Polygon.com / 06.11.24

Homicipher is a clever horror game about female desire and monster language

Being lost in a dark and unfamiliar location is a common fear, and a great start to a horror game. Filling that place with weird, menacing monsters is even better. One horror game adds another novel twist to the formula: I have no idea what anyone is saying, and I have to piece this strange, foreign language together before Im viciously murdered. Welcome to Homicipher, a female-targeted language deciphering and exploration ADV based on the concept of romance with horror men. Ive never played anything like it. Homicipher starts out with a very simple premise: Im alone in a new place, Ive lost my bag, and Im in a rusted-out old hallway with flickering lights and a hunched, menacing figure called Mr. Crawling. I sprint away, only to be confronted by Mr. Hood, a Grim Reaper-style specter. Luckily, Mr. Hood is much nicer than his colleague, and we take part in a little impromptu language lesson. He teaches me a few basic words like me and you before I stumble onto the next hallway. Gameplay...
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