's intended. I like this loop mechanic, it's fun and adds a lot of replayability. But it's not for me. Not to mention that my game save softlocked itself, which made me unable to continue the loop...

All in all, a nice short game with an excellent art direction, I would certainly recommend it.

Mediterranea Inferno follows three young Italian men as they attempt to reconnect after the pandemic snipped the ties they had to each other. It often feels reminiscent of an "art house" movie with its abstract and unsettling visuals, tackling themes of isolation and responsibility foisted upon the younger generation in an increasingly volatile world. Also, to quote a fellow Grouvee user, Sir Laguna, who made me aware of the game months back, "it is very, very gay."

I'm not Italian, but it's still hard not to feel like I'm the target audience for this game. I was in my last semester of college when the pandemic hit and it had quite an impact on my transition into the "real world." Inferno looks to explore the effects of the global event on those who entered adulthood around that time and I found myself relating pretty heavily to a lot of the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist trio. What I really liked was it also tries to avoid the pitfall of just being an echo chamber of frustration. Especially in the latter half of the game and in the true ending, you get to see some pushback on the very pessimistic perceptions presented throughout. It aims to create a discussion, rather than preach and then walk away.

The game is also brazenly homoerotic, and that's really putting it lightly. It was refreshing to experience a piece of media that doesn't feel like it's trying to compromise on its queerness or leverage it to virtue signal. The main characters are messy and horny but also dealing with a lot of trauma, and I really appreciated the depth in the way they're written.

A surrealist visual novel about three gay friends trying to revive their friendship in the post-pandemic. Bizarre visuals that use catholic iconography in a way that would make Blasphemous blush and a deeply philosophical narrative about identity, sex and society made this game unforgetable for me.

Also, it is very, very gay.

You can read my full review in spanish here

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If i liked it so much? Why the low score?

First of all, fuck off. 7.7 is a very high score.

Secondly, it has a few annoying bugs. I hope that's fixed soon.