The Bathhouse Game Review
Have you ever wanted to quit your terrible job and do something impulsive? Like move to the countryside and take the first job you can find? Even if it’s in a clearly haunted bathhouse? That’s what we decide to do in The Bathhouse, the latest release from indie (and cult sensation) developers Chilla’s Art.
We’re thrown into a town and a new job, which mingles moments of increasing unease with the humdrum tedium of the workplace. A thick gray malaise covers everything, and missing person posters paper the buildings in glaring red sheaths. Someone even stole the cat.
As the days pass, the eeriness that pervades our new life accelerates. The second day literally begins with hair spilling through a hole in your wall and the decision on whether to rip it out. And that’s one of the cornerstones of The Bathhouse: exploring every nook and cranny and making a choice. Both are extremely important because they’ll dictate what ending you’ll get. And I think it’s safe to say that most people will get the bad ending on their first play through. Myself included. In fact, you should probably consider your very first play through a trial run if you want a good ending.
The horror of the game draws most from its environment and the slow unraveling of the mystery you find yourself in the center of. There’s also the occasional jump scare, which doesn’t really meet the definition. But many of the spooky moments you’ll have to hunt down or pay close attention to catch, and they lean heavily into the subtle. But seeing a soft silhouette in the steam of the baths will linger with you long after the adrenaline spike from the jump scare fades.
Graphically, it’s pretty on par with what you might expect from the Chilla’s Art brothers. The environments are fine, but the animations of the people you interact with are robotic and unnatural. It scarcely helps that bugs riddle the game, so they occasionally glitch, with their models teleporting slightly or jerking in a disjointed way. But these spasms weave some unease into the atmosphere.
The town you find yourself in feels empty and lifeless if you look too closely at it. And you’ll spend a lot of time looking closely at it. The NPCs appear only where they serve the game, which hurts the immersion and they’re a straightforward indicator of how to progress.
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And that’s helpful, because there’s no handholding in The Bathhouse. You’re meant to explore the town and your job, throwing yourself into your new life. But some things are just confusing. You fish, you get a sack. What are you meant to do with it? The answer still leaves me confused. Gathering items and finding out what to do with them (a process that sometimes is neither intuitive nor logical) is what The Bathhouse is built around. It’s one of the weaker aspects, but this dominates so much of you’ll do.
But the story, and the mystery, will set its claws into you. The buildup is gradual but well-paced. The Chilla’s Art brothers know how to trickle in just enough information to keep you guessing right up to the game’s climax. That being said, if you really want to understand the story, you need to get the good ending. There simply isn’t enough information to glean from the bad.
So, is it worth the $8 bucks it costs on steam? If you enjoy indie games, slow burns, and games that skew heavier to mystery than horror, yes. It’s one of Chilla Art’s better games, right on up there with The Convenience Store and The Caregiver. The more games they produce, the more the Chilla brothers seem to learn their niche and I’m excited to see what else they’ll send down the chute in 2003.
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Continuing with video games I got to try out at PAX East, I was delighted to demo Let’s! Revolution! the debut game by developer and publisher BUCK. BUCK has historically been an animation and design studio, notably having worked on Into the Spiderverse and Love, Death, & Robots. Let’s! Revolution! marks their first foray into the world of video game development. I found this so interesting, I spoke to the Creative Director for Let’s! Revolution! on his career and how BUCK navigated that transition (find it here).
Let’s! Revolution! is a roguelike puzzle game inspired by the classic game Minesweeper. In it, you play as one of six heroes fighting their way along the dangerous roads to the capital city. Once there, you can defeat the tyrannical king and save the kingdom from his reign. Released in July of 2023, the game has been met with high praise. Unsurprisingly, this includes the game’s artistic and musical direction (by the team at Antfood), which is both stylistic and beautiful.
Watch the console reveal trailer here for a taste of the delightful animation and music:
I had the opportunity to play a 20 minute demo of Let’s! Revolution! on the PAX East show floor. I played alongside the Creative Director and other people who worked on the game. It’s important to note that this wasn’t long enough to get a feel for all the characters or the replayability of the game. But, it was definitely long enough to be enchanted by the game and the passion of the people who made it.
The core mechanics are inspired by Minesweeper. The player must use the power of deduction to uncover procedurally generated maze pathways to the exit. However, enemies are hidden along the way and can defeat the player before they reach their goal. Each character has their own special abilities that can help. Items and general abilities can also be bought or discovered to make your hero more powerful. All of these are limited in some way either by energy (your action currency) or limited uses per run.
From what I played, the gameplay is relatively simple with a mix of chance and strategy. I liked the cozy atmosphere, especially when combined with the ‘high stakes’ mechanics associated with Minesweeper. The UI was easy to understand and interact with while still being cohesive with the storytelling. And of course, the character design is exquisite and narratively driven, with many of the characters presenting as queer.
Having released on consoles earlier this month (April 2024), Let’s! Revolution! is even easier to access than ever. Let’s! Revolution! is a perfect game for those who love cozy roguelites and beautiful (queer) aesthetics. I definitely recommend it for fans of roguelites looking to try something fresh. Look for it anywhere you game!
(4.5 / 5)
Check out my other PAX posts here!
