Long after I played The Lion’s Song: Episode 2 – Anthology the melody from the first episode lingered in my brain, accompanied by the swinging, creaking, lantern (those who have played this game will know what I mean).
The Lion’s Song: Episode 1 – Silence—available for free on Steam—caused my inner band geek to start squeeing loudly. It’s about creating your own musical composition, and that was very cool. It’s also about facing your gremlins and chasing after what you want.
Episode 2, released on November 21, is sure to get as much love as the first episode did. Set in Vienna in the early 20th century, The Lion’s Song is a pixelated point-and-click game that introduced me to a genre of games I didn’t know existed, and I didn’t know I even wanted—stories.
In each episode of the Lion’s Song, the highly creative artists in the game struggle with themselves; they deal with their desires, expectations, anxieties, fears, love, hopes, dreams. It’s so easy to connect with these characters; for artistic types, it’s also easy to identify with them.
In Episode 2, the character is artist Franz Markert, a young man able to see the different layers and personalities in others but struggling with his own, visible, gremlins. As each episode finishes, a little more about the next is revealed, leaving the player with excited anticipation.
If you can only play video games with high graphics, first-person shooters, or massively multiplayer online role-playing games, this is not for you. This is, however, for gamers who have a soft spot for indie games.
The beauty of The Lion’s Song shines through the gameplay and the story captured my attention completely until, before I even realized it, the game was over. The end of each episode so far has brought a feeling of incompleteness that will only be filled when I get to play them all.