Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk

About

"Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk" is a surreal visual novel where you help a girl buy milk, experiencing either humorous abstractions or psychological episodes. With a unique art style and authentic audio, the game offers a short, distinct narrative experience in 10-15 minutes. Its basis in real events is stylized, making it an artistic exploration of language and form.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk screenshot

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 12,617 reviews

story274 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

story
717 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The game's story is a brief yet impactful exploration of mental health, focusing on a girl's struggle to perform a simple task—buying milk—amid her psychological challenges. While some players appreciate its unique narrative style and emotional depth, others criticize its brevity and linearity, feeling it lacks sufficient character development and resolution. Overall, the storytelling is described as haunting and thought-provoking, with a strong emphasis on the protagonist's internal experiences, making it a compelling, albeit short, visual novel.
- “The story is told through her thoughts, which are confusing but also touching.”
- “A very metaphorical story presenting themes of loss and mental illness.”
- “The narrative is beautifully crafted, weaving a story that is both eerie and deeply human.”
- “It was a bad experience; firstly, the game lasts like 20 minutes, which wouldn't be a problem if it told a memorable story in this time. It is the most generic 'the protagonist is on pills' story; it wasn't even scary, so there is no reason to buy this game.”
- “The pacing feels rushed, like there were scenes or details left out, and it doesn’t give you enough time to really settle into the story.”
- “The story is extremely short but lacks depth, giving the illusion of choices that don't lead to a satisfying conclusion after 20 minutes.”
graphics
405 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
58%
2%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist, pixelated art style that evokes a surreal and unsettling atmosphere, effectively complementing its themes of mental illness. While many players appreciate the unique aesthetic and its ability to convey emotional depth, some find the visuals confusing or difficult to interpret, leading to mixed feelings about their overall effectiveness. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's haunting narrative, though they may not appeal to everyone due to their abstract nature.
- “The minimalist graphics and eerie sound design create a haunting atmosphere, while the disjointed writing perfectly captures the inner turmoil.”
- “The art style is unique, the plot and the themes that it centers are well executed, given the playtime of the game.”
- “The visuals are beautiful, the story is weirdly immersive, it's short and really unpredictable.”
- “The graphics of this game are extremely simplistic and this can be pretty jarring.”
- “The visuals are far too murky and bland to accurately convey the surroundings.”
- “The graphics are muddy, disorienting, ugly, and unpleasant.”
music
263 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
63%
1%
The music in "Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk" is widely praised for its eerie and unsettling qualities, effectively enhancing the game's psychological horror atmosphere. Reviewers note that the soundtrack complements the visuals and narrative, creating a unique and immersive experience that evokes feelings of anxiety and discomfort. Many players appreciate the originality and emotional depth of the music, considering it a standout feature of the game despite its short length.
- “The soundtrack complements the narrative perfectly, immersing players in the emotional depth of each moment.”
- “The music adds depth to a somewhat unsettling experience of simply going to the store to buy milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk.”
- “The music is eerie, very indie, and makes me feel existential or that I'm being watched or followed.”
- “The ambient music has such an off-putting vibe that goes amazingly well with the retro aesthetic.”
- “The music is extremely unsettling and is one of the main things that made me uneasy during my playthrough.”
- “The visuals and the musical setting intensify this creepy, disturbing impression.”
emotional
191 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its profound impact on players, often evoking strong feelings of empathy, sadness, and introspection. Many reviewers noted that the narrative effectively captures the struggles of mental illness, leading to a deeply relatable and sometimes heart-wrenching experience, with several players expressing that it made them cry or feel a sense of connection to the protagonist. Despite its short length, the game is described as a powerful emotional journey that resonates with players on multiple levels, making it a memorable and impactful experience.
- “This short visual novel is a strange and emotional look into the mind of a girl struggling with mental illness.”
- “The art style is minimalist, which complements the emotional weight of the story.”
- “Emotionally striking, offers a perspective I've never seen before.”
atmosphere
155 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
48%
2%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and unsettling qualities, effectively utilizing minimalist graphics and haunting sound design to create a deeply immersive experience. Many players appreciate how the game's art style and audio complement its themes of mental illness and psychological horror, resulting in a unique blend of discomfort and intrigue. Despite its short length, the game manages to leave a lasting impression through its atmospheric storytelling and emotional depth.
- “The atmosphere of this game is amazing.”
- “The minimalist graphics and eerie sound design create a haunting atmosphere, while the disjointed writing perfectly captures the inner turmoil.”
- “In such a short span of time, this game manages to perfectly capture the horrid atmosphere and impact of its characters and story, whilst also being a masterclass example of mental illness and absurdist art.”
- “This game has no gameplay, and someone will say, 'but it’s an experience.' Sure, but it’s an exceptionally unpleasant experience – not because of the subject matter or 'heavy atmosphere,' but more because of the totally wasted potential and concept.”
- “The atmosphere is unsettling and anxiety-inducing; loved it.”
- “The atmosphere of creeping dread and the omnipresent mantle of social anxiety and mental illness that pervades the game is totally unsettling and disturbing, even though it is never 'scary.'”
humor
119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is a blend of dark and absurd elements, often juxtaposed with unsettling themes, creating a unique experience that is both funny and thought-provoking. Players appreciate the witty dialogue and comedic situations, particularly the protagonist's quirky interactions and grammatical jokes, which resonate with their own experiences. However, some reviews note that the humor can be hit or miss, with a few finding it unfunny or overly reliant on repetitive gags. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with deeper emotional undertones, leaving a lasting impression on players.
- “The art, the character building, and the use of humor in stark contrast with the dark themes—oh my god, it is great.”
- “And the way the main character makes grammatical jokes to prevaricate in order not to directly face the situations she finds scary is both funny and relatable.”
- “The game is funny and a little creepy, but I think the overall experience is poignant.”
- “I think I could have stomached this game if it wasn't so hellbent on shoving a terrible joke into every textbox and stretching unfunny gags because, hey, they're repeating the letter 'o' over and over, so it's gotta be funny now!”
- “It's unfunny and ugly to look at.”
- “Unfunny.”
gameplay
115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
83%
4%
The gameplay of this visual novel is largely characterized as minimal and simplistic, primarily involving reading text and making choices that often lead to predetermined outcomes. Many players note the short duration of gameplay, typically around 15-30 minutes, and express that while the narrative and themes are compelling, the lack of meaningful interaction and depth in gameplay mechanics detracts from the overall experience. Overall, it is seen more as an interactive narrative or experience rather than a traditional game, with some players appreciating its unique storytelling despite its gameplay limitations.
- “The gameplay is built around how you interact (you might be a condition they suffer) to them, be it what continues the story, or by tearing them down.”
- “This small game offers an intense and thrilling 20 minutes of narrative gameplay that will have you captivated from start to finish.”
- “The interesting narrative twist here, in terms of gameplay, is that while the main character narrates the story, you actually only control a subset of her subconsciousness, and it's here where most of the dialogue is exchanged.”
- “This game has no gameplay, and someone will say, 'but it’s an experience.' Sure, but it’s an exceptionally unpleasant experience – not because of the subject matter or 'heavy atmosphere,' but more because of the totally wasted potential and concept.”
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
- “The gameplay is as expected from a visual novel: read text and click some choices. However, there is the absolute minimum gameplay for a game with choices, almost having no impact.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
50%
44%
The reviews indicate that grinding in the game is often seen as excessively time-consuming and tedious, with multiple users suggesting that it feels like a task requiring "a second life" to complete. While some appreciate the multiple endings, the lack of efficient skip functions and the need for repetitive actions detract from the overall experience, making it feel grindy and laborious, especially for those aiming for full completion.
- “A bit grindy sometimes.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “One long, tedious grind.”
- “I know it's a short game, but it does get tedious when you're trying to get full completion.”
replayability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
35%
18%
Overall, the game's replayability is generally considered low, with many players noting its short duration and limited endings. While some appreciate the minor variations in dialogue choices and the intriguing plot twists, the consensus is that the game lacks substantial replay value, making it more of a one-time experience rather than one to revisit.
- “A short horror/mental anguish experience with some replayability; it's very, very good at what it's trying to do and, especially at this price, I do not fault it for size.”
- “I can't say this is the most replayable game ever, however, there are several dialogue options that I wouldn't mind selecting even for the minute changes in the POV character's responses.”
- “The game has a few endings for the awesome replayability and a great plot twist at the end that no one could expect!”
- “Only 2 possible endings (not much replayability).”
- “It doesn't have much replayability though and is quite short.”
- “I anticipated that it would be short and lack replayability, and I was right; the game took me less than twenty minutes to finish, including a second playthrough to see an alternative ending.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Overall, character development in the game is praised for its depth and quality, with some players highlighting it as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. While some critiques mention the game's brevity limiting character exploration, many reviews celebrate the well-crafted characters and their impactful narratives, making them memorable and engaging.
- “Would recommend and also oh my god the character is written so well, way better than that old fart Kratos. It has great character development and honestly, it's life-changing. I wanna be him.”
- “Nice story, great character development, perfect ambiance.”
- “The game is too short for a short story, not allowing for a lot of character development.”
- “I liked pretty much everything about the game: the retro, limited color palette art style; the soundtrack; the themes; the writing; the subtle, psychological horror; the character design.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, unresponsiveness, and numerous bugs that render it nearly unplayable. Despite being labeled "Steam Deck verified," players experience significant issues, including restarts for incorrect choices and various typos, which detract from the overall experience. The short length of the game does little to mitigate these stability concerns.
- “This game is unplayably buggy; it keeps breaking.”
- “Bad, annoying writing. Even though this is a visual novel, there are no actual choices (if you select the 'wrong' one, the game just restarts). It's unresponsive and buggy as hell (it says 'Steam Deck verified', but it kept crashing or hanging). The game is really short, yet there are still typos and grammar errors in the text.”
- “Otherwise, the visuals are nothing special, and the game itself is a bit buggy (doesn't matter since it's so short).”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization of the game appears to be satisfactory, as players report an enjoyable experience while playing, suggesting that performance is stable enough to enhance gameplay. However, the mention of external factors like consuming a bag of milk indicates that some players may seek additional comfort or boosts to fully enjoy the game.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game features no in-game purchases, with the exception of an optional soundtrack DLC available for those interested.
- “In-game purchases: none (there's a soundtrack DLC if you want it, though).”
- “The game offers a fair monetization model with no pressure to spend money.”
- “I appreciate that the game doesn't push in-game purchases on players.”
- “In-game purchases: none (there's a soundtrack DLC if you want it, though)”
- “The monetization model feels outdated and doesn't offer any meaningful content.”
- “I was disappointed to find that the game relies heavily on microtransactions for progression.”