Mothmen 1966 Review: An Alluring Light
Mothmen 1966 brought me back to a different time in my life. When I was a young girl, I used to pour an ungodly amount of time into ‘Give Yourself Goosebumps’, R.L. Stine’s horrific (heh) take on the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure genre. Not just with the series but even with the individual books themselves. I was not finished with a book until I had soaked up every possible scare, from front to back.
I would always swim through the book like it was a video game, experiencing every possible ending and minor change, before finally deciding on my canon ending. Sometimes it was a failure path! Scary stories are often fun no matter how they end, even if they end on uncertain or grim terms.
Mothmen 1966 embodied these exact feelings for me as I poured through the game’s contents, often intentionally failing and dying along the way, seeing all that the developers had prepared for me. And you should, too.
It’s A Bird
Mothmen 1966 is a visual novel infected with the intoxicating bite of ‘80s video game aesthetics and it’s my new favorite thing. I already loved the genre previously, but the game’s specific ingredients must have been specifically picked for weird people like me; from the haunting tones that put together the game’s spooky soundtrack to the way scenes sometimes linger in uncomfortable or awkward moments and spaces, as if time itself were cautiously waiting to see just what could happen next.
And this isn’t just a weird or scary game. It isn’t a scary game in the traditional sense. Mothmen 1966 is inspired by old, pulp, horror stories that you’d find in old magazines and across dusty bookshelves, often included with several other short stories, or at the very least, for a exceptionally cheap price, and if that doesn’t entice your further then this may not be the game for you.
It’s A Plane
The story of Mothmen 1966 swoops in and around four individuals on a dark but starry night; a gas station owner, a paranormal investigator, and a couple out for a drive all find themselves asking the same questions about red, glowing eyes and ominous shapes with wings that all seem to make appearances during the Leonid meteor shower, which takes place every 33 years.
Each person has their own reason for being there. It’s interesting and exciting witnessing the drama and tension, especially as the night continues on and the titular characters make their presence much more known.
The game may be a story-focused title, but there are still fail options that will lead to Game Over screens. Mothmen 1966 is played by selecting between different on-screen text options. Sometimes it’s choosing which card to play in a game of Impossible Solitaire and other times it’s choosing which scary-looking mothman monster to shoot a rifle at but both manage to feel meaningful and carry weight. The characters and their actions often direct and affect the story’s direction and action but always add to the little side stories happening between them all.
I found myself really connected to Victoria’s situation and struggles, a girl out on a date and a drive with her boyfriend, but each character brought something essential to the experience. The conversations between everyone elevate the game a lot too. I found myself picking up on details I missed on previous playthroughs as I replayed the game. There’s just something so special about games that manage to have strong, believable characters rolled into a less detailed and artistic art style, in this case, pixel art. It’s not impossible and games definitely manage to do it but it’s still really cool and always makes me love a game even more. And the pixel graphics of Mothmen 1966 are gorgeous, as you’ve no doubt noticed from the screenshots spread between my words.
It’s Mothman
Mothmen 1966 is the first title under the Pixel Pulp name, which is what publisher Chorus Worldwide and developer LCB Game Studio are calling this cool mashup between the 80’s computer vibe and old, spooky stories, and it’s one of my new favorite genres. I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the new Pixel Pup but am confident I’ll be replaying this one for a long time. And you should, too.
While it can be a difficult journey on occasion, it’s almost as if the characters of Mothmen 1966 want you to take the trip with them; there are a few times that I can recall where hints and possible solutions were provided to me by the game’s characters. This not only makes the game more accessible, but it also grounds the game by adding an extra human layer to the story. It really does feel like it’s up to me and these characters to make it through the night alive.
Developer LCB Game Studio managed to conjure up a volleyball game of vibes between the story, characters, and the game’s smart design, which all managed to glue me into the horrors and mysteries of one of my new favorite games.
Breakdown
Game: Mothmen 1966
Developer: LCB Game Studio
Availability: PC (via Steam), PlayStation 4 (playable on PS5), Xbox One (playable on Xbox Series), and Nintendo Switch
Reviewed on Xbox Series S
Pros:
+ I would spread the game’s flavors and atmosphere on bread and eat it forever
+ STUNNING pixel graphics
+ A spooky mystery that possesses the cinematic flair of an arthouse horror flick
+ Accessible game design has NPC’s help during some moments that helped me get unstuck and also greatly added to the immersion as a constant reminder of us all being in it together
+ Scary and atmospheric OST
Cons:
- I will never win a game of Impossible Solitaire and that’s okay
- Unavoidable scenarios can cause frustration
Final Thoughts
Mothmen 1966 isn’t a game for everyone, which is part of what makes it such a special game. I don’t want to call it a niche title and scare people away but liking scary games or titles with a retro focus won’t be enough for you to enjoy the trip. But if you like weird, spooky, and aren’t swayed by point-and-click games, Mothmen 1966 is absolutely the game for you.
Reviewed by Juno Stump