LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Introduced during Summer Game Fest as “Doki Doki Literature Club meets Silent Hill,” Fractured Blooms is an upcoming game that doesn’t fit in any one box—and that’s what makes it so intriguing. Developed by Serenity Forge, Fractured Blooms is unassuming and innocent upon first glance, but there’s a much darker core underneath. Its big reveal happened on Geoff Keighley’s program, but I explored the frights today at IGN Live.
Dread Is a Flower in Bloom
In Fractured Blooms, you play as Angie, a girl stuck in a time loop. During my demo session, I walked her into a peaceful, albeit slightly rundown garden with the task of picking a tomato. The errands that followed included sowing and watering seeds in a garden before heading into the house to prepare dinner. It was all very cozy. However, as I continued the mundane tasks, I noticed Angie’s inner monologue growing weary. A feeling of unease crept, and dread dripped from every line she muttered.
(Credit: Serenity Forge)
Fractured Blooms is based on a true story, according to Zhengua Yang. He’s Serenity Forge’s founder and CEO, and simply known as “Z.”
“Not only is it inspired by what I have gone through, it’s literally based on true stories that took place in my family,” Z told me in an interview.
A timer ticked away as Angie made increasingly negative comments, repeatedly reflecting on her self-worth. With 30 seconds left on the clock, I guided her into bed. “Finishing the day felt like swimming up a waterfall,” she eked out, before slipping into sleep.
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With Fractured Blooms, you must carefully plan Angie’s days and manage food intake to keep her stamina high. The more stamina she has, the more actions she can take during the day. That lets you explore the house, garden, and whatever else lurks in the shadows.
The day started again, but a second voice joined the miserable monologue, pushing me to plant beets instead of flowers. As Angie’s self-loathing grew louder, the house began to change. As I pushed Angie back to the now-glowing home, the camera cut away again. Someone was watching.
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The Mind’s Horror
These types of tricks continued as I replayed the events of the previous day, though with the added stress of the second voice’s abuse. The house contorted even more, and once dinner was done, collecting laundry had become less mundane and more treacherous as violent, red flowers bloomed inside the home. The sounds grew louder and more oppressive, and I could feel the rising stress as I scrambled to find the last pair of dirty socks.
An analogy for psychological distress, grief, and mental illness, Fractured Blooms wears both its horror and cozy life-sim inspirations on its sleeve. But Z hopes that despite the bleak subject matter, Fractured Blooms resonates with many people.
“I wanted to be able to create a game that was really made for everyone,” Z said. “That everybody can truly draw something from it and learn something from it and maybe rethink a lot of the things they’ve been thinking about.”
Fractured Blooms has no release date, but horror fans should keep an eye on this unique, promising title.
About Zackery Cuevas
Analyst, Hardware
