Fractured Blooms was initially revealed during this year’s Summer Game Fest presentation by Serenity Forge, developer of Loving Life and publisher of Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! The game certainly made an impression on many, and it’s hard not to considering it was described as “Doki Doki Literature Club meets Silent Hill.” I had the opportunity to check out a brand-new demo of the game (which is available now), and after finishing up, I’m loving what I’ve seen so far.
Fractured Blooms follows a girl named Angie who, day after day, spends her time taking care of jobs around the house. Things start eerily enough, as you spawn in a creepy forest that opens up into a lone home on a hill. Sitting just below it lies a garden, which Angie narrates to you. Here, you’ll begin the basics of your day.
You can harvest, plant, and water crops around the garden, with anything from tomatoes to beets available. This system is based on a stamina meter, and each action consumes one slice of it. There’s a way to recharge this later on, but do know that once you run out, your time in the garden for that day is done.
Upon draining your stamina, it’s time to head inside and cook up a meal. You’re able to wander around the first floor of the house to pick up ingredients, dice them up, cook them, and serve at a dinner table. While things seem normal enough so far, Fractured Blooms flips everything on its head once you head upstairs. You’re tasked with collecting laundry, and as soon as you’re given the task, a rampant timer appears, giving you just a few minutes to find each article of clothing and go to bed before time’s up. Oh, and the environment slowly begins to warp and descend into madness around you.
The more time you have once asleep, the more stamina you’ll get back in the morning. Once waking up, you’ll find yourself immediately back in the same spot as you started: this is a loop. Fractured Blooms combines the basic tasks of gardening, cooking, and taking care of chores around the home with a horror-induced time loop that will have you tense up in a flash.
As I entered the second day, I noticed numerous things that were different or strange, almost as if Angie’s mental state was deteriorating. A second voice appeared, items strangely disappeared when I wasn’t looking, and the TV began freaking out inside the house. By the time I made it to the laundry, I was frantically running around and checking every corner, desperate to make it back in time.
This gameplay loop was engaging, and it knew exactly how to throw tension at you. Every decision you make outside in the garden affects the game in the future, so you have to think critically about what you want to do. I am interested to see what other surprises Serenity Forge is planning to implement in the full game, as I can imagine the kitchen activities inside will look a heck of a lot different by even day four or so.
While a solid gameplay loop and narrative are essential for a horror game, arguably, sound design can make or break the experience. Out of everything in this demo, this area was by far the most impressive. The audio is perfectly tuned to startle you at just the right moments, with the radio suddenly blaring behind your left side while cooking or the thyme plant being thrown onto the piano keys in the dining room. The attention to detail here pays off tremendously for the overall atmosphere, especially in later sequences where red vines begin to grow all over the house.
This sound design, combined with the eerie atmosphere, makes for a demo any horror fan will have a great time with. The life-sim x time loop combination is fascinating, and I am so curious to see what happens next. Honestly, I have absolutely no idea where this story might be headed, and that is incredibly exciting. Fractured Blooms seemingly throws all sorts of hints and subtle clues in its environments about a family dynamic, but the demo leaves these unresolved. Personally, I am thrilled it did, as I know about as much of the narrative coming out of the demo as I did going on.
If you’re keen on experiencing something new and refreshing in the horror landscape, the Fractured Blooms demo is a must-play experience. It’s creepy, haunting, and will leave you on the edge of your seat, desperate for more. Just in time for Halloween — what more could you ask for?
Fractured Blooms is currently in development for PC. The free demo is available now on Steam.
