Only if

How about a game that’s built to mess with you? I mean really mess with you. Not in a sadistic punishing kind of way but one that confuses the heck out of you and gives you some rather abstract puzzles to solve. ‘Only if’ is its name and causing mild migraines is its job.

Only if starts off like a casual Saturday night, with you, a rather introvert individual who arrives at a party that seems to be booming. Just as you approach the door, everything turns pitch black and the next thing you know, you wake up in a super classy room that has a huge anime poster on a wall.

That’s the point where the game takes off and leaves you in the dust with a large ‘?’ (yes, question mark) above your head. WTF is something you’ll be saying a lot in Only if. Now don’t expect this to be the ultimate mindf**k when it comes to games but it is strange and the puzzles are really good.

The world you will find yourself in looks excellent (in most parts) but it makes no sense. There are several chapters to Only if and each one will mess with you in its own way. The structure to some of them shifts as you explore, some are way too abstract to bother with and others are incredibly simple but since you’ve been through hell to get to them, your mind tends to over complicate things.

Only if features some pretty good and clear voice acting which adds a lot of value to the game. Your character is doing his best to understand what’s going and the antagonist is having a blast in messing with your slipping mind.

Expect some mature comments, ranting and moments of panic that go perfectly with what’s going on in the game. A great thing about Only if is that everything about it is open for interpretation. Some things are so abstract that you might not even bother to understand but they’re there so enjoy them.

Only if is a fairly short game despite its huge size but then again, it does look really good. For an indie game, it’s one of the best I’ve seen in a long time, it has a lot going on for it. The entire thing feels like a journey through someone’s insanity. Also, it has two endings.