anthology of the killer
I've meant to play anthology since it won the nuovo at the 2024 IGFs, and I held off until I could play it using its now-available launcher that allows you to play its nine stories one after another. alas, while I love a lot about anthology, shotgunning the stories one after another is perhaps not the ideal way to play them.
anthology of the killer is comedic horror by way of MS paint - a sketchy, absurd world reminiscent of absurdist murder, state and academic tyranny, and runaway corporations. the old world is dead; the trash world is all around us.
through this melange of blood and rent is BB: a put-upon zine maker who is trying desperately not to get murdered as she explores the strange, secret places of the city - the museum, the strange water park, the nearby suburbs - and occasionally tries to work for a living as a mystery shopper, a cold caller, or as nervous, graduating college student.
the rhythm of an anthology game is generally the same: BB explores a place, learning of its dark past or true nature, and flees both the institutions of power (which want to murder her) and the gruesome, bird-like Killer (which wants to murder everything).
all of the titles use interesting camera work and strange, dreamlike architecture to highlight the strangeness of BB's world: a world that gets even more stranger when the forces of murder come a-stabbin'. the level design - somewhat winding and plodding in the first couple of entries - sharpens up by the midpoint.
stark lighting, fun music, and gonzo events make the world a fun one to explore, but what really propels it forward is the writing: developer "thecatamites" paints a convincing picture of a world gone mad with blood and money, and a single creative soul trying desperately to not get her insides ripped out as she navigates it. the things villains say are almost always fun to read; BB's incredulity and well-deserved impatience with her would-be murderers undercut the action in exactly the right way.
ultimately, though, I wish I had played these in a more regular interval - perhaps as they came out, or perhaps a single chapter between playing other games. each one is (mostly) great! playing all nine of them back to back - especially using a launcher which doesn't save your progress, and so requires you to re-navigate your way back to the next chapter - grew a little old in the end. BB and her world are more like chapters in a beloved horror film franchise - something to tuck into once in a while, unless you're specifically gearing up for a marathon.
my favorites of the lot: Eyes, Blood, Ears.
