Morph Girl
- August 30, 2017
- Autumn Knight
Get on SteamMorph Girl is an FMV game inspired by 90/00's low-fi Japanese horror movies, with a branching narrative and multiple endings. As grieving widow Elana Pierce, players are confronted by a supernatural being that forces itself into her daily life, and must decide whether to embrace or reject it. The game's immersive footage is designed to evoke the feeling of watching a family's home VHS tapes.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Morph Girl effectively captures the emotional weight of grief and loss, resonating deeply with players who have experienced similar feelings.
- The game's unique VHS aesthetic and black-and-white visuals create a haunting atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- With multiple endings based on player choices, Morph Girl encourages replayability and exploration of different narrative paths.
- The acting, particularly of the protagonist, is often criticized as wooden and lacking emotional depth, which detracts from the immersive experience.
- Gameplay is limited, with many choices feeling inconsequential and leading to repetitive scenes, making the experience feel more like watching a film than playing a game.
- Technical issues such as long load times, lack of a save system, and the absence of voice acting contribute to a frustrating user experience.
- story70 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story of "Morph Girl" revolves around themes of grief and loss, primarily focusing on Elana's mourning of her wife, Rebecca, who died from cancer. While the narrative is described as having a solid core and emotional depth, it suffers from pacing issues, limited interactivity, and a lack of engaging horror elements, leading to a mixed reception regarding its execution and overall entertainment value. Critics note that the story's potential is undermined by its reliance on familiar tropes and a somewhat disjointed presentation, making it feel more like a short interactive film than a compelling game experience.
“A well-written script, a compelling way of conveying the story (its poetry), and the effort to transpire it (its energy).”
“The core of the story is incredibly solid, and I'd say that for 80% of it, I was riveted, to the point that repeat playthroughs were intensely enjoyable.”
“The story is compelling enough that I may give it another playthrough to try for the last two endings.”
“The biggest problem with 'Morph Girl's' story is that it's painfully boring.”
“The story is poorly written, but I can appreciate what they were trying to go for.”
“The pacing is slow, the story is a bit banal, and it seems like you're playing a bad interactive student film.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Morph Girl" are characterized by a distinctive lo-fi VHS aesthetic, featuring a pale pink color palette and melancholic saturation that evoke nostalgia and unease. While the visuals are praised for their haunting cinematography and effective atmosphere, some reviewers feel that the focus on aesthetic over technical execution detracts from the overall experience. The game's unique visual style, inspired by Japanese horror and low-quality recordings, successfully enhances its somber themes, despite some criticisms regarding its execution on PC.
“The house expresses a stationary life that subtly transforms into a nostalgic and gloomy abode, denoted in its pale pink color palette and lo-fi VHS aesthetic.”
“The FMV is shot well, and the black and white, VHS-inspired aesthetic is a unique choice that adds a lot to the game's somber atmosphere.”
“For a game about visuals before anything else, Morph Girl failed at the most basic level by not taking into consideration that a PC is more complex than a 'one-size-fits-all' console system configuration.”
“Filmed or at least manipulated in post-production to resemble a low-quality VHS recording, Morph Girl has opted for visuals which showcase a sepia filter with a reddish hue and the occasional tracking desync effects.”
“However, Morph Girl features haunting cinematography - coupled with a burned VHS aesthetic and a melancholic purple saturation.”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is heavily influenced by Japanese horror, effectively creating a haunting and immersive experience through its use of yūrei themes, a VHS aesthetic, and a gradual build-up of tension. The background ambience and music contribute significantly to the overall gloominess, enhancing the emotional weight of the narrative. While some moments may feel slightly silly, the organic transitions and somber visuals maintain a compelling and eerie atmosphere throughout.
“It perpetuates the authentic atmosphere and theme of its setting as defined by the script, routine, or ritual, all dressed in a paranormal cloak.”
“Even the way background ambience transitions from scene to scene is really impressive and ends up making the atmosphere seem incredibly organic.”
“The music included helps greatly as it maintains the creepy atmosphere without relying on loud jump scare sounds.”
“While the film relied on a Japanese atmosphere to evoke terror, this was due to the literary device of yūrei.”
“The FMV is shot well, and the black and white, VHS-inspired aesthetic is a unique choice that adds a lot to the game's somber atmosphere.”
“It made me immerse into that dark atmosphere, made me think about my younger sister's death, acknowledging again that pain of a loss.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily focused on a short interactive story experience, lasting around 1.5 hours, with an additional 2.5 hours if players choose to watch included movies. It features simplistic mechanics centered on choice-making rather than puzzles, and while the VHS-inspired UI adds a nostalgic touch, the overall gameplay is minimal and inflexible, making it more akin to a visual novel than a traditional game.
“There is little gameplay to be had, but an enjoyable VHS-inspired UI and playthrough makes for an enjoyable experience if you're into that sort of thing.”
“It is a visual novel style FMV game, so the gameplay is based on choice making rather than puzzles.”
“Normally, it would be hard to discuss the gameplay differences between two FMV titles, but Morph Girl still manages to stand out since its structure is inflexible.”
“As for the gameplay, it is simplistic.”
“There's virtually no gameplay to speak of - instead, you should go in expecting a short interactive story.”
“FMV games from the 90's at least had puzzles, a user interface that supports the game's mechanics, and sometimes even let you move the character like a side scroller.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in "Morph Girl" features ambient piano pieces that effectively enhance the game's creepy atmosphere, avoiding the typical pitfalls of poor-quality soundtracks found in many FMV games. While there have been copyright issues leading to some music being cut, the remaining soundtrack and sound effects are of adequate quality and contribute to the overall dramatic and unsettling experience.
“And the soundtrack, ambient piano pieces, manages to dramatize the routine.”
“The music included helps greatly as it keeps up the creepy atmosphere as well as not including any of those loud jumpscare sounds.”
“It's got some genuinely creepy moments that are well supported by the game's music and sound effects.”
“From what I have read in discussion forums, I gathered that there has been an issue with the copyright concerning the music that plays in the background of the movie; so that's why it's been cut out. At least subtitles may be added so we can understand what actually happens.”
“The only aspect separating Morph Girl from an old-timey silent movie is the absence of more piano songs played in haste.”
“Contrary to many other FMV games, Morph Girl doesn't have this typical cringeworthy so-bad-it's-good feeling, bad acting, out-of-place music, and messy controls.”
- emotional7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while it attempts to explore themes of grief and loss through the protagonist Elana's journey, many players find the execution lacking, particularly due to the choice of a non-professional actress for the lead role. Some moments resonate deeply, evoking feelings of apathy and the struggle to cope with tragedy, yet the overall emotional impact is often described as underwhelming and hindered by narrative choices.
“The whole purpose of interactive drama as a creative concept is to give players the same level of emotional engagement with the action on-screen as one would get watching a fiction film.”
“Maybe in comparison with other games of such genres it's not perfect but it really made me feel all that apathy, impossibility to function in a normal way after the tragedy of losing the one you loved.”
“But I felt so emotional for the main character, that it kept me invested in seeing how things turned out.”
“It's a disturbing but mostly just boring story about Elana, mourning the loss of her wife to cancer a year earlier, lamenting her own actions, trying to recover.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game's performance is hindered by the actress's focus on her appearance rather than delivering an emotionally engaging performance, which is crucial for a narrative centered on existential themes. While the acting is decent, it lacks the depth needed to effectively convey the game's serious subject matter.
“The acting was decent, but you can tell that the actress was sometimes more worried about how she would look on camera than about giving a credible performance.”
“But any FMV mostly relies on the performance of its actors and the proper recording of the action, if nothing else.”
“She’s quite taciturn apart from the occasional sigh, and even if I won’t call the actress’ performance 'wooden', there still wasn’t nearly enough emotion poured into what’s basically an existential tragedy about coping with loss and the subsequent depression.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Morph Girl" is noted for its variety, ranging from hilariously absurd moments to more somber tones, creating a unique comedic experience. One particular ending stands out as especially funny, making it a highlight for players seeking humor in the game. Overall, the blend of different comedic styles adds to the game's charm.
“Honestly, one of them was so hilarious to me, and if you decide to get all the endings, or got it for your first one, you will know which one I'm talking about.”
“And since I never experienced enough FMVs over the years (apart from watching Command & Conquer series' funny cinematics), I thought that Jaydeb's Steam debut, Morph Girl, would be a perfect (re)start.”
“They all are extremely different, some borderline asinine (and a hilarious turn) to just depressing.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While the game features multiple endings based on player choices, the overall replayability is limited due to the short playtime of around an hour, making it less enticing for repeated playthroughs.
“There are even multiple endings, depending on some of your choices, so there's some replayability.”
“A playthrough won't take you more than an hour, and despite the multiple endings, there's not a lot of replayability.”
“There are even multiple endings, depending on some of your (few) choices, so there's some replayability.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, as it mirrors the protagonist Elana's repetitive daily routine following a significant loss, which can lead to a sense of stagnation and emotional fatigue.
“Since Rebecca's death, Elana has been living her life in a tedious routine, repeating the same things day after day, and slowly simmering in her grief.”
