Mundane Horror: A Budding Genre

 Mundane Horror

Mundane horror is a subject that I've wanted to discuss for a long while, ever since discovering the sub-genre and my own love of it. But first let's quickly define it so everyone can be on the same page of what it actually means.

Mundane horror is a depiction of a seemingly every day scene, something we're used to and might even take comfort in. Yet the closer you look, the more you start to pick up on little things that might be "off" about the situation.

This image from TV Tropes is a great example. While at first everything seems to be normal, the closer you look the more little things seem to be off about the situation.

The coffee is going to be the first thing most people notice and if it were just that then it would almost not even be enough to qualify as Mundane Horror because it could just be some funky latte art. Yet when you start to look at the background is when things get... strange. A bloody handprint on the wall, the extra sharp knife, and even the distorted tilt of the image itself. All of these combine to leave you feeling unsettled. And this is only scratching the surface of what's happening with games right now.

There's been a heavy uptick in mundane horror games and I'm absolutely living for it!

Perhaps the most notable is the Chilla's Art series. These games showcase every day things like working at a convenience store, going to karaoke with your friend, or even working at a traditional bath house. Yet the further into these games you go, the creepier everything seems to get.

This is The Bathhouse, a story about a girl who takes a summer job working at a traditional Japanese bathhouse and the horrors that unfold there.

At the beginning of the job, everything is slightly off but also mostly normal. Sure, your boss is a little weird and the guy staring at the apartment next to you is unsettling, but it's not like they're causing you any extra work. Yet as the days pass by, the people around you get more unsettling and a strange person seems to be appearing at the end of your work day, playing a creepy game of catch.

Overall, the game starts so seemingly mundane but just continues to get weirder and weirder. This is by far the most popular series in this genre, but there are two more I also want to bring up that have helped to solidify my enjoyment of the genre.

Click here if you want to check out the entire Chilla's Art series! These games are all standalone so check out whichever appeal to you most!

Now I want to move onto a game a played at the last Steam Next Fest. This game is called Creepy Shift and I immediately fell in love with it!

The premise of this game is that you're a new employee at a roadside diner but when you show up for your nightshift, you learn that there are some strange rules you need to follow. This game is based on a Creepy Pasta and despite the fact that it starts off creepy, the actual actions you take for the first part of the game are nothing short of mundane.

At the start of the game you restock shelves, clean dishes, mop, and clear the tables. It's actually relatively soothing if not for how the wind is howling and the very haunted juke box that keeps tormenting me.

Creepy Shift fits the sub-genre of mundane horror well because of how the first two in game hours go. In fact, it isn't until the final two hours of the game that things stop focusing on the mundane and instead go completely haywire with the haunting going on. And, as a final act of the mundane, you do in fact get paid at the end of the night and can try to top your high score each time!

If you would like to watch my playthrough of Creepy Shift click here. If you would like to wishlist/ purchase the game for yourself click here.

The final game I want to talk about is called Closing at 2, an indie game that I played at Magfest 2025. This game features you as a bartender, fixing drinks for your regulars. All you're trying to do is making it to the close of the bar yet such a mundane and simple task could never be so easy! Not in the mundane horror genre.

The main focus of the game is making drinks with a fun little minigame to help you mix them. Then you serve them to your regulars. It's not a super long game, but it certainly gets it's point across very quickly. 

As your regulars keep coming up, they get more and more deranged in both appearance and their requests. And you, as the bartender, are just counting down to the end of your shift, hoping you survive it. It's mundane yet so very, very creepy. And oh how the scare got me when I first saw it!

If you would like to try the FREE game yourself click here. 

Overall, mundane horror is such a fun sub-genre to cover because you have to get creative with how the scares work. And you have to make sure you're balancing the completely mundane with horror elements so it doesn't sway too far in either direction. All three of the games I've mentioned are fantastic blends of these elements and create an experience that keeps me coming back for more.

If you know any mundane horror games, leave them down below! I want to play each and every one of them!

💛 Memento

Girls Don't Let Girls Fall For Gachas

 Welcome to Miraland!

Welcome to the beautiful world of Miraland! It's a land full of beautiful fashion, the even more beautiful Giovanni, and a whole lot of complicated business for us to get involved in.

Infinity Nikki is the next installment in the long standing Nikki series, the story of a girl who gets transported to a magical world where the fashion does the talking. Nikki and her companion Momo get to wear all sorts of beautiful outfits, each with their own special abilities.

Infinity Nikki also happens to be a gacha game, something becoming more and more prevalent in the gaming sphere these days. Currently though, this is the only gacha game of its type out there and as such, a lot of new players have been signing up and it's been overwhelming to say the least. As a gacha veteran, I want to share the ins and outs, as well as tips and tricks that I've learned to save money and not fall for tricks.

In this post, I'll be exclusively covering the gacha system and what to look out for. So first, let's start with some vocabulary that I'll be using.

Gacha Game: A genre of video game that costs no money to play, but implements a system where there is a luck based mechanic to get certain items. In the case of Infinity Nikki this is based around exclusive clothing items.

F2P (Free To Play): People who do not spend any real life money on the game.

Light Spender: People who spend only a small amount of money on the game. This is subjective on how people define their own spending. This is the category I personally fall in.

Whale: Someone who spend a lot of real life money on the game. 

Banner: Gacha games have banners for the items that you can currently get in game. There is always one banner that is there permanently and then a rotating banner that is only available for a limited time.

4 Star/ 5 Star: 4 Star pieces are good quality. 5 Star pieces are the highest quality pieces in the game and will have the best stats. 

Now that we have the lingo out of the way, let's talk about Infinity Nikki!

Since the basis of Infinity Nikki is centred around fashion, of course the banners are all for different outfits. And while new players are able to obtain a lot of crystals to pull on these banners, that doesn't mean you should spend without thinking. If you want to have the best experience playing this game, then patience is key. So here are a few tips and tricks that have helped me save my wallet.

Disclosure: I have decided to spend $50 on this game to get some exclusive outfits. So you will see that reflected in my screenshots. I am not advocating for the spending of money but I have chosen to do so. This guide is meant to help people who do not want to spend money!

First I want to briefly clarify on the gacha system. Infinity Nikki runs a bit differently since there are so many clothing pieces to obtain. Here are a few bullet points to keep in mind!

• You are guaranteed a 5 star piece every 20 pulls on the standard and limited 5 star banners
• Every 20 pulls also gets you a piece of the make up set
• So far the 5 star outfits have had 10 clothing pieces to obtain
• You will not get duplicate pieces of an outfit until you have completed it
• You are guaranteed a 4 star piece every 5 pulls on the limited 4 star banners
• So far the 4 star outfits have 8 clothing pieces to obtain

First we're going to talk about the Permanent Banner. This banner is available permanently, as the name suggests.

This banner offers 4 dresses that can only be gotten on this banner. And let me tell you, all of these dresses are absolutely stunning and picking the one you want is genuinely difficult. I ultimately went for the ice dress and have been steadily getting pieces of it. 

My best piece of advice is make sure you aren't using your diamonds on this. Since this banner will be available permanently, there's no pressure to get the dresses early. And as the story progresses, you will automatically get the Resonite Crystals through story quests, leveling up your character, and in the monthly shop. So it's better to save your diamonds for the next banners I'll be showcasing.

So let's go over the Time Limited Banners. These banners are only around for a short time (At this time we do not know how reruns will work in Infinity Nikki). Infinity Nikki has two types of limited banners as well, 4 star outfits and 5 star outfits.

This is the current rate up 5 Star Outfit: Wings of Wishes. It's a beautiful outfit that comes with an added ability of being able to glide using it. It always runs alongside a 4 Star outfit that you will get passively as you pull, so don't worry about getting all the pieces of that.

When it comes to wishing on these banners, the most important thing to keep in mind is do you like the rate up outfit. A good frame of reference has been: if you like at least 5/10 of the pieces then it's worth pulling on. If you only like one piece, then maybe wait and save your diamonds and Revelation Crystals for the next limited banner. Infinity Nikki runs a lot of them so you won't be waiting long.

You'll see on the screenshot that there's something called Ocean's Blessing. Mine has a check mark because I've been pulling on this banner. What this does is allows you to pick a piece that you want most of all. This will guarantee that you get it relatively early, but it is not guaranteed to be your first piece. This is helpful if you are already pulling on the outfit, but it's not super helpful for getting a single piece as you still might not get it until 50 pulls in.

There is also the make up, which I briefly covered before. Every 20 pulls you get a piece of the make up. This has so far only been for 5 star outfits and can be seen on both the permanent banner and limited time banner. If you are pulling for a full outfit, then you are guaranteed to get all of the make up for it too. You also get an outfit for Momo, which is just a nice little plus.

This is another reason why I recommend only going for the outfits you love. This is a big commitment and takes a lot of in game currency. For people who don't want to spend any money, this means saving. Pull for outfits you like, not just outfits that everyone else is going off about. If you wouldn't dress Nikki up in it, you'll regret pulling on it.

Infinity Nikki has also introduced a third type of banner and this is the limited 4 Star Banner.

These banners require fewer pulls to get the complete outfit and do not have a Momo cloak or make up set. They are still beautiful outfits though and should be considered. They take fewer pulls to get the full set and are far less of a commitment over the 5 Star banner. While I did not pull on either of these, I did obtain the Froggy set and have absolutely loved it.

There are a multitude of outfits you can obtain in Infinity Nikki and this is only scratching the surface of what the game has to offer. As someone who played Love Nikki, I know just how beautiful the outfits can be, so don't worry if none of them have spoken to you yet. Just save and wait for the outfit that you fall in love with! You won't regret it!

Now, I do want to add a couple more tips and tricks to make the money of your time! 

In the store there is a section called Resonance. Go to that and then click on the Tranquility Droplet tab. You earn tranquility droplets every time you pull on a banner and they can be used here. This section refreshes on the first of the month and gives you 5 free pulls on each banner. If you're saving a lot, then prioritize getting the Revelation Crystals. But if you can afford both then it's worth picking them up.

I hope this wishing guide has helped you understand how the banners work in Infinity Nikki! Remember though, don't give in to the hype. If you don't love an outfit, it's okay to wait. There will always be new outfits coming and the most important thing is liking what you spend your time and hard earned diamonds on.

I plan on making some more guides including what to do each day when you log in, how to make the most of your time playing, and how to win those challenging style battles. So leave in the comments what you want to see next!

💛 Memento

From Cozy To Creepy: Women Are Making Their Mark

 From Cozy To Creepy

Women are Making their Mark

It's not secret that the gaming industry has been largely dominated by men from the beginning, but that doesn't mean this will continue to be the case. And thanks to Women-Led Games I was able to find some new game demos to try out that have once again reminded me that women deserve their place in gaming.

I played 4 game demos ranging from cute to creepy and recorded footage of all of them along the way. The last one was so amazing that despite not being dressed up for recording, I turned my camera on so everyone could see my live reaction to how genuinely scared it made me! 

I also might have immediately told my friend to play it so he could get terrified too.

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So let's start things off nice and cozy with Projected Dreams.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2318800/Projected_Dreams/

This is actually a game I first heard about on Threads and had been excited to try out, even more so when I realized that it was a women-led game. The basis of the game is simple but different from anything I've played before.

Projected Dreams utilizes shadows created by manipulating various toys left around the room. Each one of these finished objects is added to a snapshot that slowly tells a story about the character you are playing as. Each of these snapshots shows a life unfolding, whether it be the birth of a younger sibling, or reading a favorite book.

While the mechanics of the game can take a little getting used to, I love the creativity and how you don't always have a correct answer when it comes to building up each shadow. There were definitely times when I didn't use the recommended blocks, but with a little manipulation got the desired effect all the same.

The atmosphere of the game is cozy and I love that it's full of endless possibilities. Once we finish the story of this protagonist we could easily go to a different room and learn about someone else. This game can be truly endless depending on how many stories the developer wants to make.

So should you wishlist it?

If you like cozy and relaxing games then absolutely. The vibe of this game is similar to Unpacking, A Little To The Left, and Tell Me Your Story. If those games are up your alley then Projected Dreams will be a perfect addition! The mechanics set it apart from the others while keeping that same cozy and relaxing vibe.

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Next I'd like to move onto a game that I thought would be cozy but really just got me thinking. It was profound and thought provoking in ways that I wasn't completely ready for. Yet I loved it and I want to go back and play more once the full release is out.

So let's talk about Blueberry.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1536120/Blueberry/

Blueberry tells the story of a woman who is combating her trauma. She's a new mother who is trying not to be the same person her own mother was. This is shown through memories as Blueberry travels through a puzzle platformer, remembering different things from her youth. 

As the player you get to make choices that do shape the outcomes of certain memories and the game does an excellent job of manipulating the player into making decisions that will lead to certain outcomes. One part that really struck me is when you're a young child and go to the store with your mother. The game leads you to believe that you're doing something fun in trying to sneak cookies into the cart, but really it leads to the desired outcome of not being able to afford all the snacks. The player goes from feeling like a mischievous child to the realities of adulthood in less than five minutes. We see it as a game until suddenly we are relating to the mother. It's heart breaking because had we not been drawn in, perhaps things would have been different.

It's themes like this that continue throughout Blueberry. We make decisions that feel okay in the moment but then we see the realities of situations and how the mother might not have been the best, but she isn't a villain either. 

This game has stuck with me since playing it. The story telling style is thought provoking and clearly the developer put a lot of effort into it. It would be so easy to just villainize the mother yet that doesn't seem to be the intention at all. Nor is it the intention to see the child as always in the wrong. Mistakes are made and what's unique about this game is its ability to show both sides.

So should you wishlist it?

If you enjoy games where your choices shape the gameplay then Blueberry is an excellent addition! It reminds me of the Life is Strange games where it's telling you a story that is ultimately so much bigger than you.

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Now it's time to turn up the creepy factor with our next game.

Everlasting Tomorrow follows the story of Alice, a girl plagued by strange dreams and scary visions. The demo of the game takes you through an old subway as you try to just reach your home. Nothing appears to be as it seems and you have to keep calm or risk your certain demise.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2999910/Everlasting_Tomorrow/

This game was quite different from what I expected but definitely in a good way. I enjoyed the puzzles that I encountered and found them to be interesting without being too repetitive. The ambiance is creepy and I'm left wondering what exactly is going on with Alice and why do these things keep happening to her.

As I was playing the demo we meet Alice's friend Adrian and he immediately left me with more questions. Although he invites us out, we keep telling him that he should know we can't. This is a fantastic set up for the first mystery of the game. Clearly they're close and want to spend time together, yet Alice can't and as the player we aren't able to just immediately learn why.

There seems to be a lot of symbolism in the game, including a blue moth that we see throughout the demo. It seems to be a sign of safety, helping Alice navigate one of the many horrors she's seeing during a simple trip home. Yet eventually we are presented with a choice. I won't spoil it, but it definitely gave me pause as I was playing the demo.

So should you wishlist it?

Well, the good news is, the full game is already out. So if this appeals to you then it's ready and waiting!

This game has really good ambiance, fun puzzles, and trippy storytelling. The horror imagery reminds me of games like Ib and The Witch's House. It's definitely in that RPG Horror type style that blends story telling and scary imagery as you uncover the truth of what's going on. So if you're like me and enjoy RPG Horror games, then this is a good one to check out!

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Now it's finally time for the last game and the one that had me recording my genuine reaction to it. This game showed me that I actually do, in fact, have a fear of alien abductions and that maybe I don't want to know what the lights in the sky really mean.

This is They Are Here.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1547540/They_Are_Here_Alien_Abduction_Horror/

They Are Here has a demo that works in 2 parts. You have the prologue which sets the stage for how the events of the game came about, and then you have the demo itself which follows Taylor Fox, a journalist investigating strange things happening on a farm.

First I want to tackle the prologue. 

In the prologue of the game you play as someone part of the military, going to investigate a strange sighting. You travel on foot, hearing the story play out on your walkie-talkie. It's creepy but honestly the build up didn't leave me too scared. Until the incident happens. Suddenly this game takes on new terror and when I tell you my screams were completely genuine.

Now for the demo itself.

This demo takes place after the events of the prologue and instead you play as a journalist. It's a walking simulator game where you collect evidence of alien sightings and read notes left to you by the farmer who has gone out in search of his missing daughter.

One of the most interesting things about this game is that it doesn't shy away from showing you exactly what you should be afraid of. I actually found this to be very refreshing since so many games hide the monster from you as a way to build suspense. They Are Here has no issues building suspense despite the fact that you know exactly what you're running from.

The aliens themselves are creepy and draw upon so much alien media that many of us probably watched when we were younger. When combined with learning about the farmer's story, it gets so much scarier as you uncover the events leading up to the disappearance of his daughter. 

I felt nothing but anxiety as I played the game and even though I knew the ending would be scripted, I never felt truly safe in that house. The aliens might not have been able to get me in there, but it certainly felt like they could!

So should you wishlist it?

I'm just going to go ahead and say yes. This is a game for alien lovers. It's a horror game that draws on the very real fear that the truth is out there and we aren't ready for it. This game will unlock a new fear and after playing it, I definitely had a bit of trouble falling asleep.

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So there you have it, 4 Women-Led games that left me absolutely stunned. From cozy to creepy, these games absolutely stood out. All of them still have free demos up as of posting this blog entry. So if any of them appealed to you, I highly recommend checking them out and wishlisting.

And now, I'm going to go make a tinfoil hat because I'm back in my alien phase!

💛 Memento