By: Angelique Taylor 

  Spoilers: Fran Bow

Fran Bow Dagenheart is a former psychiatric patient of the Oswald Asylum and daughter of Martin Bow and Lucia Dagenheart. Named for the title character, the game has mysterious dark realities following the protagonist Fran Bow to the dark side and to the beauty of all. 

Set in 1944, this game tells the story of Fran Bow Dagenheart struggling with the death of her parents and a mental disorder with a very unfair destiny. After witnessing the gruesome and mysterious loss of her parents found dismembered in her home, Fran rushes into the woods with her only friend, Mr. Midnight, the cat that Fran received from her parents before they died. In the forest, Fran goes into shock over the loss of her parents and when she wakes up, she’s at the Oswald Asylum, an oppressive mental institution for psychiatric patients dealing with their struggles. Mr. Midnight is nowhere to be found. After having a dream of her beloved cat Mr. Midnight, Fran finds her way out of the Oswald Asylum to go find him and go back home to her Aunt Grace, her only remaining relative. As Fran takes pills, she realizes that they are ways into other dimensions, where she meets friends and enemies such as Remor. 

I love this game. Gameplay is not hard as it’s a point and click game that makes you think. As you understand Fran’s life and the mysterious entities around her, you are more enticed in the backstory and the places you visit. As you go through these realities, you will decide if the people and the destiny for Fran was for the evil or the good.